Building Piece by Peace

The theme of Vacation Bible School, 2014 was Building God’s Kingdom Peace by Piece. Many of our members were very heavily involved in the VBS program. The Mission Study times with K-5, the offerings received through the week, and the Junior High work camp taking on four significant jobs at the Hospitality House built the basis for understanding and involvement in refugee resettlement.

I was deeply impressed with those commitments. We will all deeply miss Burton Metzler. He was compassionate, available and positive, no matter what the challenge. We could not have organized the work camp experience for the Junior Highs without Burton’s planning and assistance. A lot of solid work was accomplished in 90 degree afternoons. But that is only part of the engagement for our 15 junior highers.

Two evenings, Dean Neher had arranged for a former refugee family to join the junior highs for a picnic. Relationships developed, as well as an understanding of what refugees live through that had made it unsafe to stay in their home communities and endure difficult resettlement through war torn regions and refugee camps. We heard stories of what it meant to parents and children to arrive in a strange new land. These testimonies of faith, courage and hope are now part of their shared life.

 

Jim Miller

Refugee Resettlement Committee

2014