In 2015, a dedicated group of volunteers from the Redeemer and the wider community came together to support the work of sponsoring individuals and families who are refugees.
Welcoming the stranger. This is a major focus of Redeemer’s mission, whether in welcoming the marginalized to The Common Table or through sponsorship of refugees.
Over the past four years, Redeemer has settled eleven people from three countries. The first, a young man from The Gambia, now lives in Ottawa. In the second sponsorship, we welcomed members of an extended family from Burma/Myanmar, who had been living in a refugee camp in Thailand for years. The third group, four young Eritrean men, had travelled through Sudan and Egypt to Israel, where they lived under threat of being returned to Eritrea.
The four young Eritrean men Church of the Redeemer has been sponsoring since last winter are all doing well, learning English, and starting part-time jobs. As we come toward the end of the settlement term, Ibrahim, Omer, Taha, and Abdu will be coming to a special Sunday service at Redeemer. Abdul, Mehamed, and their mother Saida, Eritrean Canadians who have been so helpful, are also going to be there. In place of the homily on January 19, Paul MacLean, a founding member of the Committee, will interview Abdul and one of the newcomers at the 9:30 and 11:15 services. Make sure to come to one of these special services and learn about these young men and Redeemer’s refugee settlement ministry.
Members of the Refugee Settlement Committee strongly support interfaith outreach and connection as part of our ministry, and are dedicated to Redeemer’s mission of welcoming the stranger. We look forward to potential future sponsorships.
For further information or to become involved, please contact Alison Colvin or Henry Krol.
Current news
Refugee Settlement Interview
On Sunday, December 10, 2017, the Rev’d Paul MacLean, an Honorary Assistant at Church of the Redeemer and a member of the Refugee Settlement Committee, interviewed two other members of the committee in order to give the parish a deeper understanding of the ministry they are pursuing.
