Heartbreaking images from Afghanistan have flooded the news, highlighting deep vulnerability and need. Christians have often been at the forefront in responding to crisis. Though the situation is complex, there are practical things that Christians can do to respond to those who will be arriving in the United States as refugees.
This free NAE webinar will expand your understanding of the crisis and the solutions. Walter Kim, NAE president, shared biblical principles that can guide Christians in times of crisis. Matthew Soerens, U.S. director of church mobilization for World Relief, addressed the refugee resettlement process and policy implications, and Elizabeth Neumann, former senior official at Homeland Security, offered an assessment of security procedures.
You’ll also hear from Seeta, an Afghan refugee, and Jessica Shoup, director for global outreach at Hope Presbyterian Church, who helped welcome Seeta and her family.
Learn how you as an individual can make a difference and how to establish an outreach as a church. Together we can build bridges and show the love of Christ to those in need.
Walter Kim became the president of the National Association of Evangelicals in January 2020. He previously served as a pastor at Boston’s historic Park Street Church and at churches in Vancouver, Canada and Charlottesville, Virginia, as well as a campus chaplain at Yale University. He preaches, writes and engages in collaborative leadership to connect the Bible to the intellectual and cultural issues of the day. He regularly teaches in conferences and classrooms; addresses faith concerns with elected officials and public institutions; and provides theological and cultural commentary to leading news outlets. He serves on the boards of Christianity Today and World Relief and consults with a wide range of organizations. Kim received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, his M.Div. from Regent College in Vancouver, and his B.A. from Northwestern University.
Matthew Soerens is vice president of advocacy and policy at World Relief, the humanitarian arm of the National Association of Evangelicals. He works to help churches and faith leaders understand the realities of immigration and refugee resettlement and to respond in ways grounded in biblical values. Soerens also serves as the national coordinator for the Evangelical Immigration Table, a coalition that promotes bipartisan immigration reform rooted in Christian principles. He is the co-author of “Welcoming the Stranger, Seeking Refuge: On the Shores of the Global Refugee Crisis” and “Inalienable: How Marginalized Kingdom Voices Can Help Save the American Church.” Soerens holds degrees from Wheaton College and DePaul University’s School of Public Service.
Elizabeth Neumann is the former assistant secretary for counterterrorism and threat prevention at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, where she led eight program and policy teams addressing human trafficking, security screening, aviation security, and countering hostile nation states, terrorists and transnational criminal organizations. She currently serves as chief strategy officer for Moonshot, a social enterprise working to end online harms. Neumann holds a B.A. in government from The University of Texas at Austin.
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