So outside of pastoring, I have a side job doing communications for the Southern Michigan Conference of the Free Methodist Church, which our church is a part of. On Monday, me and my kids headed out to Melvindale, just outside of Dearborn, to record some footage for their Second Annual Winter World Cup. The event was put on by Dearborn Free Methodist Church and it was awesome to witness. Many of the kids were Syrian refugee children who have known only war their whole life and are still figuring out their new life in America. Dearborn FMC is hoping to help them know that they are loved and that a life of true peace is within reach.
I loved that as my kids and I were leaving, my son kept asking if one of the kids he got to know could come over and play. He simply saw another human being in front of him, unpolluted by political or religious conversation.
Dearborn had me and my family out some time ago as well to meet with a few refugee families and have dinner with them. I write about it in my book, A Taste of Jesus.
Get to love refugees by spending time with them. I have rarely felt as privileged as I did recently, when I got to share a meal with several Muslim Syrian refugees. A handful of translators passed everyone’s message back and forth as we feasted on delicious Arabic food. It was a night full of questions and laughter as all of our kids played in the other room, completely unconcerned about each other’s skin color and cultural differences. It was a wonderful time. Personally, I hardly said a word. I just watched the beauty play out between everyone and enjoyed the stories.
Jamin Bradley 