Nassau Presbyterian Church Celebrates Return of Banner Welcoming Refugees
Members of Nassau Presbyterian Church posed for a photo together this morning to celebrate the return of the congregation’s “Refugees are welcome here” sign.
The banner was stolen from the church a few weeks ago. Someone ripped a crossbar off of two metal pipes on the church’s lawn in order to remove the banner. The church filed a report with the Princeton Police Department.
Staff members at Princeton University and members of the congregation and community used social media to spread the word about the banner in an attempt to locate it. The banner was found on the school’s campus and a staff member returned it to the church.
The church, in Partnership with Princeton Theological Seminary, has offered to host a refugee family from Syria through Church World Service. A family has not been identified yet.
The refugee resettlement efforts are one way the church members seek to live out their faith. Numerous verses in the Bible emphasize welcoming the stranger.
Nassau Presbyterian Church has been resettling refugees in the Princeton community for more than 50 years, including families from Cuba, Cambodia, Vietnam , Hungary, Bosnia, Sudan, Burma, and Iraq.
The church provides support like inviting refugees to stay in a church member’s home, and helping them build relationships and a support network. Nassau Presbyterian has partnered with organizations like the Jewish Center of Princeton. Individuals from outside the congregation have assisted with language education, local businesses have provided employment opportunities, Princeton Theological Seminary has provided temporary housing, and a local nonprofit organization has provided permanent housing.
Krystal Knapp is the founding editor of Planet Princeton. Follow her on Twitter @krystalknapp. She can be reached via email at editor AT planetprinceton.com. Send all letters to the editor and press releases to that email address.
Thank goodness. Now the many wandering refugees who clog Princeton’s sidewalks will know where to go.