"Wait, Dad. Are we for them or against them?"
Kent Annan was talking with his eight-year-old son about the immigrant and refugee crises around the world. His son's question, innocent enough in the moment, is writ large across our society today. How we answer it, Annan says, will reveal a lot about what kind of family, community, or country we want to be.
In You Welcomed Me, Annan explores, in his usual compelling way, how fear and misunderstanding can motivate our responses to people in need. Instead, he invites us into stories of welcome―stories that lead us to see the current refugee and immigrant crisis in a new light. He also lays out simple practices for a way forward: confessing what separates us, listening well, and partnering with, not patronizing, those in need. His stories draw us in, and the practices send us out prepared to cross social and cultural divides.
In this wise, practical book, Annan invites us to answer his son's question with confident conviction: "We're for them"―and to explore with him the life-giving implications of that answer.

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Book Description

"You Welcomed Me invites us into the amazing opportunity to welcome refugees and immigrants. We get to love others because God first loved us. We get to welcome Christ into our lives because 'I was a stranger and you welcomed me.' We get to witness for Jesus when we're known for loving our vulnerable neighbors. This book inspires, addresses concerns, and gives wise, practical advice for you and your church. Fear and politics can distract us, but You Welcomed Me is a compassionate call to make much of love and make much of Jesus in our lives." (Ed Stetzer, Billy Graham Distinguished Chair at Wheaton College)

"Fear is the enemy of love. When fear rather than love is the driving force behind our life choices and public policies, we end up contributing to the suffering of the world rather than alleviating it. Kent's new book You Welcomed Me stands firmly on the biblical promise that perfect love casts out fear. He reminds us that when we welcome the stranger we welcome Christ . . . and when we do not welcome the stranger, we do not welcome Christ. Quite simply, this is an invitation to love like Jesus loves―with arms wide-open―and to be as hospitable to others as God has been to us." (Shane Claiborne, author and activist, director of Red Letter Christians, founder of The Simple Way, author of Beating Guns)

"Kent Annan is a gifted storyteller. You Welcomed Me vividly conveys the stories of refugees and other immigrants throughout the world, challenging preconceptions and inviting readers to consider how the lives of displaced people might intersect with our own stories and, ultimately, with God's story. A compelling, inspiring look at one of the most pressing issues of our day." (Matthew Soerens, US Director of Church Mobilization, World Relief, and National Coordinator, Evangelical Immigration Table, coauthor of Welcoming the Stranger and Seeking Refuge)

"You Welcomed Me is a must-read challenge to greater involvement and action on behalf of refugees coming to our country. Kent Annan surrounds us with stories, information, and highly accessible action plans, but this book stands alone. Unlike any other book on the subject, Kent provokes us to look inward―to examine our own hearts, our self-interests, our fears, and our understanding of God's love and mercy. You Welcomed Me invites the reader to greater involvement, but it first looks to transform our hearts." (Paul Borthwick, senior consultant, Development Associates International, author of Great Commission, Great Compassion)

"The issue of refugees and immigrants has become so politicized in our culture with narratives of fear and protectionism often drowning out the facts and the sheer humanity of their plight. Amazingly, we might even miss the key truth behind the question, what would Jesus do? That's why this thoughtful book by Kent Annan is so necessary now, to share stories and insights through the lens of Scripture. Read it as a tool to engage―because as Christ-followers we must engage in the most urgent humanitarian crisis of our lifetime." (Rich Stearns, World Vision US President, author of The Hole in Our Gospel)

About the Author

Kent Annan (MDiv, Princeton Theological Seminary) is a senior fellow at the Humanitarian Disaster Institute of Wheaton College and cofounder of Haiti Partners, a nonprofit focused on education in Haiti. He also serves on the board of directors of the Equitas Group, a philanthropic foundation focused on ending child exploitation in Haiti and Southeast Asia. Kent is the author of Slow Kingdom Coming, After Shock, and Following Jesus through the Eye of the Needle. He speaks regularly around the country and lives in Florida with his wife and two children.