Photo: Migrants form a crowd at the Keleti pályaudvar train station Sept. 2 in Budapest while waiting passage to Germany, Austria and other wealthier countries within the European Union where the laws on refugee protection are better. Photo by Daniel Peters for United Methodist News Service.

United Methodists are responding in a variety of ways to the wave of migration that has washed across Europe. The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is providing emergency food vouchers for the new arrivals and gave a $50,000 grant for food packets and hygiene kits for 750 families. The United Methodist Church is also part of larger coalitions dealing with issues of refugees and migration. United Methodist Communications explores how the denomination is responding and how the situation is both a challenge and a blessing for the United Methodist Church in Germany. You can help UMCOR respond to the crisis by donating to international disaster response. Read more     Donate now

A PRAYER FOR THE MIGRANT CRISIS

[Please pray for the thousands of people who have journeyed across the waters to find peace, safety and refuge.]

Recent news reports that more than 16,000 migrants have streamed into Austria since the weekend and more than 17,500 people were received in Munich, Germany, alone. According to the United Nations Refugee Agency estimates, more than 366,000 refugees and migrants have crossed the Mediterranean Sea to Europe this year and at least 2,800 have died or disappeared during the journey.

The Rev. Jack Amick, head of International Disaster Response for UMCOR, the United Methodist Committee on Relief, offers a prayer of action and solidarity for those fleeing conflict and migrating to Europe and other parts of the world.

Prayer for a New Vision
God of Shalom,
Grant us hearts that cry like yours
At the sight of dead boys on beaches,
Packed train cars,
And long lines of families on the move.

We confess that we have seen these images for centuries.
Grant us, this time, the wisdom to act in a way that turns history upside down.
And brings your shalom on earth as it is in heaven.
Grant us arms that welcome the stranger;
Grant us hands that feed the hungry;
Grant us feet that walk with those whose feet search
For a new home, a new job, a new life.

Help us understand how bad things must have been,
And how much vision these survivors must have had
To make this terrible trek.

Grant us the vision to see what they see:
Your shalom where there is no more violence,
Where life is full and abundant for all,
Where no one is hungry,
And everyone is welcome at the feast.