Page 2 - Presbyterian Connection Newspaper

2 WINTER 2018
PRESBYTERIAN
Shoulder-to-shoulder with refugees
Connection
presbyterian.ca
A Prayer for Refugees
by the Life and Mission Agency
God of life and freedom.
When Abraham’s family wandered,
when Moses took refuge in the desert,
when the Hebrew people fled into the wilderness, when the Israelites lived in exile,
you called to them,
with words of comfort and promises of hope.
In Christ you crossed the border.
You put on frail flesh,
were born and lived your life
always on the move in a dangerous world. From your first night you slept in a bed and a place that was not your own.
You and your family fled terror and
found refuge in foreign lands.
You were always the guest in the homes of others. You were not always sure of your next
meal or where you would sleep.
We remember before you
those whose lives are more like yours
than we can imagine or care to acknowledge: those who are without homes,
who have been uprooted from their communities and countries,
who have had to flee for their lives,
who have left families and friends,
who live precarious lives.
We pray for your protection and care for those who suffer and must take refuge because of war, politics, natural disaster, status, race, gender, sexuality, and faith.
We mourn and are angered by the loss that marks the lives of so many: the loss of dignity, respect, security, community, and family.
You have called us to be citizens of your kingdom. We pray for the people of this country
and in the church,
that we may not be indifferent or naïve,
afraid or overwhelmed,
discouraged or blind to hope and options to help, or silent in the call for justice.
Open our hearts and our doors to the stranger, to the widow and the orphan and
all that are dear to you,
and strengthen us to witness to the
love of God for all people.
Amen.
Continued from page 1
family is something that I owe to my experience with Action Réfugiés’ Twinning Program.”
Over 1,200 people have been sponsored to arrive in Canada, thanks to our refugee sponsorship program. Over the years, people from several countries, including Afghanistan, Bu- rundi, Eritrea, Iraq and now Syria, have been given the opportunity to live in a safe land. We now have two full-time employees preparing docu- mentation, arranging rigorous follow- ups and integration accompaniment for over 100 people yearly. We help reunify families that have been sepa- rated. Some people we met in deten- tion contact us years later, wanting to sponsor family members who have also fled persecution.
In the last three years, 22 congre- gations of multiple denominations have been involved in refugee spon- sorship; this accompaniment is a way for us to proclaim to local communi- ties that the church is ready to walk shoulder-to-shoulder with refugee people. We receive many requests to speak in university classrooms, churches and public meetings, and we accept as many as we can. We are always proud to state that we get core funding from The Presbyterian Church in Canada through Canadian Ministries; it is a badge we are proud to wear.
Over the years there have been many successes: many families reu- nited and friendships made. Refugee claimants were accepted thanks to information we provided or links to community services. One year at our Annual General Meeting, a woman sponsored five years earlier stood up to celebrate that she had recently graduated with a nursing degree; oth- ers come to the office to introduce us to their Canadian-born children. One
(Left to right): Paul Clarke, the Rev. Lara Scholey (St. Columba by-the-Lake Pres- byterian Church in Pointe-Claire), the Rev. Sarina Meyer (Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Beaconsfield), the Rev. Elisabeth Jones (Cedar Park United Church in Pointe-Claire).
woman told me that she wished it was legal to change her name to “Canada”! We have many challenges. Not all people we seek to sponsor are ac- cepted. We have many more cases to submit than we can reasonably make time for. Governments can change the number of cases we are permitted to submit without consulting our office or the people desperate to sponsor loved ones. We accompany claimants whose files are rejected by federal au- thorities. Many of the people we meet endure forced separation from fam- ily members for many years: when people flee their country, they often leave behind a spouse and children. Many people have difficulty finding meaningful work or employment with
wages that provide a dignified life. We live in a time when some people question the capacity of our country to welcome people who have lived forced migration. In 2018 our slogan is Words Matter, People Matter. Many words are being used to describe people who seek protec- tion from persecution and violence. Some phrases are helpful, others
less so. To reflect our commitment to recognize the dignity of each person, we have started to use the phrase refugeed person, instead of simply refugee. At Action Réfugiés, we are committed to never losing sight of the fact that when we are discussing refugee policy we are talking about human beings not very different from you and me. We know that you feel the same.
Our funding comes from many sources. In addition to core funding, we have many individual donors; we request and often receive funding from foundations and some corpo- rations. We are blessed with funds through the Presbytery of Montreal as well as Gifts of Change; we re- ceive support from numerous indi- vidual congregations every year. We have been helping refugeed people for almost 25 years because of the faithful, prayerful support of many people. We are so thankful for Glynis Williams’ vision and are proud to continue this ministry.
Refugeed people in Canada are not alone. You are with them.
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