It’s been two years since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Headlines have moved on to basic coverage and reporting statistics. People have put away their trending blue and yellow flags. There is no longer a loud voice for the people to discuss the injustices happening in Ukraine. But the fight remains in Sterling, KS, where a community has come together to bring in refugees and lend a hand.
Members of the Sterling College community have stepped up for Ukrainian refugees, who dedicate their time and friendship to welcome them to the local Kansas area.
Dr. Glenn Butner Jr, a theology professor and published author, has advocated and remained a pillar for local Sterling participation in the Uniting for Ukraine program.
“I think a nation has a responsibility where it has caused harm, and where it has prior relationships to step in wherever it can. It’s pretty cool that my government, even if it wasn’t an obligation, allowed me as a private citizen and others with me to act out our Christian faith in welcoming the stranger,” said Dr. Butner.
Dr. Butner is an advocate for refugee and immigrant assistance, and he has spent years volunteering and writing to address these issues. Through his research for one of his books, Dr. Butner discovered the Uniting for Ukraine program, which informed him of the state of the refugee system in the United States. The Biden Administration established the program on April 21, 2022, which allowed U.S. citizens and groups to sponsor Ukrainian families to come to the United States.
“Covid was ugly, politics were ugly, and everyone’s been yelling at one another–including in the church. So it’s beautiful to see several churches and Christians come together out of the woodwork to say ‘these families are coming into the country with nothing but a suitcase, how can we help them?’” said Dr. Butner.
Since then, the Sterling community has sponsored three families to live in the Sterling area. With a fourth waiting on government approval. Eleven counties in Kansas are a part of the Uniting for Ukraine program, all of which have seen success in providing Ukrainian refugees sanctuary. Financially sponsoring the families are King’s Cross Church in Lyons and the First United Methodist Church in Sterling.
The first family arrived in early January 2023, where they have grown to thrive in the community. Around twenty volunteers from each church supplied housing, paperwork, food stamps, furniture, and jobs for the families. Among these volunteers were Mark and Laurel Watney, faculty at Sterling College.
Dr. Mark Watney, an immigrant from South Africa, is an English professor at Sterling College and has always advocated for the culturally diverse voices around the town and in his classroom.
“There has been so much anti-immigrant movement lately, and it felt good to counter that. Out here, we can create such a diverse environment and have an impact in a small part of the answer. We’ve created a little Ukraine here in Sterling, ” said Mark.
Laurel Watney is the Director of the Mabee Library of Sterling College, where she values a culture of hospitality where anyone can feel welcomed and inspired to learn.
“Developing relationships with people around the world and helping bring a minute amount of justice to a few people. That’s what’s been very important to me,” said Laurel.
Mark and Laurel volunteered to host the ESL lessons for the Ukrainian families, providing a safe environment for the families to practice English. This included open educational sources, textbooks, and Chat GPT to supplement a curriculum guide for the lessons. The Watneys created bonds with the families through terms of cooking, sermons, and even chess.
“Jesus was an immigrant, and throughout the Old Testament, Israel was called upon to take care of the ‘orphan, widow, and foreigner.’ So we as Christians also have these obligations as well,” said Mark.
The first two Ukrainian families spent the 2023 Thanksgiving with the Watneys, where everyone got a chance to explore the traditions and practices of each other’s culture. This is further implemented by other volunteers, who express curiosity for one another and build a stronger community for all.
“Being a part of this program has increased my cultural intelligence. I found a lot of similarities and differences between the Ukrainians and my experience in the States,” said Dr. Butner.
But it’s not just the Sterling College faculty that have stepped up into the program. Six honor students have volunteered their time and work for the ESL sessions, visiting once a week to help the families.
Senior Sophia Godfrey and Freshman Trinity Porter are two of these volunteers, both of whom have enjoyed being part of the program immensely.
“My favorite part was translating worship songs, hymns, and passages in scripture in Ukrainian. Through that, it was a good opportunity to get to know the families outside of the label of refugee,” said Godfrey.
Godfrey has spent much of her life traveling the world and exploring different cultures, much of which has had a positive impact on her decision to explore theology as her career. Volunteering in the ESL program has opened her eyes to issues of refugee and immigrant problems she was unfamiliar with, but now wants to change.
“I can’t speak to the challenges that Ukrainians face and they are so much greater than my own. Recognizing Ukraine’s challenges creates a sense of helplessness for me sometimes. But practicing hospitality and being aware of the struggle has encouraged me to want to do more about it,” said Godfrey.
Despite the revelation of troubles, Godfrey is making the most of this program, bonding with the Ukrainian families with each lesson. Over the intricacies of English and how difficult of a language it is to learn, Godfrey is inspired by the family’s desire to learn and grow.
“Honestly, all of them have such a desire to learn with willing hearts. It has never felt like I was a teacher with her students, but rather, two people coming together to learn and grow from each other,” said Godfrey.
Porter, who volunteered to work with the first family’s father in the ESL training, found most of her experience to be a learning opportunity. Whether it was from the paper printouts or translating sermons from King’s Cross, Porter ensured that they worked through each day effectively, rather than gloss over. But that doesn’t mean she didn’t have a good time.
“The Christmas lessons were fun, especially whenever we started to discuss holiday songs. During the reading of ‘Jingle Bells,’ the father read through the entire chorus instead of one line, which made everyone laugh because he read it so quickly,” said Porter.
It was during the holidays that Porter felt the most connected to the family since it was a chance to share cultural experiences and stories between the lessons.
“Learning about their culture has made me wiser about what other communities are going through. I am more excited to help people even if I am unsure what they are like,” said Porter.
Porter’s main role was to be an ESL teacher for a Ukrainian father, who in some ways, was more alike to Porter than she thought.
“Going into it, I was nervous about helping the father, who I imagined was some big biker guy with battle wounds. But really, he’s a goof, and it’s awesome,” said Porter.
Impressed by the extent of Sterling’s involvement, Porter was happy to discuss the effects that the Uniting for Ukraine program had everywhere.
“I’m shocked to see the community help these people as much as they are. Like, a town as small as Sterling helping four families, imagine a bigger town and what they are capable of. That would be wild,” said Porter.
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