Story More Than Award-Winner - Moves Donor's Heart
CHICAGO, IL (May 8, 2003) - When the editors of The Covenant Companion ran "Days of Grace," an article about refugee resettlement in the January 2002 issue, they knew it was a good story, maybe even an award winner. And last week (April 30), the article was named one of the best news stories of the year by Associated Church Press.
But God, it seems, had something a bit bigger in mind. After reading that
Companion story, an anonymous donor gave a gift of $30,000 to
support the efforts of Grace Covenant Church in Chicago, which currently
supports 22 Sudanese refugees. "We are totally humbled by God's great
generosity," said pastor Deb Gustafson. "It's an affirmation of his heart
towards the poor. And we are grateful to the donor."
Pam Hubbard, who heads up the refugee ministry at Grace, received a call about the donation last March. A Covenanter read about the ministry to Sudanese refugees at Grace, says Hubbard, and talked to a donor friend about supporting it. The word came in early April that the church would receive the gift, and the check arrived May 1. Of the total, $20,000 is earmarked to provide education scholarships for the refugees and $10,000 to assist ongoing refugee resettlement. "Ten of the refugees we support are taking college classes for credit, and another eight are taking college preparation classes," says Hubbard, "so the money is well needed."
Grace Covenant has been involved in supporting refugees from Sudan since November 2000, first with a woman and her young daughter, and then 20 young men from the group known as "the Lost Boys," who grew up in refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya. (Accompanying photo shows the pastor with the Lost Boys). While the refugees Grace works with are financially self-sufficient, says Hubbard, the additional $10,000 will be available to assist with emergencies, such as unexpected medical bills. It will also be used to support future refugees. "We are waiting for the wife and daughter of one of the guys to come," she says. "They have already been approved by the INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service), but the INS will not tell us when they will get here."