Our Circle of Welcome team, through Lutheran Community Services NW (LCSNW), has just begun to resettle our second Afghan Refugee Family of ten (see more about the family below) with our partners, First Lutheran Church of Richmond Beach and Richmond Beach Congregational Church. The needs are many so please consider a cash donation by check payable to St Luke Church, with Refugee Resettlement Fund in the memo line, to be sent to:

Refugee Resettlement Fund
c/o St. Luke Parish
Attention: Martha Stauffer
322 North 175th Street
Shoreline, WA 98133

Thank you - your support is greatly needed and appreciated!

During 2019-2020 the focus of the I & R Ministry is to provide direct service by responding to Pope Francis’ call to Share the Journey with refugees and to walk with them in solidarity and love. To accomplish this goal, St. Luke Parish and First Lutheran Church of Richmond Beach have become partners in Circle of Welcome: Sharing the Journey with a Refugee Family in which the churches will jointly sponsor a refugee family for a period of one year. The leadership team chose the Lutheran Community Services Immigrant Resettlement agency’s Circle of Welcome program, which offers excellent organization, support, and assistance to resettlement teams.

Circle of Welcome: Sharing the Journey with a Refugee Family Since April 2019, I & R Ministry members have been working to recruit volunteers and to put into place the framework needed to help us successfully sponsor a family. There are now over 70 dedicated volunteers who are serving on one or more of the following Teams: Furniture Procurement and Household Supply Kit Procurement Teams to fully furnish and supply the family’s apartment; Household Set Up Team to set up a warm and welcoming home for the family; Budget and Finance Support Team to help the family establish a budget, set up a bank account, and navigate financial expectations; Language Support Team to assist with learning English and to provide informal conversation groups; Cultural Enrichment Team to assist the family in getting to know the Puget Sound region and to become familiar with US culture; Meal Support Team to stock the home with culturally appropriate foods and to prepare a welcome dinner when the family arrives; Transportation and Support Team to drive our refugee family to appointments, grocery stores, job interviews, and more, as needed. A Team of General Volunteers, a Medical Advisor, and two Immediate Response Contacts are also in place.

The Long Welcome The “Long Welcome,” which provides a year of sponsorship instead of the usual 90 days, greatly increases a refugee family’s success in adjustment to United States culture. Knowing this, the Circle of Welcome Team of St. Luke and First Lutheran is committed to providing our assigned refugee family with emotional and concrete support throughout the year of accompaniment to help them achieve self-sufficiency, confidence, and comfort as new residents of the Pacific Northwest while maintaining their original culture and identity. They have much to learn. We are ready to help them.

We ask for prayers through the intercession of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, the Patroness of Migrants and one-time resident of Seattle, for the safety and health of our refugee family, for their ease in making a new life in the Seattle area, and for the dedicated members of our Circle of Welcome Team. May we Share the Journey together in friendship, love, respect, and compassion.  Please read the two updates below:

CIRCLE OF WELCOME UPDATE ON OUR FAMILY FROM AFGHANISTAN 

Celebration the Long Welcome – Read Circle of Welcome Refugee Resettlement Team Leader’s reflection.