Ideas for Action

In August of 2016, we at Loop CRC in Chicago helped support a Syrian refugee family in their move from Jordan to Chicago. It was our small way of living out God's call to love our neighbors and welcome the stranger. We raised financial support, greeted the family at the airport, and visited them weekly for over 6 months.

Kids can be pretty focused on fairness. "Elijah got more cake than me!" "Sarah isn't sharing the swing with me!" If you work or live with kids, these might be common refrains in your life!

This year I took a leap of faith. I’m starting a new season of life and taking a humbling journey of hustling to be a social entrepreneur.

He came to us in dire straits.

Joseph wasn’t the name his mother gave him when he was born in Darfur—it’s the name he took on when he was baptized after coming and receiving medical help in this Middle Eastern country. His story as a refugee is full of twists and turns, starting with his flight, as an injured university student, from the authorities he was protesting.

His story as a refugee is full of twists and turns.

And the end has yet to be written.

I had the opportunity to study abroad this past semester in Amman, Jordan. I’m not going to lie, I was a bit nervous about living in a foreign country for four months and attempting to learn the basics of a challenging language, while learning the ins and outs of a culture so opposite of mine in many ways.  

Looking for summer beach reads? Here's what some Christian Reformed justice staff are reading this summer. 

Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” - Zora Neale Hurston

Viviana Cornejo

In Luke 23:42, "the other criminal said, 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.'" The author of Hebrews says in chapter 13:3, "Remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering."

"Remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison."

Each of us is an offender in God's eyes. That God extends his grace deep enough to embrace even the life-sentence-serving criminal should comfort and inspire all of us who follow Him.

“In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.”

This past weekend I had the chance to attend the Festival of Faith and Writing at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. And I was filled with questions. Deep, philosophical questions. I love to write. But what does it matter? Why do we write? What’s it for?

These are the kind of questions that are perfect for a festival on faith and writing. And here’s what I came away with: we write to sort out, to inspire, and to proclaim.

I remember the excitement I felt when our refugee friends walked into the waiting area at O’Hare. The little group from our church did not know how to speak to them, but we had attempted some signs in Arabic and brought small gifts and flowers to try to show them a warm welcome.