God enacts justice for orphans and widows, and God loves immigrants, giving them food and clothing. That means you must also love immigrants because you were immigrants in Egypt.

                                                                                    Deuteronomy 10:18-19   CEB

Over $44,000 has been collected to date from Dakotas Conference individuals and churches to assist the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) efforts in providing the basics of life to displaced persons from Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Turkey, many of whom are Christians fleeing persecution.  The funding appeal was the focus of Bishop Bruce R. Ough’s 2015 Thanksgiving Appeal. Photo: courtesy of CNN.com.

Hundreds of thousands of displaced persons are pouring out of Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and various parts of Africa across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe. The total number of refugees that have arrived in European countries so far this year is 549,000, and some 794,000 persons have applied for asylum across Europe. The number of refugees in Europe by the end of 2015 is expected to be 4.7 million.

There were 30 churches throughout the Dakotas Conference that collected over $500 to assist UMCOR’s effort. Four churches contributed over $1,000; two churches contributed over $2,000.  One church, Watertown Cornerstone United Methodist Church, collected close to $26,0000.

Cornerstone UMC in Watertown, South Dakota dedicated their entire Christmas offering to help the refugees of Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Turkey. “We saw the Bishop’s appeal that was sent out earlier and we decided to dedicate our entire offering at Christmas to the appeal,” said Lexi Vetch, Administrative Assistant at Cornerstone UMC.

Cornerstone UMC, with average weekly worship attendance of over 800, is committed to giving to missions. “We have a strong sense of giving and are very mission-minded," said Pastor Ken Mund, Associate Pastor at Cornerstone. “Last year the Christmas offering was about $25,000 and was dedicated to help a school in India.”  The church works continually to give away a percentage of their income to others stated Pastor Mund.

The Bishop’s Thanksgiving Appeal provides churches throughout the Dakotas Conference an avenue to make an impact through connectional giving. “There is no better way to thank God for our blessings than to make God’s blessings available to others – others who are making the heart-breaking, yet hopeful journey to a new place, just as most of our ancestors did,” said Bishop Ough.