HOW CAN OUR
CONGREGATION SUPPORT
A REFUGEE FAMILY?

COMMUNITY SUPPORT FOR REFUGEES

A supportive community is key in successful resettlement for LSC refugees. The Circle of Welcome is a Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) initiative designed to engage both faith and community groups in the successful integration of refugees into communities in the United States. This initiative is anchored in a close partnership between LIRS, LSC, and volunteer teams from faith and community groups.

Welcoming the stranger is a calling shared by most faith traditions and people of good conscience. Perhaps now more than ever, there is a critical need for private support for resettling refugee families and walking with them as they rebuild their lives.

The Circle of Welcome program allows for both local and distant partners to play a pivotal role in a family’s ‘long welcome’ (the process by which newcomers are received and eventually integrated into their communities). Similar to sponsoring children or families overseas, this refugee integration program allows groups throughout North and South Carolina an opportunity to engage refugees in service and friendship.

Partnering Together

Your faith and community group not only has access to local resources refugees can tap into, but your community networks and connections are beneficial to the newly resettled refugee families. Your partnership with us creates a welcoming group of friends that results in a strong support system for refugee families.