Love Your Neighbor

“I want to blow out the candle!” 

“NO! You did it yesterday, it’s my turn!” Screamed at the top of their lungs around the kitchen island, these are the arguments of our four children, and each one wants to blow out the family-devotional candle. Guess what the devotion was about today? “Love your neighbor.” I tried resetting, multiple times. “Let’s try again. Do you think you can love and think of your brother/sister first, before responding?”

It got me thinking, “How far back does this ‘love your neighbor’ practice go?” Turns out, each of the largest world religions, from Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, to even non-religions such as atheism, have lifted up the phrase, Love your neighbor (or some variant) as a gold standard of how to behave. 

But WHAT makes it so powerful? 
In a world where survival of the fittest seems to reign supreme, why do we cling to such a counterintuitive idea? I have a theory: We descend from, or follow, those who were themselves loved by their neighbor.

Maybe your ancestors came to this country fleeing poverty, war, persecution, or just looking for a new life. While many were, unfortunately, shunned and vilified, there were also those who were the recipients of those who were asking: how do I love my new neighbor? Maybe you follow Jesus, Mohammed, or Abraham, or let stories from figures such as Einstein and Freddy Mercury inspire you. Each of them, refugees, fled their homes and were met by some who chose to follow the mantra “love your neighbor”. How all of these figures in our lives lived, and how they lead us, was impacted by how people chose to love them, their very own neighbor.

I’d like to offer you a palpable way to love your neighbor. There are estimated to be over 8,000 refugees living in central Missouri at any given time. While one could assume that refugees are doing well via good paying local jobs while bringing a huge boost to the local economy, the reality is that finances are only one small part of a large puzzle. They may be surviving, but they need help to move to a place of thriving. They need help learning how to drive, getting into better-fitting jobs, learning English, learning how to navigate our healthcare system, and more. It’s a tall task…but I have great news: We’re already doing it. We just need your help!

City of Refuge is moving into 2025 with a need for resources greater than we’ve ever had before. Once helping hundreds of refugees, we now help over 1,400 a year. Once offering a handful of programs, we now have refugees learning to drive, entrepreneurs starting local businesses, young children learning English in our new Preschool. We have a food truck that we are launching that will help refugees start their own restaurants and catering, right here in this town! All of this takes resources. While we’ve received resources to start these programs through one-time gifts and grants, it’s going to take more volunteers, interns, and donors to keep this love going. 

So here is our ask: will you take a look at our volunteer opportunities and commit to a shift? Or will you look at your budget and help our end-of-year contributions, or become a monthly supporter? 

Do you think you can love and think of your refugee brothers/sisters? Can we, together, commit in 2025 to loving our neighbors? 

Garrett Rucinski

Director of Engagement

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