On November 14, the Church of the Palms' Social Justice Team (SJT) will visit the Refugee Focus campus in Phoenix. Refugee Focus is a division of Lutheran Social Service of the Southwest and is supported by many local churches. The SJT has identified it as an organization with which it plans to partner. This visit will point out ways to do that.

For more than thirty years, its refugee services have served some of the world’s most persecuted people right here in Phoenix. Violence and armed conflict chase millions of people from their homes, their families, and their countries, forcing them to seek safety in other countries around the world. Every year, the United States identifies global regions in which people have an exceptional need for protection outside of their home countries. These refugees and asylees are then invited to resettle in the “land of opportunity,” in a nation that cherishes the value of uplifting the oppressed.

With volunteers and community “Welcome Teams,” Refugee Focus builds self-reliant foundations for approximately 1,000 refugees each year. Their services include: Pre-arrival housing, case management, English classes, learning to navigate transportation and basic public services, employment support, K-12 refugee education services, women’s empowerment classes and other immigration services.

“Refugee Focus gave us a stepping stone that helped us stabilize and start living again. There have been many challenges. But there were so many people to help us. We have worked very hard to become a part of the fabric of what it means to be American.” – Petrit, former refugee

The Palms' Social Justice Team will be taking the church bus to the central Phoenix campus to “Come & See” what this nationally recognized service provides to refugees and asylees.

For more information, contact Pam Clark at pamclark1562@gmail.com.