Church of the Highlands Welcoming Refugees and Immigrants

Matthew is the U.S. director of church mobilization and advocacy for World Relief, the humanitarian arm of the National Association of Evangelicals. He also serves as the National Coordinator for the Evangelical Immigration Table. He is a contributing writer to three books on the topic of immigration: “Welcoming the Stranger”, “Seeking Refuge” and “Inalienable”.

Kevin has worked with students in Russia and throughout North America. He knows well the challenges and barriers to engaging new cultures. He shares candidly about times when fear or ignorance became barriers to reaching across cultural barriers. Hear how we can overcome these barriers, even if it means being covered in spicy Russian mustard!

Over the past two decades Chris has worked with students in East Asia, North America, and Western Europe. He has experienced that people operate in one of three cultural operating systems: fear/power, guilt/innocence, or honor/shame. Most gospel presentations focus on guilt-innocence but most international students come from honor/shame cultures. In this lesson, Chris introduces Honor Restored, a new digital evangelistic tool for honor-shame cultures.

Donna has been in ministry for 40 years. She became passionate about the needs of immigrants after befriending a Syrian refugee family. She loves to build genuine relationships and to walk alongside immigrants as they navigate their new home country. Donna serves as the national leader for Cru’s Immigrants, Internationals and Refugees (IIR) ministry.

Mark spent 17 years as an associate pastor before he and his wife made the shift to overseas ministry. They spent 10 years building churches, orphanages, and various ministries throughout the islands located in the South China Sea. God then shifted their focus once more, this time to reaching the nations in the United States. They founded Oasis International with the mission to love and care for those who seek refuge from a war torn country.

Abby has been in ministry for over 16 years, two of which were spent overseas in South Asia. She is on staff with Cru and lives just outside of what is known as “the most diverse square mile in America.” Living in a popular resettlement location for refugees, Abby has plenty of opportunity to live out her calling to love immigrants and refugees through friendship and hospitality all in the name of Christ.

Emmanuel was born and raised in Cameroon and went to the United States as an international student athlete. While studying in the States he became a Christian. He has been in international student ministry for over a decade and is currently on staff with InterVarsity. Emmanuel is passionate about helping African students grow in their faith and make a global impact for Christ.

Ubi grew up in a bordertown on the Mexico side. He went to college in Texas crossing the border daily. Straddling the line of two countries has given him a unique perspective of crossing cultures and finding a place of belonging. Ubi is currently working with immigrants and teaching others to do the same. He is an area director for InterVarsity.

Davood grew up as a Muslim in Central Asia but later came to Christ. In this talk he suggests that the barriers preventing Muslims from following Jesus are not primarily intellectual but emotional. He explains how to address fundamental heart issues with practical tips on sharing Jesus’ love with your Muslim friends.

Born and raised in Canada, Krista made her way to the U.S. where she joined the staff of InterVarsity. She has been ministering to international students for over 10 years with a focus on Muslim women. In this lesson, Krista shares stories and wisdom from her extensive ministry experience. Learn how you too can develop a meaningful relationship and naturally share your faith.