Date: April 12-15, 2019
Theme: Ministry Among Refugees and Displaced People
Location: The Netherlands
Registration: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to email us for more information

Details: This four-day training follows the Eurasia Media and Distribution Consultation (EMDC).

We will provide an overview of the Refugee Highway and a framework for understanding the real needs and opportunities for engaging with displaced people in various contexts. This training also includes biblical perspectives on forced displacement, discussion of best practices for ministry leaders, and insights into the unique context of ministry in a humanitarian context.

Date: April 5 2019
Theme: Understanding Trauma Refugees Face and the Response of the Church
Location: Bethany International, Bloomington, MN
Registration: Click here to visit the event's website

Details: Churches and individuals can be a key part of supporting the recovery and emotional well-being of displaced people through offering safe relationships. This seminar will address how to come alongside someone who has experienced traumatic loss and grief in a way that is truly helpful.

We will offer this one-hour seminar two times as part of the Pastor & Church Leader Forum.

Date: March 20 2019 at 1pm CT
Theme: The Emotional Well-being of the "Helper"
Location: Online
Registration: Click here

Details: Befriending refugees and other displaced people often exposes well-intentioned ‘helpers’ (missionaries, volunteers, church leaders, etc.) to stories of suffering and injustice. Being a witness to this kind of brokenness takes a toll on all of us in different ways. While we choose to lean in to the world of our suffering friends, we can also be intentional in maintaining our emotional and spiritual health for the journey.

If you are a friend of displaced people or you are tasked with caring for Christian workers for whom this is an ongoing focus, join us for this webinar. We will talk about the particular weight of this type of ministry and provide some strategies for building our personal resilience along the way.

Date: February 20 2019 at 12pm or 6pm CT
Theme: Asylum Seekers in the USA
Location: Online
Registration: See below

Details: Join us for a one-hour conversation with IAFR staff working with asylum seekers in Minnesota. Bring your questions and come ready to learn! Sarah Miller, our US Regional Leader, will cover the basics of the asylum process in the USA. Then we’ll hear from Sarah and other local staff members about the challenges and opportunities of their growing Jonathan House shelter ministry.

Both live sessions will have the same topic and focus.

Register for the one that works best for your time zone below:

Click here to register for the 12pm session.

Click here to register for the 6pm session.

Date: 28-30 November 2018
Theme: Missions among the Diaspora
Location: Costa Rica

Registration: The COMIBAM gathering is by invitation only

Details: Tom Albinson, IAFR Founder/President, will be speaking and consulting with a large network of mission leaders from Latin America concerning refugee realities and ministry opportunities along the Refugee Highway.

Date: 2-3 November 2018
Theme: Innovation in Peace Building (The PRAXIS Conference)
Location: George Mason University, Arlington, VA

Registration: Required. See www.thepraxisconferencedc.com

Details: The PRAXIS conference is bridging the gap between scholars, practitioners, social entrepreneurs, and religious communities to develop effectiveness in peace building.  It is presented each year by George Mason University’s School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution.

The theme for the 2018 Conference is Innovations in Peace Building. Jacob Tornga, IAFR Regional Leader for East Africa, will share about a successful program in Uganda that is preparing and assisting victims of violence to return to their communities of origin in the north of the country.

Date: 24-26 October 2018
Theme: North American Refugee Round Table (Refugee Highway Partnership)
Location: Parkview Community Church, Glen Ellyn, IL

Registration: Required. See https://www.rhpna.com/roundtable/

Details: 24-26 October 2018. See the Round Table website for more information.

Registration: Required. CLICK HERE to visit the Round Table website.

Details: This annual round table is a gathering of people who share a passion for forcibly displaced people. We meet in North America on an annual basis to worship, learn, encourage each other, and make collaborative plans to implement initiatives. At a round table, every member of the tribe has a voice. We aspire to create a platform to unify many diverse ministries, services, and individuals to bring about action that would please the heart of Jesus as he sees us welcoming the foreigner in our midst and showing the mercy that he first offered us.

Several from the IAFR team in the US will participate in this year's round table. Rachel Uthmann (IAFR Director of Church Training) will offer a workshop or two exploring the role of life-giving community in recovery from forced displacement. Sarah Miller (IAFR US Regional Leader) will offer several workshops around the theme of ministry among asylum seekers in the US.

Date: 27 September 2018
Theme: Responding to the Crisis of Forced Displacement
Location: Webinar (online)

Registration: Required. CLICK HERE to register now (Free)

Details: More than 68 million people have fled their homes in search of safety. What are we to do in the face of such an overwhelming reality? How can we respond in any really useful way? Can a local church make a lasting difference in this crisis?

Join Rachel Uthmann (IAFR Director of Church Training) for an hour with Tom Albinson, founder and president of IAFR, as we discuss the ways people engage with the refugee crisis. We will talk about the difference between emergency response and the long work of helping displaced people recover after a humanitarian disaster.

Date: 10-14 September 2018
Theme: Understanding Refugee Ministry Options (BAM Conference)
Location: Seolak Mt., South Korea

Registration: By invitation only

Details: Paul Sydnor, IAFR European Leader, will speak at this "Business as Mission" conference. This is a network of business leaders from South Korea who are also involved in the Lausanne Network. The leaders will be considering how they can get behind refugee ministry.

Date: July 29 2018 @ 9:00 AM
Theme: Tim Barnes guest speaker
Location: Imago Dei Church, Peoria, IL

Details: Tim Barnes, Executive Vice President of IAFR, will be the guest speaker.

Date: July 12 2018 at 1:00pm CDT
Theme: Biblical Perspective on Refugees (Webinar)
Location: Online
Registration: Click here to register

Details: Join us for an hour of reflection on what the Bible has to say about forced displacement.

If you are unsure how your Christian faith should inform your views of refugees and forced displacement, this webinar is for you. Even if it's a familiar topic, we hope it will be an encouragement and a helpful review on how to talk about this issue with others.

Register above to join us for a free, one-hour session with Rachel Uthmann and featuring Tim Barnes, Executive Vice President of IAFR.

Date: July 12 2018 at 7:00pm CDT
Theme: Biblical Perspective on Refugees (Webinar)
Location: Online
Registration: Click here to register

Details: Join us for an hour of reflection on what the Bible has to say about forced displacement.

If you are unsure how your Christian faith should inform your views of refugees and forced displacement, this webinar is for you. Even if it's a familiar topic, we hope it will be an encouragement and a helpful review on how to talk about this issue with others.

Register above to join us for a free, one-hour session with Rachel Uthmann and featuring Tim Barnes, Executive Vice President of IAFR.

Date: June 6 2018 at 7pm CDT
Theme: Refugee Realities Webinar
Location: Online
Registration: Click here to register

Details: More than 65 million people in our world have fled their homes because of persecution and violence. Resist the urge to look away from one of the defining global issues of our day.

Whether you're new to the topic of refugees and forcibly displaced people, or just looking for a way to stay up to date with the fast-changing realities of displacement, this webinar is for you.

Register above to join us for a free, one-hour session featuring Tom Albinson, Founder/President of IAFR and Ambassador for Refugees, Displaced and Stateless People for the World Evangelical Alliance.