May 7, 1999

UMCOR to Assist Kosovar Refugees in U.S.

By United Methodist News Service

New York (UMNS) - The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) will be among the agencies helping to place the Kosovar refugees coming to the United States.

The first 453 of the anticipated 20,000 refugees arrived May 5 in New Jersey. The Kosovar Albanians, who had come from camps in Macedonia, were expected to remain at Fort Dix for three to six weeks before being released to relatives or sponsoring agencies.

Church-based agencies are expected to get about eight percent of the 20,000 refugees for placement. UMCOR could be assigned up to 200 of that number.

"The people who are coming are going to be families," Susan Wersan, UMCOR's program coordinator for refugee ministries, said in a May 6 interview. Those families may have some special needs, she added, such as assistance with medical problems or psychological distress.

The agency is encouraging local congregations, rather than individuals, to sponsor families. "Then there's an adequate basis of support for a family," she explained.

UMCOR can only resettle refugees in areas where there is an affiliate office of the Church World Service Immigration and Refugee Service. Interested congregations should contact those offices. A listing is available on the World Wide Web at http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor/refugees/resettle.stm.