Refugees from Afghanistan can face many obstacles on their journey to the United States. One of the biggest is finding a place to live.
Homeless is particularly acute as a result of the pandemic, and there are many ways for churches to get involved in affordable housing.
The online Matthew 25 series continues in 2021 with the next event scheduled for 2p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, March 24. The topic is how all three areas of the Matthew 25 vision — building congregational vitality, dismantling structural racism and eradicating systemic poverty — intersect around the subject of housing.
As the Rev. Jacoba Vermaak — people call her Pastor Kobie — talks with people who have begun lining up for a week of free groceries at 5 o’clock each Monday morning, she spends a few moments listening to each person describe how they never imagined they would be standing in line for a handout. Simply put, it was beyond what they expected for themselves.
Tim faced a tough choice: pay child support or the rent. He couldn’t do both. So, Tim made his child support payment and began living in his car.
Evelyn Baker and her husband, Gareth, decided that they’d worked long enough. At age 62, Gareth Baker retired from his job as a Presbyterian pastor and the two of them set off on an adventurous retirement, camping around the country and living in their RV full time. However, after four years they were ready to settle down again. The question was, where?
Leaders in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) are petitioning Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker to maintain the tax-exempt status of a Presbyterian ministry on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The Presbyterian Student Center Foundation, known as Pres House, has had a presence at the university since its founding in 1907. It provides student housing, and revenue goes towards its ministries — scholarships, worship, small groups, service trips, volunteer work, pastoral counseling and an on-site chaplain.
“If you use the model of judging a church’s health by how full the sanctuary is on a Sunday morning, you might think that the small gathering of worshippers is a sign of a church in trouble.”
Politics and behind-the-scenes maneuvering are threatening one Presbyterian ministry group at the University of Wisconsin, but the issue at hand could have a far-reaching effect on religious organizations nationwide.