World Refugee Day 2022
June 20 is World Refugee Day.
UMCOR’s work with refugees began in the 1940’s and remains a strong focus today. Together with ecumenical partners, UMCOR’s work is rooted in the biblical mandate to welcome the stranger.
Join us in honoring the strength and resiliency of those forced to flee from home after civil unrest or natural disaster. Commit to support the four rights of migrants: the right to stay, the right to safe passage, the right to welcome and belonging, and the right to return.
Use the resources below as tools for awareness, education, action and advocacy:
Recent work
- Help and hope on the journey from Ukraine
UMCOR supports United Methodists in Slovakia, Romania, Poland, Hungary, Czechia and Estonia as they welcome refugees from Ukraine into their homes and houses of worship. - UMCOR supports refugees, migrants and asylum seekers in 2021
This UMCOR update, part three of a three-part series, summarizes UMCOR’s work with refugees, migrants and asylum seekers in 2021. - Justice for asylum seekers requires patience and persistence
Two years after the UMCOR, CWS and JFON partnership, asylum cases are finally moving. Confusing policies and pandemic closures have kept asylum seekers with legitimate cases in limbo.
Download the 2-page informational bulletin insert
Listen to a set of poems and prayers on the topic of migration written and narrated by the Rev. Jack Amick, UMCOR’s director of Global Migration.
Text versions are available here.
U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement – interactive map of resources and contacts by state
Additional Resources
Websites
- Church World Service – https://cwsglobal.org
- Advocacy – https://cwsglobal.org/our-work/advocacy
- Resettlement Offices – https://cwsglobal.org/learn/refugees-and-immigrants/us-refugee-protection-and-resettlement/refugee-and-immigrant-offices
- General Board of Church & Society – https://www.umcjustice.org/what-we-care-about/civil-and-human-rights/global-migration
- International Organization for Migration – https://www.iom.int
- Publications – https://publications.iom.int
- National Justice for Our Neighbors – https://njfon.orgUnited Nations High Commissioner for Refugees – https://www.unhcr.org/en-us/teaching-about-refugees.html
Books
- The Death and Life of Aida Hernandez by Aaron Bobro-Strain
- This Land is Our Land by Suketu Mehta
- Immigration and the Bible by Joan Maruskin