New World Outlook - Summer 2017 - Open - 14

14 N E W W O R L D O U T L O O K . O R G

Fulfilling a Prophetic Call-
Life in Abundance
by Peter Karanja

ecause of the high influx of
people arriving in Germany
from war-torn areas in
Africa and the Middle
East, the term, Flüchlingslager,
("Refugees"), which literally means
"people fleeing," was the German
word of the year for 2015, according to the German Language Society.
The world is experiencing the highest
number of people migrating ever, at a
rate never before seen in history. This
implies that more suffering is felt as
injustices are committed every day to
people on the margins. In the midst of
this crisis, the church should not stop
struggling with the same questions
the two religious leaders asked in the
story of the Good Samaritan: What
will happen to the church if it engages
with the refugees who are of different cultural and religious beliefs? And,
conversely, what will happen to the
homeless, depressed, lonely, uneducated, jobless, fearful, and wounded
refugees if the church turns its back
on them?
Warsan Shire, a Kenyan-born
Somali poet, stated clearly that internally or externally displaced people do
not just flee from their motherland for
no reason. "No one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark.
You only run for the border when you
see the whole city running as well."
As a Global Mission Fellow working alongside both old and young
refugees from Syria, Afghanistan,
Somalia, Eritrea, and Albania with
the International Migrant Ministries

The Ruferkirche United Methodist Church in Frankfurt, in collaboration with Migrant Ministries,
offers German language and music lessons to refugees. They also work hard to help refugees
find homes.
PHOTO: PETER KARANJA

in Germany, I am learning about the
plight of the migrants who face an uncertain future as they search for housing, learn new ways of living, and
practice a new language.
Frankfurt, Germany, is a major destination for refugees and migrants.
Much like any other big city, the main
challenge for refugees and those who
support them is a lack of housing.
Because of the complexity of the housing problem, refugees end up living in
congested sports halls for long periods of time. The Ruferkirche United
Methodist Church in Frankfurt, in collaboration with Migrant Ministries, has
taken the step of offering German language and music lessons to the refugees. They also work hard to help
refugees find homes.

These actions taken by the church
have broadened my understanding of
today's missionaries and how important it is for the church to move out of
its walls and fulfill its prophetic call-
to promote life in abundance. As
John 10:10 describes-Christ came
to bring life and life in abundance.

Peter Karanja is one of a group of
Global Mission Fellows assigned to
International and Migrant Ministries in
Germany, a United Methodist outreach to
asylum seekers and other migrants. Peter
(Advance #3022096), who earned a
B.A. in Divinity from Africa University in
Zimbabwe, is originally from Kenya. He is
an affiliate member of Trinity United Methodist Church in Naivasha, a congregation
of the East Africa Annual Conference.

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