World Relief Affirms Need to Pray For and Work With the President-Elect Biden on Key Humanitarian Issues Following Election

***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***

November 7, 2020

CONTACT:
Lauren Carl
lauren.carl@pinkston.co
(703) 388-6734

BALTIMORE – Following President-elect Joe Biden’s acceptance speech, World Relief President Scott Arbeiter and CEO Tim Breene issued the following response:

“For over 75 years, World Relief has worked with both Republican and Democratic administrations and with people of all political affiliations as we seek to catalyze churches and communities in service to the most vulnerable, both in the U.S. and around the world. World Relief has had the unique privilege to partner with churches to help alleviate poverty, respond to natural disasters, combat violence and oppression and resettle and rebuild the lives of more than 300,000 refugees over the past 40 years. Though leaders change, we remain committed to work with the president in our mission to serve those Jesus called the least of these.

“We recognize the growing need to continue to partner with the U.S. government to respond to urgent humanitarian crises around us, including to COVID-19, extreme food insecurity, gender-based violence, and natural disasters. We urge President-elect Biden to uphold his campaign promise to pursue comprehensive immigration reform within his first 100 days in office and to reverse current immigration and refugee policies that put vulnerable individuals in danger, especially the travel ban and the historically-low refugee ceiling. We also call on the president-elect to make good on his public pledge last week to work with leaders in the faith community to ensure the flourishing of all people and the pursuit of justice, peace and equality. We charge American churches to ready themselves to welcome refugees and immigrants in vulnerable situations, and we look forward to mobilizing more churches to welcome the foreign-born, promote peace and alleviate poverty around the world under this administration.

“The election results underscore what most Americans have felt over the past several years: that our country is deeply divided. We believe that our elected officials have a responsibility for helping to heal those divides, but so does each citizen. As a Christian organization, we particularly believe that local churches have an integral role to play in healing, a role we have seen churches lead in countries such as Kenya that have gone through bitterly divisive and even violent election seasons. As World Relief CEO Tim Breene writes in a recent reflection, Blessed are the Peacemakers, ‘Whatever our political and doctrinal preferences, we are called to be people of peace, and to love one another… It is not too late for church leaders to remind their congregations that we are all made in the image of God. And that ultimately, we will come before the throne of the Lamb together in peace, as …a great multitude from every nation, tribe, people and language, worshiping in adoration to our God.’”

To download a PDF version of this press release, click here.

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About World Relief

World Relief is a global Christian humanitarian organization that brings sustainable solutions to the world’s greatest problems – disasters, extreme poverty, violence, oppression, and mass displacement. For over 75 years, we’ve partnered with churches and community leaders in the U.S. and abroad to bring hope, healing and transformation to the most vulnerable. Learn more at worldrelief.org.