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From
Bishop Budde
Afghanistan
And who is my neighbor?
Luke 10:29
I write to you in a moment of
crisis, when Afghan refugees are beginning to arrive in our
region. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, will land at Dulles
International Airport and Fort Lee in coming weeks. Some refugees
will arrive with some financial support from the US government;
others will arrive with nothing. All have lost everything.
In times like these I am
reminded of something Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said on the
night before he died. He was reflecting on Jesus’ parable of the
Good Samaritan, in which, you recall, two religious leaders
passed by a wounded man on the side of the road, while a despised
foreigner stopped to help. King said that when the two religious
leaders saw the wounded man, they asked, “If I stop to help, what
will happen to me?” In contrast, the Samaritan asked, “If I don’t
stop to help, what will happen to him?”
If we don’t help, what will
happen to those fleeing Afghanistan? That question is causing
people across the country and in our region to do whatever they
can to advocate for and prepare to welcome those desperate to
escape Taliban rule.
Several EDOW congregations have
already begun organizing themselves to help in ways large and
small. I am grateful for their efforts and encourage all who can
to join them to do so.
There are several ways you can
help.
· In our region, the primary
refugee resettlement agency is Lutheran Social Services National
Capital Area. You can go directly to the LSS website to donate much-needed financial support or
to volunteer.
· If you’d like to join our
diocesan efforts, you may contact Anne Derse, co-chair of a newly-established EDOW Afghan
Refugee Response Team. Organized by our deacons, its mission is
to work with LSS and others to match our desire to help with
immediate refugee needs, such as shopping for clothes, helping
furnish apartments, assisting families as they adjust to their
new environment, all the way up to sponsoring a family for a
year. The Response Team stands ready to help congregations
interested in exploring refugee sponsorship.
· Advocacy is also needed. The
Episcopal Church Office of Government Relations is monitoring the
situation in Afghanistan and provides information and ways
for us to advocate on behalf of those whose
lives are in danger. You can sign up to receive Episcopal Public Policy Action
Alerts for ways to effectively advocate for just
and compassionate public policy.
We’ll have more information in
the coming weeks. This is both a fast-moving crisis and one
filled with chaos and confusion. Thank you for being among those
willing to ask the compassionate, courageous question, and like
the Samaritan, to step up to help those in need.
-- The Right Reverend Mariann
Edgar Budde
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