Call for churches to join refugee support initiative

Australian Lutheran World Service (ALWS) is calling on Lutheran congregations across Australia to form community supporter groups that will help some of the world’s most vulnerable refugees to resettle in Australia.

This community-based model hands the responsibility for refugee integration to local groups, fostering personal connections and meaningful support.

ALWS Executive Director Michael Stolz said the ministry aligns ‘perfectly with our faith’s call to welcome and care for the stranger’, as explained in Matthew 25:35–40. ‘It gives us an opportunity to inject the power of Christ’s love and community into our immigration system, while also deepening the diversity and missional heart of our local churches’, he said.

ALWS has already begun partnering with LCA churches through the government-backed Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot (CRISP). A member organisation of Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia, ALWS has become actively involved in coordinating CRISP inspired by groups such as the one from Rockingham Mandurah Lutheran Church (RMLC) in suburban Perth.

Retired pastor and Western Australia District Bishop Emeritus Mike Fulwood is part of the community support group from RMLC that is currently assisting a Syrian family of seven who arrived in Australia after fleeing violence and hardship in Lebanon.

‘I have read about the staggering number of people displaced in our world – 90 million globally’, Pastor Mike said.

‘It’s easy to feel helpless in the face of such overwhelming numbers. But CRISP shows that while we may not solve the macro issue, we can make a significant difference on a micro level. We’ve helped our Syrian family with everything from schooling and healthcare to learning English. It’s busy but deeply rewarding.’

An innovative program, CRISP places community members at the heart of refugee support and offers a new approach to refugee integration, empowering everyday Australians to play an active role in the resettlement of individuals and families seeking refuge.

Through volunteers, this program provides refugees with hands-on support in navigating the challenges of settling into a new country –everything from accessing healthcare and education to learning English and finding employment. It allows local Australian congregations to take direct action, making a significant difference in the lives of those who have been displaced by war, famine or persecution.

Pastor Mike said for his group, the CRISP program is a mutually rewarding expression of love and a display of Christian faith in local communities. ‘Welcoming the stranger is not just a one-way street’, he said. ‘Our newcomers bring so much with them. We’ve been richly blessed by our involvement – perhaps, as Hebrews 13:2 says, we have “welcomed angels”.’

He also highlighted the joy his group felt when they were invited to a Syrian feast, at which the family expressed their gratitude for the support they had received. ‘The dad used a translation app to tell us, “You are our new family”’, Pastor Mike said.

ALWS can assist congregations to develop a settlement plan and fundraising strategy, answer all questions in the context of local communities, run practical training and provide support through all the dynamics and phases of the program.

Emma Hansen is ALWS Refugee Settlement Officer.

To find out more about the program and forming a community support group in your congregation or local area, contact ALWS Refugee Settlement Officer Emma Hansen via email at emmah@alws.org.au or phone ALWS on 1300 763 407.