If you have spent some time in the church, I am sure that you have at least heard the verse found in Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Jesus is outlining the mission for the Apostles as to how the Church would grow and even giving them a strategic plan as to where to begin the greatest movement in the history of mankind. Jesus’ Church was not to be a localized movement that would stop in Jerusalem, but rather, the plan was to change the world and it would seem that mission continues today!
I believe it is in this context that we at FIRM need to begin to look at our mission. One of the greatest barriers for the refugee communities we serve is that they simply do not have transportation to come to our building to receive services. Children that would greatly benefit from our after-school program live in other parts of the city, which would make it virtually impossible for them to come and receive homework help. Many who struggle with mental health are unable to access the CBANS program where they can receive services to assist them in their own language. The reality is that there are tens of thousands of refugees in this city that need to hear and see the love of Jesus but cannot get here because we are limited to “Jerusalem”. It would seem that back during the time of Jesus there were significant transportation barriers as well!
We will be working hard at FIRM on a strategy on how to reach Hmong, Lao, Ukrainian, African and other refugees that live throughout the city. We are going to have to be strategic and innovative as we plan to reach the entire refugee community. We will need vans, cars, ride-shares and other methods in order to do this and it will take time. Like many churches that die as they wait for people to come to them, we must be proactive and go out if we hope to see the refugee community changed by the love of Jesus in Fresno County! I hope that you will join me in this pursuit as we steal the strategic plan of The Church and seek to reach “Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Peace and Love,
Zachary D. Darrah
Executive Director