Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) Blogs

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance

Out of chaos, HOPE

A Family Reunification Story

Minda Schweizer, an ordained Presbyterian minister and pastor to refugees, founded Home for Refugees USA after witnessing the heartfelt impact resettlement partnerships had on both families and volunteers. The nonprofit, which received some initial funding from Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA), builds collaborative relationships between faith groups, communities, and refugee families, helping to ease the tragedy… Read more »

Puerto Rico Update

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) has been in constant communication with our Presbyterian Leadership in Puerto Rico since January 6th, 2020. Two PDA staff members were on the island when the most powerful earthquake from the earthquake swarm (6.4) struck on Tuesday January 7th. The situation in Puerto Rico, especially in the south of the island,… Read more »

Executive Order 13888 Puts Refugee Resettlement at Stake

By Susan Krehbiel, PDA Associate for Refugees and Asylum   Late yesterday the US Federal District Court put a stop to the Trump Administration’s latest attempt to dismantle the US refugee program by issuing a temporary injunction against Executive Order 13888 (EO 13888). This injunction bars dissenting state and local governments from preventing resettlement in… Read more »

A Complex Crisis: My Experience Interviewing Anglophone Internally Displaced Persons in Cameroon

This blog post was written by Savannah Smith, Intern at RELUFA, PDA’s partner in Cameroon. She is also a Vassar College Graduate and Fulbright Scholarship Beneficiary.   On Monday, November 11th, I had the chance to join RELUFA’s team with programming to provide temporary relief to Anglophone Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and host families in Yaoundé,… Read more »

Reflection from Agua Prieta pt. II

Bill Branch, a retired pastor and Presbytery executive, is also a National Response Team member for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. In July, Bill and his accompaniment partner, Beth Newell, participated in Presbyterian Peace Fellowship’s border accompaniment program in Agua Prieta, Mexico. The following reflection is the second installment detailing their encounters and experiences at the U.S./Mexico… Read more »

Reflection from Agua Prieta

Bill Branch, a retired pastor and Presbytery executive, is also a National Response Team member for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. In July, Bill and his accompaniment partner, Beth Newell, participated in Presbyterian Peace Fellowship’s border accompaniment program in Agua Prieta, Mexico. The following reflection is the first installment detailing their encounters and experiences at the U.S./Mexico… Read more »

Walls and Chasms

Susan Krehbiel, PDA Associate for Refugees & Asylum, delivered the following sermon on Sunday, September 29, 2019 at First Presbyterian Church of Lansing, MI. The reflections about Elena and Reynaldo are from a trip she took to El Paso, TX and Ciudad Juarez with leadership from the Presbytery of Philadelphia immediately before she delivered this… Read more »

What Does Being a Nation of Welcome Look Like?

How do we—as a community, a church, and a nation—care for the vulnerable?   This is a question we are compelled to examine, particularly when it comes to refugees and forced migrants. Whatever your opinion of U.S. immigration policies, people (such as those attempting to enter through our southern border) are living in precarious situations,… Read more »

Rebirth in El Salvador

RENACERES, Red Nacional de Emprendedores Retornados, is a network of Salvadorans who have been returned to El Salvador from the U.S. or Mexico. It is just one of the integral partnerships that the Reformed Calvinist Church of El Salvador (IRCES) has formed in launching a new ministry to returnees (a term they have chosen for… Read more »

Respite at the Border: Many Faces with Many Voices

We would like to thank John Tieken for sharing this reflection of the visit he and fellow Grace Presbytery members recently made to the border. Members of First Presbyterian Church of Henderson, TX—John, Michele Goff, Scott Hurst, Tom Laney, Claudia Morgan-Gray, and Kathy Porter—share their observations of what refugees and asylum seekers experience during their… Read more »