Overview of Services Provided by CFNA

New Citizen Support

New Americans seeking US citizenship must pass the US government-mandated citizenship test. Using published materials developed for the purpose of teaching the basics of US citizenship, volunteer tutors meet on a regular basis with those seeking assistance.

ESL Classes

Few if any of the newly arrived immigrants and refugees speak English as their first language, and many arrive with only minimal fluency. Nevertheless, almost all are eager to learn. ESL classes offer the assessment, instruction, and encouragement these students require to develop skills they already possess.

Driver’s Education

CFNA offers Driver’s Education which includes instruction in the Rules of the Road as well as Behind the Wheel (BTW) practice. We follow the Missouri Driver Guide of Motor Vehicle Laws and Licensing Requirements.

Skill and Job Training

Most New Americans arrive with some job-related skills, and often these are highly developed. Though their search for employment usually begins shortly after arrival, many experience difficulty matching their gifts to employment opportunities. Employment training delivers skills required to do a job search effectively, with special emphasis placed on how to do a job interview well. CFNA partners with agencies such as the International Institute and Caring Ministries in the City to implement this ministry.

Employment Support

New Americans actively seeking work are invited to register with CFNA’s Employment Support Program. Assistance with resume creation, interview preparation, job searching, and finding job training is available. CFNA will work to match your interests and experience with possible jobs that are open in the St. Louis area. Click here for further information.

Leadership Formation

Every ethnic community has its leaders and emerging leaders. Guided by the Holy Spirit, the CFNA leadership formation effort seeks to identify those with leadership potential and enable them to serve in a leadership role in newly emerging faith communities such as two well established Bible Fellowships. The New Life Bible Fellowship (Nepali) has grown from 25 to 70 members and is in the process of identifying two or more leaders for further training. The Ethiopian/Eritrean Bible Fellowship, having grown from 15 to 35 members during the past two years, has two members in training, and is in the process of identifying one more. The training these emerging leaders now receive prepares them for eventual enrollment in Concordia Seminary’s EIIT (Ethnic Immigrant Institute of Theology) program.

Health and Care Support

Refugee families arrive in the USA from within the global network of UN managed refugee camps and upon arrival, they are forced to deal with numerous aspects of change simultaneously. As many of us know, rapid change is often accompanied by high levels of tension and anxiety, which can put family and interpersonal relationships in jeopardy. To provide assistance, CFNA offers the services of a qualified counselor who is himself, of refugee origins. For those suffering from severe stress and anxiety, this ministry is of great significance.

Medical Screenings

Prior to arrival in the USA, most refugee families have had to get by with a minimum amount of medical care. It is therefore not surprising that several are plagued with health issues of which they have only minimal or no awareness. Medical clinics offered monthly at the Peace Center, screen for issues having to do with vision, dental, hearing, blood pressure, nutrition, and more. These clinics are staffed primarily by volunteer RNs and medical students.