379 volunteers provided over 6,000 service hours for the benefit of more than 600 refugees during the past year! Services included 121 ESL, citizenship and driver’s ed classes, 53 sewing classes, 50 after-school tutoring classes, 10 Peace Center renovation and improvement events and much more, including the formation of nine Friend a Family groups organized to help provide assistance to more than 57 recently arrived Afghan refugees.

As I prayed for an opportunity to serve and put some of my skill sets to use, our former pastor and his wife shared information with me about CFNA. After visiting the Peace Center and then with members of the staff, I was offered and accepted a position as the Driver’s Ed/ESL coordinator.

Last month a dozen Afghan women conquered their fears and began swimming lessons. CFNA provided swimwear and transportation. At first, all were very cautious, but that soon gave way to laughter and determined effort. By the end of the second lesson, everyone jumped off the pool deck into the shallow end.

With a list of more than 30 Driver’s Ed students, there was no debating the need, and the service opportunity that came with it. To keep up with demand, classroom instruction includes English vocabulary needed for driving, record keeping, etc. This ministry also includes coordinating our volunteer instructors, as well as the use of the CFNA vehicle by our student permit holders.

Concordia, Kirkwood’s VBS was in back full force this summer with over 170 participants. Among them were 24 refugee kids, ages three to fifteen, from five birth nations including Congo, Kenya, Nepal, Uganda and Rwanda. Worship featuring songs, videos, and lots of dancing led to teaching key Bible verses like Ephesians 2:10: “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Jesus Christ for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

In this position I hope to use my experience in the healthcare field to improve the health of our new refugees and immigrants. I have been so impressed with the courage of these wonderful people and have most enjoyed spending time with the new families, listening to their stories and learning about their culture.

CFNA is again providing water safety classes for refugee kids, and the enrollment is larger than ever! Approximately 100 students from almost a half dozen birth nations have signed up. The purpose of the class is to provide basic water safety skills for refugee kids that never had the chance to learn how to swim. Beyond these important skills, it has been a time for the development of friendships, even among New Americans from different birth nations and much more!

Change brings uncertainty and inherent in this uncertainty is the reality of control. It has always belonged in the hands of the now dwindling Anglo community, but this is slowly beginning to change. Change of this magnitude, however, carries with it not only uncertainty, but also the very real possibility of a better future for everyone. For this to become a reality, however, positive relationships will be essential.

This spring, Epiphany Lutheran Church, participated in the LCMS Missouri District’s second annual SHINE! service event, by providing raised garden beds to 4 CFNA immigrant and refugee families. The idea for this service project came from one of our older youth, Elise Zeigler, who is an active volunteer at CFNA and employs immigrant and refugee youth, through her business, Selah.

“Our plan had been to serve our refugee friends, and to bless them with a fun event,” explained Janssen. “But what happened was so much better. We gave them the opportunity to serve their neighbors, and they did it joyfully.

Learn about the Friend a Family Program is helping New American families! Church support groups of five to ten members each, committed to serving a refugee family for three to six months. This service commitment includes helping with immediate material needs, teaching ESL, explaining facets of American culture, and developing friendships with people who have experienced an abundance of hardship in a short period of time.

Spread the word! CFNA is looking for a “Volunteer Ministry Coordinator” Responsible for the implementation of the purpose, goals, and outcomes for these ministries. To access this position description, click here.

Enormous transitions are underway through God’s mission to New Americans, including hopeful signs of the growing number of Nepali speakers at St. Johns who now outnumber in church attendance, those who claim English as their first language. Two of the leaders of this Nepali faith community are enrolled in Concordia Seminary’s EIIT (Ethnic Immigrant Institute of Theology) and are serving the Nepali community at St. Johns and beyond as certified Vicars of the Lutheran Church- Missouri Synod. Additionally, the English language Sunday School is now taught by a Nepali member.

More than $20,000 was raised during this year’s Give STL Day, exceeding our 2022 goal for the event! These funds will be used to meet the needs of refugees through various programs including scholarship assistance for enrollment in Lutheran schools and Concordia Seminary, ESL classes, health and wellness screenings, tutoring/homework help, classes in sewing skills, the friend-a-family program established to help our newest arrivals, Vacation Bible School, LWML - Heart to Heart Sisters, Bible fellowships and the provision of home furnishings.

This year, though it’s numerous congregations, the Missouri District again encouraged the formation of SHINE events for the purpose of engaging neighbors through acts of service. CFNA was fortunate to participate in two of these.

Many volunteers, including New Americans from Sudan, Congo, Nepal, and Afghanistan worked to help with cleaning and maintenance chores in and outside the Peace Center. This included picking up trash and cutting grass in the neighborhood.

I didn't think there was more to faith for several years until God used some close mentors in my life to show me the realness of a relationship with Jesus; I learned that I didn’t have to work for His love, and my life didn't have to look a certain perfect way. Through a few years of trials and tragedy, the Lord showed me I couldn’t possibly do this life without his strength because mine had quickly proven insufficient.