New name.
Same mission.
LIRS is now Global Refuge.
Welcoming newcomers since 1939.
See Our EvolutionCongregational Resources
Living out the Biblical call to welcome the stranger
Congregations play an invaluable role in welcoming immigrants and refugees to their new communities, whether sponsoring a family, showing solidarity through advocacy, or accompanying new neighbors in other ways.
Global Refuge creates resources to support congregations in living out the Biblical call to welcome the stranger. We pray these resources will encourage, educate, and engage your congregation in the work of welcome.
The Global Refuge Identity
In January of 2024, we adopted our new name – Global Refuge. While we understand that this news is exciting for some and difficult for others, we assure you that our mission, vision and values remain unchanged. To learn more about the decision, our critical work this year, and our plans for enhanced faith and mobilization work, watch our webinar.
Questions? Comments? Reach our team at outreach@globalrefuge.org.
Printed Materials and Bulletin Inserts
We want to make sure you have everything you need to share with your faith community about the work of Global Refuge and our new name. Congregations who support Global Refuge across the country received a special mailing with Global Refuge brochures, flyers and more earlier in 2024. Please email outreach@globalrefuge.org if you would like your congregation to be added to the list. In the meantime, download bulletin inserts to share in your community.
Disinformation Toolkit for Community Leaders
In response to your requests for resources to have difficult conversations about immigration in your communities, Global Refuge recently hosted a webinar for 100 or so faith leaders from across the country. In this webinar, we shared a toolkit for countering disinformation and gave tips for having these conversations. Download the Disinformation Toolkit to explore common myths and facts as well as talking points and stories to share with your community. To learn more about these resources, watch a live Recording of the Webinar
Welcome the Stranger Worship Order/ Liturgy Resources
Guided by our call to welcome the stranger, it is more important than ever for faith communities to be a beacon of welcome and kindness for our newest neighbors. We invite you to join with us in sharing stories of newcomers in a sacred and celebratory way. This can take place in how you preach, in the biblical stories you highlight and in the way you worship.
To aid you in this work, we have created The Welcome the Stranger Worship Order for you to share in your community. Download the resource today and you will have everything you need to develop a Christian worship service centered on hospitality, refuge, and welcome.
Fresh Change – Service Project Opportunity
Looking for a service project for your youth group or Sunday school class? You can support our newest neighbors through the Fresh Change program. In partnership with Border Servant Corps and Lutheran Social Service of New York, Fresh Change offers an opportunity to welcome newcomers with a bag of new clothing, personal care items, feminine hygiene supplies, and more. Using our toolkit, your community will have step by step instructions for hosting a bag packing event and sending bags to our neighbors at the border and in New York, ensuring they are welcomed with care and dignity. Host a service project in your community.
Hope for the Holidays – Volunteer Opportunity
For the past 10 years, volunteers across the country have written and collected cards to share holiday hope with newcomers in the United States through the Hope for the Holidays program. Join us is celebrating 10 years of sharing messages of welcome and hope!
Journey to Welcome – Educational Simulation Exercise
Join Global Refuge to experience different paths to full and faithful lives in the United States. Navigate the Journey to Welcome exercise following one of the three paths where participants will experience life in the United States as a refugee, a volunteer or an unaccompanied minor. As you journey through, you will hear stories of immigrants and former refugees in their own words, learn about what it is like to navigate the immigration and resettlement systems, and have the opportunity to take action in support of our newest neighbors. Lead the activity with your youth group or confirmation class.
Congregational Newsletters
Each month, a newsletter with all the latest news, events, updates and resources is sent to thousands of faith communities across the country. If you would like to be added to this list, please email outreach@globalrefuge.org. Browse the latest newsletters below:
Climate Displacement – Resources
At its current pace, climate change is expected to be one of the key drivers of displacement in the 21st century. Explore our Climate Displacement Hub for resources about how climate change is impacting our neighbors in particularly vulnerable regions across the globe. Watch our Webinar for Faith Leaders highlighting about Climate Displacement.
Archive
Over the years, the Mobilization and Faith Relations team has created a number of resources that have responded to a certain moment in our history. Please feel free to use any that resonate with you.