One Saturday night, Brandy Miller sat on the couch with her husband, Matt, sharing her frustration and sadness over what she was seeing happen to immigrant families in her community. They had recently moved from Memphis to St. Louis, and Brandy was struggling to find ways to get involved with their immigrant and refugee neighbors as they had in the past.
Matt listened, then offered a simple challenge: "You've got to do something with this."
That night, Brandy prayed. "God, what is it? How can I respond to this? How can I do something?"
She opened Facebook and came across a post about a St. Louis family whose husband had recently been detained. Though she didn't know the woman who shared the post, Brandy reached out.
"You don't know me, but I'm praying. And is there anything I can do for your family?"
The woman responded immediately, and a relationship began, but Brandy didn't stop there. She shared the family's story and invited people from her church to gather in prayer. The next morning, 10 to 15 people joined her to pray and fast for the family.
What began as one woman's prayer soon grew into something much bigger.
Finding Community in the Hard Things
Around that same time, Brandy discovered Women of Welcome. One phrase from our mission stood out to her: Jesus never stops inviting, and neither should we.
She began reading our Bible studies and felt drawn to the idea of discipling women to move closer to their immigrant and refugee neighbors with courage and compassion. That calling led her to launch the St. Louis chapter of Women of Welcome, with about 30 women attending the very first meeting.
"There were tears. There was a lot of sharing. There was a lot of praying," Brandy recalled.
Many of the women had felt alone in their concern for immigrant families. Now, they had found a community where they could learn, pray, and take action together.
When Welcome Becomes Tangible
Through partnerships with local organizations, including Abide in Love, the St. Louis chapter has helped families affected by immigration detention. Women have provided groceries, diapers, baby supplies, rent assistance, and other practical support to mothers and children facing difficult circumstances.
For Brandy, choosing proximity means building relationships, listening to families, and responding to their needs with love. Along the way, the women serving have found friendship, encouragement, and a renewed sense of purpose, reminding us that when we show up for our neighbors, we often find community ourselves.
A Church That Chooses Proximity
Starting a local chapter also meant inviting Brandy's church into the work of welcome. And that took courage.
When Brandy approached the elders at Green Tree Community Church to ask if the chapter could meet there, she knew they held different views on immigration. Rather than focusing on political disagreements, she came prepared with Scripture and stories of real families in St. Louis who needed support.
"I wasn't telling them they were wrong for their belief or that I was right," Brandy explained. "It was, here are the people that we want to love, and would you love them with me by doing this?"
She remembers that there was hardly a dry eye in the room. The elders agreed to open the church's doors to the chapter. For Brandy, it was a beautiful reminder of what can happen when we lead with relationships and extend an invitation rather than an argument.
Her husband, Matt, who serves as pastor of Green Tree Community Church, shares that same heart. He values Women of Welcome's commitment to helping Christians explore immigration through Scripture while creating space for different political perspectives.
"We don't have to decide what our policy is going to be from a governmental standpoint before we love the people who are in our neighborhood," Matt shared.
His encouragement to other chapter leaders? Be patient with your pastors, keep serving your neighbors, and share the stories of what God is doing in your community. Sometimes the most powerful invitation isn't asking someone to agree with us. It's asking them to love their neighbor alongside us.
Finding Hope Together
Brandy is honest about the challenges of this work. The needs are great, and balancing ministry with work and family life isn't always easy. But through it all, she's discovered a community of women who share both the joys and the challenges of loving their neighbors. When someone feels weary, others step in with prayer and encouragement. When a family needs help, they come together to offer their time, gifts, and resources.
What began with one prayer and a desire to help one family has grown into a community of women supporting one another and putting their faith into action. Together, they're discovering that the work of welcome isn't something they have to carry alone.
Faithful welcome begins with showing up, and it grows when we do it together.
Ready to put biblical hospitality into action in your own community?
Join or start a Women of Welcome local chapter and connect with other women who are learning, growing, and loving their immigrant and refugee neighbors together.
