This week a heart-wrenching image of a boy who drowned along with his mother and brother captured the hearts of people around the world. Aylan Kurdi's picture highlighted the plight of millions of refugees, many of whom have equally devastating stories to share. It has also ignited several calls to action to address the global refugee crisis. 

Archbishop Fred Hiltz and Ms. Adele Finney, in a statement, exhorted Anglicans to "pray, holding within ourselves a space for the bereaved and desperate refugees, and allow their presence within us to engender the action we take to meet their need."

Many have asked what can be done. The Reverend Bill Mous, Director of Justice, Community and Global Ministries, suggests three ways we might respond to the crisis:

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 getting your parish involved in our 140th Anniversary Refugee Sponsorship Initiative. As a federal election is underway, you might also engage your local federal candidates on this issue. The Anglican Church of Canada's election resource provide a good background on the issues, along with questions to ask. You might also participate in the Ride for Refuge on October 3. Start or join a team and further our resettlement efforts.
3. Give. A donation to our anniversary initiative or PWRDF will go directly to supporting refugees. On average it costs about $25,000 to sponsor a refugee family. Financial support is crucial to sustaining and augmenting our support for refugees.

The Anglican Diocese of Niagara has been a private sponsor of refugees through Citizenship and Immigration Canada for several decades.

In March our Bishop, Michael Bird, set an ambitious goal for us to sponsor as many as 50 refugees as a way of marking our 140^th 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 we are working with parishes to sponsor. A sponsorship information session will take place on October 8 at 7:00pm at St. Christopher's, Burlington. 

We hope that the first refugees sponsored through our 140th refugee sponsorship initiative will arrive in the first half of 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. 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. Click here to download a PWRDF bulletin insert.  

 

Related media:

• Welcoming the stranger: On the plight of refugees 
• The plight of Syrian refugees is echoing across the globe. Calls to step up efforts are resonating
• Churches note renewed interest in refugee sponsorship
• PWRDF donates $20,000 to help refugees in the Balkans

 

updated September 16