With a diocesan wide interest in refugee sponsorship that rivals the late 1970’s “Boat People” and the 1980’s displacement of people in the former Yugoslavia, the Diocesan Refugee Unit under the leadership of chair, the Reverend Michael McGee hosted an information session in the Trendell Lounge at the Synod Office the evening of October 8th.
Forty-five people from around the diocese, mostly affiliated with parishes or groups that are either in the process or in the early stages of applying, attended the two and a half hour information session and Q&A.
The information session power point presentation prepared and facilitated by Rev.McGee was titled, “Overview of the Current Crisis in Syria & the Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) Program”. The presentation consisted of five agenda sections:
1. What is happening in Syria?
2. What is a Refugee?
3. SAHs (the Anglican Diocese of New Westminster is a Sponsorship (Refugee) Agreement Holder, one of 92 in Canada) and the Sponsorship Process
4. Settlement Responsibilities
5. Diocesan Networking Q&A
There was a lot of information communicated and many questions raised. The group that was gathered were heartened and encouraged by the photo of a reunited Iraqi family at Vancouver Airport taken in early September, the results of much hard work by a parish group at St. David, Delta.
The group also listened with great interest to the participants in a refugee partnership that is growing between members of the Chaldean faith community of St Mary the Virgin in Surrey and the Anglican Parish of the Church of the Epiphany in Surrey. The Chaldean congregation currently shares worship space with the Anglican host parish.
All who are interested should download the pdf found below of the October 8th power point and also visit the Diocesan Refugee Unit page on this website.