Streams of Mercy

Church World Service (CWS) has long been one of my favorite missions to support. Our congregation looks forward to helping to “Blanket the World with Love” as we celebrate CWS Blanket Sunday each January. CROP Walk has always been a favorite event in all the areas I’ve served in ministry.

CWS was founded in 1946, in the aftermath of the Second World War, with a mission to feed the hungry and help those in need. It became a cooperative ministry of 37 Christian denominations and communions, providing sustainable self-help, development, disaster relief, and refugee assistance around the world. The CWS mission is to eradicate hunger and poverty and to promote peace and justice at the national and international level through collaboration with partners abroad and in the U.S.

CWS program areas mainly target education and advocacy, both of which are essential components in confronting the root causes of hunger. By raising awareness about hunger, poverty, water access, trade, human rights, climate change, peace building and other issues in its “Speak Out” alerts, CWS brings the voices and priorities of its partners and constituents into the halls of churches, community groups, and governments.

Today I received an e-mail from CWS Greensboro, sharing highlights and updates of their work. CWS Greensboro welcomed 144 refugees and 121 Afghans in 2022. Since the CWS office opened in 2009, the Greensboro community has helped to welcome 2,245 refugees into new lives of freedom and opportunity. Greensboro, NC is a safe and welcoming new home for refugees, immigrants, and asylum seekers.

The e-mail included an invitation to participate in the CWS NC Annual Townhall Meeting on-line on Jan. 26, 2023 at 7:00 pm. Information for registering for the town hall meeting was given. CWS Durham, Greensboro, Charlotte and Wilmington will share big picture updates about CWS work in North Carolina, welcoming refugees, immigrants, and asylum-seekers. I was not aware of the work of CWS in cities so nearby!

Jesus says, “To whom much is given, much will be required (Luke 12:48). We are held responsible for what we have. If we have been blessed with talents, wealth, knowledge, time and the like, it is expected that we benefit others.

Let us prayerfully consider the many ways that we who have been given so much might support the mission of Church World Service.

Elizabeth