On Immigration, Let us Herald New and Welcoming Communities


Rev. John L. McCullough | November 25, 2013

As originally published by Huffington Post, 11/22/2013, 12:50 p.m. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-mccullough/on-immigration-let-us-her_b_4311360.html The Judeo-Christian heritage provides a lens through which we view and treat immigrants not as outcasts but as our neighbors. We have an historic, spiritual and biblical tie to migration. From Genesis onward, the journey of migration is critical in shaping the paths of Abraham, Moses, Joseph and Ruth, who …

They’ll Do the Rest


Lisa Carlson | November 23, 2013

Kigali, Rwanda, is a city with no street signs.  There are no addresses, no way to pinpoint a place.  The only way to explain a location is by describing it in relation to something else.  The result is that, in order to find your way around, you must already know where you are going. Other than street signs, Kigali has …

Ongoing Recovery Efforts in the Philippines


November 22, 2013

APPEAL CODE:  #700-M APPEAL GOAL:  $750,000 SITUATION: Recovery efforts in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines are ongoing with continued needs that remain staggering. According to the United Nations, 13.2 million were affected; 4.33 million people were displaced; and 1 million homes were damaged. In addition, 2.5 million people require urgent food assistance. CWS RESPONSE: CWS continues supporting …

Family is … Joy


Angela Rupchock-Schafer | November 21, 2013

We all do it. We get so caught up in the day-to-day bits and pieces of our lives, sometimes we forget to sit back and marvel when joy finds us. For the past month, CWS has been working together with Google+, RYOT news, UNHCR and Refugees United to make something new and vibrant happen in the world of communications. And …

Refugee Congress Set for Dec. 9-10 in D.C.


Church World Service is sponsoring several resettled refugees to join former refugees from Syria, Iraq, Rwanda and 20 other nations–all of whom now call the U.S. home– at a Dec. 9 – 10 gathering in the nation’s capital to meet policymakers and to ensure the refugee voice is part of the conversation on U.S. refugee policies and programs. Refugee and …

We Must Act Now and Continue to Advocate for Immigration Reform


Jen Smyers | November 20, 2013

The movement for immigration reform continues to grow stronger by the day. The general public supports a path to citizenship, and we know that we have enough votes in the House of Representatives to enact an immigration reform bill. However, as the 2013 congressional calendar dwindles it has become increasingly clear that House Speaker Boehner (OH-8) is choosing to not …

CWS Extends Relief, Recovery Aid to Storm-battered US Midwest


Church World Service is actively involved with all entities engaged in the relief and recovery efforts following severe weather Sunday, Nov. 17, that battered hundreds of households in 14 US. Midwestern states. The first 200 CWS Emergency Cleanup Buckets are on their way now to Illinois, the state hardest hit by Sunday’s devastating string of tornadoes, hail and high-wind events. …

Appeal Update #5: 2013 US Storms, Floods, Tornadoes and Wildfires


November 19, 2013

Appeal # 627 Y Initial appeal goal: $120,000 Revised appeal goal: $150,000 Received to date: $32,000 Situation: Tornadoes, severe thunderstorms and straight line winds of more than 80 mph hit the Middle Mississippi River Valley, the lower Great Lakes and the Ohio Valley on Sunday, Nov. 17.  There were 91 tornadoes, 565 high wind events and 42 hail events, with …

Open the Gates


Joel Cooper | November 18, 2013

As I stepped off the airplane onto the tarmac in Nairobi, Kenya, I glanced at my first Kenyan gate, and honestly, I have no memory of it. A gate at an airport is commonplace, but that was the first of literally hundreds of gates I have seen since. Gates surround restaurants, houses, hotels, malls, schools, hospitals, police stations—anything of any …

#FamilyIs: Global Campaign on Google+ to Connect Separated Refugee Families


Thanksgiving is a time for family to be together. But not everyone is fortunate enough to be with their family. This holiday season, Church World Service, Refugees United and the UN Refugee Agency will bring together families torn apart by war and disaster on Google+ via the free, multi-person broadcast video calling feature, Hangouts On Air.  In a series entitled …