Texas Baptists challenged to provide hope to refugees

WACO—Of the 70,000 refugees who arrived in the United States last year, 10,000 settled in Texas, offering Christians extensive opportunities to meet their needs and establish relationships with them, participants learned at a workshop offered in conjunction with Texas Baptists’ annual meeting.

Mark Heavener (left), BGCT cultural specialist, moderates a discussion at the refugee workshop at the BGCT annual meeting in Waco. (BGCT Photos)About 10.4 million people worldwide are classified as refugees—individuals forced to flee their home country because of war, oppression and violence against them due to their religion, ethnicity or political views, workshop leaders explained.

Unlike immigrants, who choose a country for economic gain, refugees have no choice but to leave. They find themselves in a new land, uprooted from their culture, their livelihood and their families.

About one-third of the refugees who arrive in Texas resettle in Houston. But significant refugee populations also live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Amarillo, Abilene, Austin, San Antonio, Corpus Christi and Lubbock.

Ministry beyond major cities

While larger cities may serve as the initial landing for refugees, employment opportunities often take them to smaller cities, such as Nacogdoches. This level of potential movement provides opportunities for ministries beyond just the major cities into the smaller towns and communities throughout Texas, workshop leaders noted.

“The blessing of what we do, reaching out to the immigrants and the refugees who come, goes on for generations,” said Patty Lane, director of intercultural ministry for the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

Workshop leaders reported that about one-third of the refugees who arrive in Texas resettle in Houston. But significant refugee populations also live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Amarillo, Abilene, Austin, San Antonio, Corpus Christi and Lubbock.Refugees’ ministry needs range from education to housing, to transportation, to employment, to basic healthcare—not to mention the culture shock that results from being removed from a familiar society and deposited in a foreign land with unfamiliar customs, all while having to learn a foreign language.

While government agencies provide some initial aid, churches and Christian ministries are well-placed to become essential support elements in helping refugees adjust to new surroundings through counseling and English classes or even more practical skills, such as learning the public transportation system or navigating a grocery store.

“Sometimes, a church may have started because one person saw a person in a grocery store who didn’t know how to find groceries, and they reached out with friendship, and the result of that years later is schools and orphanages and churches being planted around the world. But it started because one person had a heart and had a vision to see that there was a person in need, and they reached out with the love of Christ, Lane said.

Learn about other cultures

To accomplish effective ministry among refugees, churches should learn how to be good learners and good partners, said Mark Heavener, a BGCT cultural specialist.

“We must learn from them their culture and their worldview,” Heavener said, noting simple cultural misunderstandings often hinder rather than foster partnerships. He suggested taking time to ask the right questions and patiently seek out the answers to overcome these barriers.

“We need to come alongside them, partnering with them because they know their community, they know their culture, and they know how to present the gospel in a contextual way that they truly will understand,” Heavener stated.

Being good learners and partners also help avoid interfering with existing Christian ministry among the refugees. For example, many Burmese refugees arrive in the United States with a long history of Christian culture. Unfortunately, many American churches do not understand this background and begin to plant new churches with a foreign structure for these refugees, instead of partnering with existing Burmese Christian fellowships, who have a rich history of faith.

Equip the leaders

“Find from the leaders what it is that they are wanting to do in ministry, and equip them,” Heavener said.

Heather Bell, a member of Tallowood Baptist Church in Houston, attended the workshop and left with a renewed sense of purpose for the ministry her church recently launched among a group of refugees.

“We have so much to learn from them—not only how they worship the Lord, but also about getting away from American materialism and understanding more about relationships,” Bell said. “The workshop gave me additional reinforcement for our focus to empower the refugees to minister themselves.”