21.05.2021

Strangers become Friends

Pandemic covid-19 has become a serious problem facing man wherever he lives. The virus knows no age, occupation or social status restrictions. Similarly, refugees and migrants are either in Africa, Asia or Europe. These situation of refugees and migrants was discussed with UEM members in the International Online Partnership Seminar on The Situation of Refugees and Migrants during The COVID-19 Pandemic, on May 18-19^th, 2021. Through this digital seminar, UEM members together think about how to raise awareness for the situation of refugees and migrants during the COVID-19 pandemic, identify current challenges of refugees and migrants during the COVID-19 pandemic, services and best practice examples of UEM member churches with/ for refugees and migrants during the COVID-19 pandemic and further possibilities of cooperation between UEM members. Through this seminar, UEM members were invited to learn a lot about how churches can help each other, care for each other, and think about others. Thera were 19 participants attending this online seminar. Twelve of them are clergies and seven of them are lay persons.

In other hand, it must be recognized that the churches themselves experienced many difficulties in this pandemic. Many churches were closed and normal worship services were abolished. Although there are efforts to deal with the consequences of this pandemic for example with virtual worship, the income of churches that rely on the collection is greatly reduced. As a result, there are pastors who do not receive the salary as they should. Many church programs also had to be postponed or canceled due to a lack of funding for it. Such a situation would actually easily keep people busy with themselves, including the church. Solving the problem itself has been difficult, especially if we are busy with others. There is no place for others to think let alone strangers.

Before the seminar ended, the participants were asked to develop an agreement as Action Plans in the breakout group discussion. Some of the action plans are capacity building for refugees on food security and income generating, capacity building on trauma healing for refugees and pastor or persons dealing with the traumatized people, developing Sunday service for refugees and migrant workers and pastor exchange, etc.

This is where the church is challenged to follow the teachings of Jesus. “Then the ones who pleased the Lord will ask, "When did we give you something to eat or drink? When did we welcome you as a stranger or give you clothes to wear or visit you while you were sick or in jail?" The king will answer, "Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me."(Matthew 25:37-40). God sent the church into the world not to relax or to laze but to be salt and light the world, a blessing to this world however difficult the situation is, including during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Rev. Ayang Setiawan (Gereja Kalimantan Evangelis, Banjarmasin – Indonesia)