A World Relief Memphis Experience
Refugee Resettlement in Memphis
While many of us may never fully understand what it is like to be a refugee, World Relief Memphis invites you to take a closer look at the refugee experience here in Memphis.
At World Relief, we’ve been privileged to partner with people and churches like you for nearly 80 years, bold and compassionate men and women of faith who stand up for the rights of the vulnerable and speak out for the marginalized, the exploited and the forgotten. That’s how we know that you care about refugees and their families arriving in our city as our newest neighbors.
The challenging barriers and hurdles faced by forcibly displaced refugees as they are finally resettled are not new. Often years after escaping conflict and persecution, the elation of finally being welcomed to a new country to call home is rapidly followed by the urgent expectations of reaching self-sufficiency. These are complex integration needs faced by every welcomed refugee neighbor here in Memphis since the late-1970s.
-
Accessing vital services while navigating a new community infrastructure.
-
Adapting to a new community, wondering if it is just and welcoming.
-
Longing to come together with people who could build friendships for years to come.
Praying Together
The good news is prayer works! World Relief has been welcoming refugees to Memphis alongside prayerful churches and volunteers for over 10 years. We have been fostering a spirit of mutual transformation as together, we mourn the disruptions of displacement but celebrate new beginnings and new friendships.
Now, we invite you to Intercede on behalf of refugees and displaced people around our city. Join us in a self-guided prayer tour as we:
- Learn: Visit places in our city and read about barriers that hinder necessary steps of integration and self-sufficiency.
- Pray: Listen to our staff share scripture to meditate and reflect on, followed by needs to pray for the mutual transformation of welcomers and newcomers alike.
- Act: Pray about your next steps individually or with others at your church.
When you sign up, you’ll be given access to a seven-stop prayer tour that you can begin at a date and time of your choosing. Each stop includes a bible verse to listen to and reflect on, description of the barriers represented by that location, and points to join in prayer. Upon completion of the tour, you will be granted free access to our Navigating Friendships and Welcoming the Stranger Workshop Courses to learn more about cross-culture friendships with our newest neighbors and explore the topic of immigration from a Christian perspective.
Together, we can share in biblical hospitality by advocating in prayer for our refugee neighbors and taking action so more people like them have a safe place to call home. Will you join us?
“To be a refugee is not an easy thing. It’s just a thing you have to do to pray to God. God helped me because I became strong and fight for the kids to grow up…in a safer place.” — Goreth from DR Congo