Global Refugee Crisis Continues
Bishop urges all to respond with prayer, generosity and compassion.
Posted October 29, 2015
Over the past 5 years, 15 conflicts have erupted or reignited, displacing tens of millions of people. Over 4 million Syrians alone have fled to neighbouring countries.
Many in our communities have asked what can be done to respond to the global refugee crisis. The Reverend Bill Mous, Director of Justice, Community and Global Ministries, suggests three ways to respond:
1. Pray for refugees and about the current refugee crisis. Ponder how we might foster justice and come alongside our brothers and sisters fleeing violence, persecution and war in Syria and other places throughout our world.
2. Act. Learn more about refugee sponsorship and consider organizing your parish or group to sponsor a refugee family.
3. Give. A donation to our anniversary refugee sponsorship initiative or PWRDF will go directly to supporting refugees. Financial support is crucial to sustaining and augmenting our support for refugees, both at home and abroad.
The Anglican Diocese of Niagara has been a private sponsor of refugees through Citizenship and Immigration Canada for several decades.
Earlier this year Bishop Michael Bird set an ambitious goal for the diocese to sponsor as many as 50 refugees as a way of marking its 140th anniversary and in recognition of the growing refugee crisis. The diocese is in the process of raising funds to make this happen while at the same time working with parishes and community groups to undertake sponsorships. On average it costs about $25,000 to sponsor a refugee family of four.
We hope that the first refugees sponsored through our 140th anniversary refugee sponsorship initiative will arrive early in 2016. For more information, please contact the Reverend Bill Mous of the Reverend Scott McLeod.
The Primate's World Relief & Development Fund (PWRDF) continues to respond to the refugee crisis through its relief efforts in Europe and the Middle East. For every dollar donated to PWRDF, the Canadian government will put one dollar into its Syria Emergency Relief Fund, up to $100 million, effective September 12 through December 31, 2015.