AN ACTIVE FAITH
We recently introduced this new series of occasional features about ongoing ministries of FPCB. It will highlight some of the projects and partnerships that our church and its members are nurturing beyond our walls.
Supporting Lafayette College Students
Spring break for college students conjures up images of suntanning in Florida and beach volleyball. That’s not how a group of students at Lafayette College spent their alternative spring break last month.
Supported by an $8,900 grant from the church’s McKnight 
Memorial Scholarship Fund, eight students, accompanied by Professor Hannah Stewart-Gambino, traveled to the Washington, D.C., area to learn more about refugee resettlement.
For six days, these students partnered with Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area (LSSNCA), a resettlement agency that welcomes refugees into the D.C. area by helping them resettle and by guiding them to self-sufficiency by connecting them to the necessary resources.
This trip incorporated educational, service, and reflection components. Students helped clients fill out paperwork at a legal clinic, held a paint night for the clients, and helped organize donations. They were also exposed to other services that LSSNCA provides, including mental health support, ESL classes, and employment services.
Trip leaders organized education events such as reading and discussing articles, watching films, and attending a presentation given by Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), the world’s oldest refugee agency. This trip allowed students to learn deeply about refugee resettlement, while also being able to engage in hands-on volunteer work surrounding the topic.
Established to honor the memory of James and Minnie McKnight, the parents of Sally Gillispie, the McKnight Fund assists individuals to participate in inspirational, educational or service opportunities which enlarge their personal sense of the cause of national/world mission service.
The students will share some of their experiences in Sunday’s Traditional service, during the Minute for Mission segment. Everyone is invited to hear some remarks from our student ambassadors at a light lunch immediately following Traditional worship this Sunday, April 16. The lunch is free – please let us know if you’re planning to come with a note to info@fpc-bethlehem.org.
– Linda Robertson