Rev. John L. McCullough (center) with relocated Roma children in the Balkans. Photo: Tatiana Dwyer/CWS

I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord,
plans for your welfare and not for harm,
to give you a future with hope.
- Jeremiah 29:11

Dear friends,

We have entered the glorious season of spring. With it comes the promise of renewal… rebirth. With it comes hope. You can see it in the children’s smiles and hear it in the birds’ chorus.

In this issue of SERVICE, you’ll learn about some families and individuals who dearly need to feel the warmth of hope in their lives. Forced from their homes, with an indistinct future before them, they are families displaced from their villages in the Darfur region of Sudan, from their homes in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Burma, and Burundi – and most recently from communities in Kenya.

We know from the scriptures that God doesn’t want it to be this way – and as people of faith, we don’t want it to be this way.

That’s why Church World Service and our partners are urgently assisting uprooted families and working to find durable, permanent solutions to their plight. We’re helping to bring tangible signs of caring and hope into the day-to-day lives of displaced children of God – sometimes with the small but vital comforts of nutritious food supplies, a soft blanket, or a camp school, so the children can keep up with their studies. And for some of those who can’t go home, we’re helping to find new homes.

I’m inspired by the stories of local congregations that are welcoming and accompanying refugee families, and stories of CROP Hunger Walkers and CWS Tools & Blankets supporters who give so generously of their time and talents. Neighbors all, they step up to help shoulder the burden, kindling embers of hope so precious in our hurting world.

Thanks to each one of you for putting your caring into action. You, too, hold a special place in my heart and prayers.

Yours in service,

Rev. John L. McCullough
Executive Director and CEO
Church World Service