Christian nonprofit World Relief Durham seeks to empower the local church to serve the most vulnerable by holding a discussion about the biblical perspective on immigration. The event will be at Grace Fellowship Church located at 327 Academy Heights Road, on October 5, 2022 at 12:30 pm. 

“Our main function in the United States is refugee resettlement, which involves a host of support services for refugees and immigrants from case management to providing legal services to form Good Neighbor Teams where we create teams from different churches to welcome new refugee arrivals,” said World Relief’s Hunter West. 

Grace Fellowship Church is an active church in Lenoir County, with a heart to live and proclaim God’s good news that Jesus rescues all who come to him. Matthew Soerens, the U.S. Director of Church Mobilization & Advocacy for World Relief, will speak at the event. 

“Hunter called me, we talked, and I realized very quickly World Relief Durham is a group we would be pleased to partner with,” said Pastor Jason McKnight of Grace Fellowship Church. 

West, a Kinston native, came across a blog post written by McKnight in 2017 encouraging followers of Jesus to consider the nuances of immigration issues and how the Bible speaks directly into what it looks like for believers to love the immigrant in our own communities. 

“I was struck by how Pastor McKnight approached the conversation concerning undocumented immigrants in a logical and compassionate way,” said West. “He noted that undocumented immigrants bring much cultural economic vibrancy to the U.S., typically being hardworking individuals who work the jobs that many Americans do not want to work. He beautifully expounded how Christians are called to show compassion to all individuals while also respecting the rule of law.”

McKnight sees this as an opportunity to help Christians across the community reassess how they think and act in relation to immigration as a policy issue, and in relation to the surrounding area. The event is free, but registration is required. 

“This event will be a blessed time of exploring how the Bible informs our response to refugees, immigrants, and immigration,” said West. “We pray attendees will leave the event eager to love and serve immigrant communities living right here in Lenoir County. I encourage the community to come and attend the event to not only grow more aware of immigration issues but also to discover how God is the God of all nations who loves the sojourner and beckons His children to do the same.”