Partnering In Ministry
/CFNA and Epiphany Lutheran Church Serve Refugees Through Hair Care
On Sunday, January 26th, 2025, Epiphany Lutheran Church, in St. Louis, invited friends from Christian Friends of New Americans (CFNA) to a special event that hosted refugee and immigrant families. The event, held in the church’s basement, welcomed attendees from 6 different countries—Malawi, Congo, Zimbabwe, Gambia, Nigeria, and India—offering them a practical and meaningful service: African hair braiding for women and haircuts for men.
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Epiphany Lutheran Church, which has a dedicated “Hair Care” ministry, opened its doors to serve refugee families in a Christian spirit of love and hospitality. Organized and led by Pastor Tim Staffeld, 7 volunteers from the church graciously assisted throughout the event, serving food, engaging in conversations, and making sure that everything was ready for attendees to access their hair care session. The volunteers’ service ensured that every participant felt welcomed and cared for. For our refugee friends, for whom professional hair care can be both expensive and time-consuming, this event was a much-needed blessing.
After participating in church worship and enjoying a pizza lunch, participants were ready for their hair-braiding and hair-cutting session. Led by hair stylists – Jennae (originally from Sierra Leone) and Ferdinand Espoir (Zimbabwe), a total of 17 New Americans benefited from the hair care event. One of the attendees, Cedric from Zimbabwe, had just arrived in the U.S. 10 days prior with his wife and five daughters. Overjoyed by the experience, he shared, “Pastor, this is very good… now my kids, wife, and I have our hair good. Here it costs us a lot of money and time to do this. The church people are helping us free. We are new in America, now we are looking new also. Thank you so much.”
Cedric’s thanks did not stop with receiving hair care. He and his family found a new faith community; since the event, they have begun worshiping at Epiphany Lutheran Church.
Pastor Tim Staffeld who personally invests his time and efforts in this ministry was thrilled to serve refugee families through the hair care event: “It was a joy for our church to bless so many people with hair care on Sunday, and we hope to build a meaningful friendship with Cedric and his family as we get to serve them more.”
The ministry outreach of Epiphany Lutheran Church and its serving of CFNA friends is a testament to the power of Christian service and hospitality, demonstrating how simple acts of kindness can open doors to deeper connections, community, and faith.
In many ways this event was more than just hair care—it was a reflection of Christ’s love in action, meeting practical needs while fostering relationships that extend far beyond a single day. Galatians 5:13 reminds us, “Through love serve one another,” and Epiphany Lutheran’s efforts affirmed this message!
By Pastor Stanish Stanley
CFNA Executive Director
