Welcoming the Nations in Our Backyard | the Reach February 2026
Dear Friends,
Across the EPC, churches are discovering that the nations are closer than they think. Through diaspora ministry—welcoming and engaging international neighbors whom God has brought to our communities—congregations are finding fresh ways to live out the Great Commission. One example comes from Grace Community Church in Lakin, Kansas, where Pastor Remington Dyas and his congregation are welcoming newcomers in their own backyard. Revs. Bill and Sharon A., members of the Presbytery of the West, coordinate the EPC World Outreach Diaspora Outreach Team, helping churches explore opportunities like these across the country.
On a typical Sunday morning in Lakin, Kansas, the back of the bulletin at Grace Community Church lists an unreached people group. It’s a simple but steady rhythm of prayer, one practical expression of their mission to be “Gospel Rooted, Growing Together, and Loving Lakin and the Nations.” Week after week, the congregation lifts its eyes beyond the edges of town.
Yet for Pastor Rem, that prayer emphasis began to press closer to home.
Lakin is a rural town of about 2,200 people. Fields stretch wide. Neighbors know one another. And just 25 minutes east in Garden City, the nations have quietly gathered. Immigrant families from Afghanistan, Somalia, and across Latin America now call western Kansas home.
“The nations are all around us,” Rem said. “They’re right over there. We drive there every week for groceries.”
Grace Lakin had also been praying a “big kingdom prayer”, that their church would increasingly reflect the demographic makeup of their own community. So when an opportunity arose to host a simple community meal that would include Afghan and Somali neighbors, they sensed the Lord might be answering both prayers at once.
The idea wasn’t complicated. A friend connected to newcomer communities in Garden City envisioned a shared meal, just food and conversation. Three local churches partnered together. The Veteran’s Memorial Building in Lakin was reserved. Members donated lamb. Invitations went out widely. Afghan and Somali families were personally invited.
No elaborate program. Just a potluck.
That June evening, more than 100 people gathered. A large grill smoked outside while lamb sizzled. Afghan and Somali guests brought traditional side dishes from their cultures. Children played hopscotch and tossed footballs. Adults lingered over board games and easy conversation.
“There was diversity in the air,” Rem reflected, “and yet people were laughing together, eating good food together… like they’d done it before.” He sensed the quiet work of the Holy Spirit making strangers into neighbors.
One conversation stayed with him. Rem sat with three Afghan men working in the United States while their families remained in Central Asia. They spoke of long separations and the slow process of trying to reunite with their wives and children. As they talked about family life, one man mentioned he was searching in matters of faith. Rem listened, learned, and prayed silently for them.
When he stood up from the table, he thought, “We just have so much to learn from one another.” He described himself as a sponge that evening, discovering that others could show him aspects of Jesus he had not yet tasted or treasured.
The dinner reshaped something in Grace Lakin. It reinforced their conviction that “programs don’t reach people, people reach people.” It showed them that loving the nations begins with knowing them. What felt ambitious for a small church in a small town became a living picture of the Great Commission.
“We’re the ones who overcomplicate things,” Rem said. “We’re just called to be faithful.”
In Lakin, faithfulness looked like setting a table and realizing that the nations were already near.
Stories like this are emerging across the EPC as churches discover that the nations are near. If you would like to explore how your congregation can engage international neighbors in your area, the EPC World Outreach Diaspora Outreach Team would be glad to connect with you. Bill: bill.a@epcwo.org | Sharon: sharon.a@epcwo.org
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