Humanitarian crises such as the one in Syria do not have humanitarian solutions; they have political solutions.
Almost 60 million men, women, and children displaced by crises around the world.
Children make up over 50% of our displaced sisters and brothers.
More than 4 million Syrians have become refugees since 2011.
Over 7 million Syrians are internally displaced.
Refugees generally want to return home; the average refugee experience is 17 years.
These were some of the challenging realities discussed by a seminar group from the Presbytery of Long Island. An intergenerational group of about 60 Presbyterians from at least 8 congregations gathered to talk about the displacement faced by our brothers and sisters around the world, with a special emphasis on Syria.
John Solecki, UNHCR – the UN Refugee Agency, described the present situation which involves more people being displaced at any time since World War II.
Mansi Metha, U.S. Fund for UNICEF, spoke of the situation in Syria and its impact upon Syria’s children.
Susan Krehbiel, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, finished the program with a presentation on how Presbyterians are working with church partners to care for refugees in Syria and around the world. Ideas were shared for how the participants can become involved – ideas you can put into action.
Ryan Smith and Mark Koenig told about the work of the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations; Paul Olson took photos and accompanied part of the group on a tour of the United Nations.
The seminar took place at the Church of the Covenant since the group was too big for rooms at the Church Center for the United Nations.
Contact Mark Koenig to schedule a seminar for your group.
Your generous gifts to the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations help make the seminar program possible.
As we follow Jesus, we remember that he and his family were refugees and we engage in ministries of welcome, compassion, and advocacy.