ATLANTA – On Saturday, Oct. 11, a father’s daughter was married in Akron, Ohio. He was not present to give her away or even see her on her wedding day, because he is in a refugee camp along the Thailand-Burma border.

The father is a member of the Karen, an ethnic minority group from eastern Burma that has suffered religious and political persecution from highly repressive, authoritarian military regimes since 1962. Examples of violence committed against the Karen include armed Burmese troops raiding and destroying unarmed Karen villages, destroying food supplies, and raping, torturing and killing the Karen, forcing them to live on the run or flee into Thailand for safety.

With no end in sight to the persecution, the United States and other countries have begun to accept Karen from the camps in Thailand for resettlement. While the young bride and groom were both accepted by the United States for resettlement, the aging father has not been.

In July, when Duane Binkley, one of CBF’s field personnel, made a visit to the refugee camps, Binkley sought out the father to offer a measure of comfort.  As he picked up a package of traditional bridesmaids dresses to deliver back to the bride for the wedding party, Binkley promised the father, “Though you cannot be there, I will be there, and I will take pictures and video of the wedding, and I will bring them back to you.”

Connecting Karen refugees – being links between those still in the camps to those who are now in the United States – and helping Karen refugees find churches and resources in the U.S. for a smoother transition to American life and culture – is Duane and Marcia Binkley’s ministry.

Jointly commissioned by the Fellowship and American Baptist Churches USA International Ministries in July 2007, the Binkleys have a longstanding relationship with the Karen, dating back to 1982, when they were first appointed as American Baptist missionaries to Thailand. Now living in Ohio, the Binkleys consider themselves “resource people, catalysts and encouragers to pastors and churches in America where the Karen are located.”

As the Karen people were some of the first converts to Christianity in Southeast Asia in the early 1800s, many claim a centuries-old “Baptist connection.”

“The Karen church in Burma is the fruit of our Baptist mission efforts there nearly 200 years ago, beginning with the work of [American Baptist missionaries] Adoniram and Ann Judson,” Marcia said. “Through the generations, the Karen have never forgotten the historical roots of their faith. In this sense, our mission history has come full circle, as the Karen so desire to make a connection with our Baptist churches when they arrive in the U.S.”

The U.S. has accepted Karen refugees since 2006. Each year, the U.S. agrees to accept refugees from another one of the nine camps along the Thai-Burma border.

“Currently, tens of thousands of Karen are being accepted from four camps into about 130 cities across the U.S.,” Marcia said. “It would be impossible for us to try to be hands-on with all the Karen communities – so we rely on leaders in churches across the U.S. We get them started, and then they go with it.”

The Binkleys provide Karen ministry resources to congregations, including a DVD, Web site and resources in both English and Karen.

Mary Ann Anderson of Agape Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas, began a ministry to the Karen at her church after being introduced to the Binkleys and subsequently “going looking for the Karen.” Though local U.S. agencies were at first reluctant to provide information, Anderson’s persistence led her to discover a nearby apartment complex housing 86 Karen. With encouragement from the Binkleys, Anderson was able to establish a church ministry team to welcome the Karen and help them settled in America.

“Now we minister to around 75 Karen, and we have 15 host families to care for them,” said Anderson. About 60 members of Agape Baptist’s 350-member congregation are actively involved in helping Karen in the Fort Worth community, providing transportation to and from the church, the hospital, doctor’s offices, grocery stores and Asian markets; helping them register their children for school; providing English language study and mentoring; and helping procure necessities not provided by food stamps or the local agencies.

In August alone, Anderson said that church volunteers drove a total of 2,400 miles and gave 435 hours to meeting the needs of the Karen.

“To see so many people involved – and such enthusiasm – that is the main thing to me,” said Anderson. “Nearly every time I visit the apartment complex where the Karen live, I see an older lady from our church sitting on the floor teaching Karen women how to make quilts. It is a blessing to see each other work. Many of us are retired, and we have time [to give]. We want to see our lives count for something.”

The Binkleys say they have heard similar sentiments from other CBF churches involved in Karen ministries. 

“Given the history of Burma, God is definitely working something special in our churches,” said Marcia. “It is with sorrow we see the Karen forced from their homes, but it is with great joy that we welcome the Karen people to America. It’s a blessing both for us and the Karen, who, through persecution, lived on nothing but faith. When churches invest in people, it gives them a purpose and a focus.”

To learn about partnership opportunities with the Binkleys or resources for ministering to the Karen, contact Chris Boltin at engage@thefellowship.info or (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.