For Pat Hatch, the journey toward working with refugees began 35 years ago in an unlikely place. Stationed in Seoul, South Korea, with her military husband who was frequently away, she spent her days working at an international school and the rest of the time finding out how to fit into a totally unfamiliar culture. “I experienced what it’s like to be the odd person out, and I didn’t like it,” said Hatch.
Profoundly affected by that experience, Hatch has spent her entire professional life back in the U.S. serving refugees and immigrants, first as a church volunteer and school teacher, then starting and running a nonprofit for immigrants, later serving as program manager for the state of Maryland’s refugee programs, and most recently, heading MNA’s newly-formed Refugee and Immigrant Ministry.
In 2014, MNA broadened its ministry to Hispanics and asked Hatch to lead a new entity, the Refugee and Immigrant Ministry.
How to treat immigrants and refugees is a hot-button issue, with recent terror attacks in Paris and San Bernardino exposing deep fears about the effect of immigration on national security.
She notes that in the 1970s, the U.S. took in three million refugees and there were fears all around, with much debate as today, but the fears were unrealized. Those immigrants became loyal U.S. citizens who were productive members of society.
In 2006, PCA kindergarten teacher Kaitlyn Mullens started a program after school for some of her refugee students, and their parents started coming too. In 2009 she and her husband started For the Nations Refugee Outreach (ftnro.org), a non-profit that now serves 500 refugees per day in the Dallas area through a network of volunteers and PCA churches.
What if Refugees are the Answer to Our Prayers?
Instead, Hatch suggests that Christians should have a different perspective. “We must recognize that we are citizens of another kingdom.” A kingdom that seeks the advance of the gospel. A kingdom in which refugees could be seen as assets rather than liabilities.