Afghan Refugee Welcome
Jesus tells us in the Gospel that when we welcome a stranger, we welcome Christ himself. In our Baptismal Covenant, we promise to respect the dignity of every human being, loving our neighbor as ourselves.
This announcement is an opportunity to do just that!
Afghan refugees are arriving in Oklahoma; a total of 1,800 are expected over the next several months. Our Diocese has been invited by Catholic Charities of Oklahoma City to help welcome Afghan refugees. Our welcome is also an interfaith partnership with The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) to welcome our new Oklahoma neighbors as they arrive.
We are actively recruiting teams of volunteers from our congregations to be on call, one team covering one night per week, to be ready to welcome Afghan neighbors on their arrival. It is important to note that respecting the dignity of our new neighbors requires us to respect their privacy as well as to keep the details of their arrival confidential.
In partnership with Catholic Charities and The Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma, we have an opportunity to be a welcoming presence to those fleeing from Afghanistan. We are looking to put together teams of people who can be on call to welcome refugees, teams of people to prepare welcome kits, and teams of people to pray.
To join the efforts email Dean Churchwell.
