In the last several years, Redeemer has sought to engage more intentionally in global missions, and as part of that process, we have developed several wonderful new relationships with missionaries serving around the world. One of those relationships is with Andy and Sarah Pollock, who serve in Sarajevo with the International Association for Refugees (IAFR).
As our understanding of the Pollocks’ ministry has grown, Redeemer’s elders and missions task force have been prayerfully considering sending a small team of Redeemer members to serve alongside the Pollocks for a week or two; we are tentatively planning that trip for July of 2025. If you might be interested in being a part of that team, please plan to attend a lunch after the service on August 18 to meet the Pollocks and learn more about this opportunity.
Whether or not you’re interested in the trip, please keep reading to learn more about IAFR and the Pollocks’ unique ministry.
More than 30,000 forcibly displaced people travel through Bosnia on an annual basis, and Sarajevo, the capital city, sees most of these people. While Bosnia is most often not a destination, it fits well into the role of “rest stop” on the refugee highway to the European Union. There are four Temporary Reception Centers (TRCs) operated by the United Nations in Bosnia, two of which are just outside Sarajevo. These two TRCs outside Sarajevo have a population capacity of 2500, one TRC serving single men and the other TRC serving families, women, and unaccompanied minors.
International Association For Refugees, Sarajevo, in partnership with two local churches and five Christian mission organizations, operates a community outreach center called Hope Community. Collaboratively, they lean into the privilege of demonstrating God’s unconditional love for forcibly displaced people in Bosnia and Herzegovina by meeting needs and developing relationships which lead to restored hope. Until the opening of Hope Community, there was not any intentional Christian outreach to the forcibly displaced people traveling through Bosnia. While there are Christian-affiliated NGOs offering programing on the TRCs, none can engage in explicit Christian activities on camp. Additionally, there are no Protestant churches closer than a one-hour bus ride from the TRCs. Even the United Nations has identified this shortcoming, despite being unwilling to offer anything but Islamic religious space on the camp.
Hope Community offers a safe space for people to rest and play games, spend time with new and old friends, and attend special programs such as language classes, meals, and church services. They are seeking to engage with people in the following ways:
- Develop relationships
- Allow displaced people to contribute to something, not just receive handouts
- Cultivate skills
- Provide a sense of safety and security
- Instill hope
- Share about Jesus
- Pray for people
- Offer Christian support and worship opportunities
- Connect with other churches/organizations on the refugee highway
- Act as an asset/resource to the Bosnian government, International Organization for Migration, and local community
Through these programs Hope Community is excited to see guests embrace enriched self-confidence and dignity, new friendships, a place of belonging, and a fuller understanding of Jesus Christ.