Churches from northern Texas are reaching out and have volunteered to serve 4,000 Afghan refugees beginning November.
CBN News said Keller-based Northwood Church is one among many churches that have partnered with resettlement agencies to welcome Afghan refugees in the coming months. Northwood Church Pastor Bob Roberts revealed that evangelicals are having a shift in attitude in terms of hospitality for these refugees. He said hundreds of volunteers from various churches in the area have already signed up in training to prepare them for the influx of refugees.
"I think there's a shift that's taking place. We're coming back to who we are--and we've always cared about people," Roberts said.
The pastor shared his belief that another reason evangelical churches are finally welcoming the Afghan refugees is being aware that there is a big number of Christian ministries there. Another reason is the reported danger these Afghan Christians face from the Talibans that the veteran community recognizes.
Roberts also disclosed the shame that came with President Joe Biden's decision to withdraw the military forces in Afghanistan, thereby leaving behind "people that helped us."
"We've already been embarrassed by the withdrawal. But God help us if we have to hold our heads in shame because we turned our back on people that helped us. That's not America," Roberts stressed.
Northwood Church, which describes itself as a "multi-ethnic, multi-generational church committed to living and loving like Jesus," has setup a volunteer team that will attend to the needs of the three Afghan families they sponsored. The team has already acquired apartments for these families with an annual lease and will also be attending to their other basic necessities such as food, clothing, and employment.
One of Northwood Church's volunteers, April Haile, shared how she ended up being part of the team. She narrated that seeing the news on what happened in Afghanistan last summer propelled her to do something for them through her church.
"I found myself at home watching everything unfold, feeling helpless and just wishing that I could find something to do to help them. So when I found out that we're going to help some families through our church--there it is. There's my answer," Haile narrated.
Fort Worth-based Southcliff Church, on the other hand, has already been welcoming Afghan refugees and their families due to their two-decade running refugee ministry. Southcliff launched an English as a Second Language program twenty years ago for its neighborhood to serve the Bosnian refugees there. Their ESL program has become one of the largest in northern Texas and already include Afghan refugees in its classes.
Southcliff is also preparing for a new set of Afghan refugees who they are in contact with daily, such as the 20 family members of Helmand Wardak who are hoping to leave Afghanistan. Wardak's family members worked with the U.S. government.
"We are just trying to speak with them, talk with them every day, just to calm them down," Wardak said.
As preparation for the new refugees, Southcliff has already purchased necessities for the welcome kits they provide. The kits contain bed linens, hygiene items, and kitchen supplies. Southcliff Church Pastor Dr. Stu Cocanougher disclosed that they look forward to welcome the Afghans to their ministry. He pointed out how caring for refugees is an important undertaking mentioned in the Bible, especially with some people not perceiving the need to do so.
"As I look at the church in America I think we always have a tendency just as humans to fear what is different. But the Bible is clear. As Christians, we're commanded to show hospitality to strangers. That's not an option for the church," Cocanougher said.
