The Role of the Church

What are we so afraid of?

Fearing people who look, dress, speak, or worship differently from us often stems from unfamiliarity and a lack of understanding. Fueled by stereotypes and misconceptions, we perceive differences as threats rather than opportunities for learning and connection. Societal pressures and prejudices can reinforce these fears, making it challenging to move beyond our comfort zones and engage with diverse perspectives.

But what if overcoming these fears could lead to deeper connections and richer communities?

In her new book, Beyond Ethnic Loneliness, Prasanta Verma highlights the example of Jesus, who broke down barriers to offer reconciliation and acceptance. She believes the Church should lead the way in welcoming immigrants, refugees, and newcomers into our communities. However, Prasanta’s research showed that the evangelical white community is often among the least open to embracing those who are different. Even individuals who see themselves as neighborly can be surprisingly resistant to change. 

“I shared a statistic in my book, that of all the different groups that were surveyed, unfortunately, the evangelical white community is the one that was most resistant to accepting people coming in from other countries,” points out Prasanta in our interview with her about the book. “That is so unfortunate because that is exactly what Jesus was the example for us. He came to take away this dividing line and to provide an example of reconciliation. You know we have reconciliation with God through Jesus. So we, as the Church, should understand what reconciliation looks like and feels like because we’ve experienced that in our own lives.”

So, what can we do?

“We fear what we don’t know, and bringing us together—bringing us in proximity to each other—is one way to overcome that fear because we get to see each other face-to-face,” explains Prasanta. “When we talk to people we get to see and hear their stories first hand. We get to see they are not that scary or how the media may have portrayed them. It’s not that way at all. You know, the way that people react online is with much more vitriol than they ever would be in person. Being in person is one way to overcome that barrier.” 

Prasanta believes the Church can play a significant role in addressing the ethnic loneliness many immigrants, refugees, and people of color experience daily. It requires intentional effort and openness, but providing a safe and welcoming space to build meaningful relationships will reduce isolation and foster belonging.  

“I think there’s a definite role that churches and our institutions can play in creating places of welcome,” shares Prasanta. “A church is a place to connect with people, so it is a natural place where we can facilitate some of these social connections. We can provide a place and an opportunity for people to gather, to connect, to share, to have conversations with one another, and that reduces isolation. It reduces this sense of loneliness that people feel. There’s something synergistic about us getting together and talking.”

She adds, “I think another thing is providing interfaith dialogue. You know, churches can be a bridge to reaching other people in their community. Provide that forum via place where you welcome conversations with people from all walks of life in your community, even people who are worshiping in other faiths. This is a wonderful opportunity to get together and provide a source of connection and meeting ground, a common ground for people to talk. How fascinating and wonderful would that be for our communities if we do more of that—fostering connections, community building, relationship building, and just being good neighbors? How can we be better neighbors for each other?”

“Our church has an English as a Second Language (ESL) center in a different part of the city,” shares Prasanta, “where they provide language services. We have immigrants and refugees coming in for ESL. They also have staff who can provide immigration support, answer questions, and help. If there is something like that that your church does, or you want to start something, or volunteer, find that place where you can serve and get involved in a very practical and tangible way with people that live in your community.”

“Churches can also be a place where we can explore and celebrate other cultures,” points out Prasanta. “So how? How can you do that? Maybe you can have a night where you have a potluck and you invite people from your community to bring foods that are native to their culture. What a wonderful way to come around food. We all love to eat. We all have to eat. So you know, let’s celebrate our cultures by eating together, and breaking bread together around the table.

That’s what Jesus did, you know? He went to the people. He went to the Samaritan woman. He went straight to her. He picked the time of day. He picked the place. He found her. He spoke to her. He broke those ethnic barriers by just being in proximity with her. By accepting water from someone who was considered an unclean person, he said, I’m providing a place of belonging for you. I have something rich to offer you and he gave her a new sense of identity. He gave her a new place to belong. And so then she went out, and she told so many other people.

But his example that we have is one of going out, one of inclusion, one of meeting people where they are. We can eat together and share bread together. There are so many other ways that our churches can explore.” 

When we meet people where they are, listen to their stories, and offer empathy, compassion, and understanding we begin to break down barriers. Healing happens and people move from isolation to connection.

In our interview, Prasanta shared a story from her that illustrates that well: “There is an ancient Jewish story of a Rabbi and his disciple, and it goes like this: The disciple says to the Rabbi, ‘I love you.’ The Rabbi asks, ‘Do you know what hurts me?’ The disciple says, ‘You’re confusing me with irrelevant questions. I don’t understand.’ And the Rabbi replies, ‘Do you know what hurts me? My question is not strange or irrelevant. It is the soul of understanding, love, and compassion for if you do not know what hurts, how can you truly love me?’

And I love that story because I think it reminds us, how can I approach? How can I be a person of welcome? How can I approach other people? And it’s to understand and ask ourselves the question, do I know what hurts them? Do I really understand what’s hurting them right now? How are they experiencing their life?

We would want someone to know that about us. We would want someone to ask us those questions. So how can we turn around and ask our neighbor and think about that? Do we know what hurts them? Do we know what hurts our neighbor? And I think you know that is the soul of understanding, love, and compassion, too, is, is asking ourselves. What could that be? And then asking our neighbor that question instead of Where are you? You know. So what are you? What hurts you? What brings you joy?

So those are questions that get directly to the heart and soul of a person.”

By embracing these practices, we can transform our churches into vibrant, inclusive communities that reflect the love and acceptance that Jesus exemplified. Fear can turn into friendship and we build a more welcoming world for everyone.