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Refugees in Germany: A pastor’s eye-witness account

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Guest commentary by Anitra Kitts We were on our way to a scenic bike ride south of Munich last Sunday when something unusual started to happen at our suburban train stop. A group of volunteers in purple and yellow vests came down to the platform along with a couple of police officers. The volunteers lined themselves along the length of one side, clearly in anticipation of an unscheduled arrival. Donnersbergerbrüke is two stops out from the main train station in Munich, Germany. It is a place where a major road crosses the train tracks to the main station. West of the ramp is a business building’s green lawn that had sprouted 10 or so large white tents overnight. For two weeks, refuge-seekers had been pouring out of Syria – first into Budapest, then Vienna and now into Munich. Munich promised to find a bed and a roof for everyone who arrived. On Saturday alone, over 13,000 people arrived to take that offer, and after two weeks of similar daily numbers, Munich was running out … [Read more...]

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The refugee crisis: Numbers, stories and how to help

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Seeing the images of refugee children dying, families crowded into train stations and herded into communities of desolation by the sides of the roads, staring over the barbed wire fences, sleeping on the dirt, carrying what little they have, people around the world are beginning to pay attention. This pain is not new: It’s been building for years on the backs of people who have no homes, no jobs, no decent education for their children, no good choices. They have begun crossing into Europe by the thousands every day, some by boat even though they know many have died that way, taking the risk out of desperate hope for some kind of a future. The United Nations has termed this the worst migration crisis since World War II. Here are some of the numbers behind the crisis. Europe Increasing numbers of desperate refugees are trying to reach Europe. The United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that more than 330,000 refugees and migrants have crossed into … [Read more...]

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In memory of Aylan, Galip and Rehen (A prayer for worship by Jill Duffield)

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What can we do but weep, Lord God? We cry out with Hagar for all the children whose mothers cannot provide them with food or water or shelter. We howl lament like Jacob, his face buried in the torn and bloody clothes of Joseph, for sons lost and thought dead. We cry bitter tears with Rachel and all those whose children are no more. Like Mary holding the body of her boy, cradle in your arms Alyan and Galip as we mourn for all the waves of suffering breaking upon the shores of creation. Almighty, compassionate and all-powerful God, we plead for help. Hear the wailing of your people and intervene. Make a way where there seems no way. Prepare a room where innkeepers and gatekeepers and rule makers have said there is no room. Reunite families so that fathers can embrace sons they never thought they would see again. Roll away all that stones that thwart your resurrection power and bring life where death has claimed a false and fleeting victory. Do not let us forget that … [Read more...]

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