The Archdeaconry of Fredericton refugee sponsorship committee has been waiting for months to bring a Syrian refugee family to Fredericton. A couple weeks ago we were advised that the backlog of applications is now so large (thousands!) that it would be well into 2017 before we could even think of being matched with a Syrian family.
It’s disappointing. However, there are literally millions of other refugees, some of whom have been waiting in crowded camps for years. We were told that, if we would agree to sponsor an African family instead, it could take only a few more weeks or months before they would step off the plane in Fredericton.
Liberia is on the west coast of Africa
The committee, made up of 10 parishes and the cathedral, prayed, discussed and decided to help a family of four from Liberia in West Africa now, instead of waiting until 2017 for a Syrian family. Our application is being reviewed by the federal government, and we are waiting for news.
We have a few details: the father is Phillip, age 47, who has worked as a farm hand; his wife is Esther, age 50, a trader, probably selling fruit, fish or charcoal in an outdoor market; her children are a son, Arene, age 19, and a daughter, Catherine, age 16.
The family profile does not indicate how long they have been living in the refugee camp, situated in the neighbouring country of Côte d’Ivoire. Knowing there have been two civil wars in Liberia, we suspect it might be years. The parents have been subjected to violence and torture.
We do not yet know their religion, but the file says they can speak English and French plus their native language called Grebo. Their educational levels are very low, especially given the ages of the children. Conditions in the camp are not good concerning health care, dental care, education, etc.
If our application succeeds, it will be a huge challenge for this family to adapt to life in Canada.
If our application succeeds, it will be a huge challenge for this family to adapt to life in Canada. Think of our weather (the average annual temperature in Liberia is 28C!), the different culture here, their lack of education, and limited work experience. It is possible that they may never have enjoyed 24/7 electricity, running water, and all the amenities we take for granted. Life here may be overwhelming for them.
That is why the committee continues to prepare to welcome and help them. Financial donations have reached about $22,000 — we need $30,000 to look after them for one year. Thanks to you, donations of furnishings are going extremely well. (See list of remaining items sought.)
The Missions Committee at the cathedral will keep you posted on the progress of the archdeaconry’s application. Please pray for this refugee family and for our efforts to bring them out of violence and misery to a safe home in peaceful Canada.
FURNISHINGS LIST (remaining items needed as of June 22, 2016)
LIVING ROOM – modern TV (not the heavy, old, tube-type) MISCELLANEOUS – chair for computer desk
Items can be dropped off at Cathedral Memorial Hall during business hours.
If you wish to help support the family, you can provide a cheque, payable to Christ Church Parish Church, noting Refugee Fund on the memo line. The treasurer at that church is maintaining an account on behalf of all the parishes taking part in the sponsorship.
Spin the globe. Halfway around the world sits a refugee family dreaming of a better, safer life.
Spin the globe again. People from 11 parishes in the archdeaconry of Fredericton are collecting furniture and housewares to fill that family’s apartment here.
At this point, neither knows anything specific about the other, nor do they know when they will finally meet and start working together on the transition to a new life in Canada.
HELPING HANDS – Wendy Smith (at right), a parishioner from St. Margaret’s Anglican, delivers household goods donated by the congregation for the Syrian refugee family who will be sponsored by the archdeaconry. St. Margaret’s is kindly covering all items in the bathroom and personal supplies categories of a long list of furniture and supplies. Ann Deveau (at left) from the cathedral will put the items into storage until the family arrives in Fredericton. The timing is unknown because the archdeaconry is on a waiting list to choose a family.
Having met its self-imposed national target of 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of February, the federal government has slowed its processing of refugee applicants. This is frustrating for potential sponsors. Patience and prayer will be needed in the coming months until a match is made.
While waiting for the bureaucracy to grind its wheels, committee members are raising funds (as of May 1st, donations now stand at $20,030.83), researching apartment prices, finding Arabic interpreters, looking for a doctor and dentist, learning which foods will be needed in a Syrian pantry, getting cross-cultural training, and so on.
Parishioners have asked how they can help the family. Some donations have already arrived and are being stored in the basement of Cathedral Memorial Hall, such as area rugs, desk, bed, floor lamp, coffee table, toaster oven, coffee maker, bedding, sets of cutlery and dishes, coat hangers, and much more.
One parish offered to supply everything needed to outfit a bathroom as well as all the personal supplies.
As the exact composition of the family is unknown, some questions cannot be answered now. Will we need bunk beds? A crib? Dolls and art supplies for wee ones?
Curtains or blinds will be needed, but what size will the windows be in the apartment to be rented later? Some items will just have to wait!
However, here is a list of things most likely required. If you can donate any of these items (clean, in good condition and in working order, please), e-mail Doug Milander and Ann Deveau <amdrm at nbnet.nb.ca> or call (506) 455-3299.
Drop-off and/or pick-up dates can be arranged later this spring. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Don MacPherson helps move articles for short term storage
As of 10 June …
LIVING ROOM – modern TV (not the heavy, old, tube-type)
BEDROOMS – mattress and boxspring for a single bed, mattress and boxspring for a 54-inch bed, 3 waste baskets
DINING/KITCHEN – 4 kitchen chairs, hand mixer, muffin tin
MISCELLANEOUS – chair for computer desk, radio, alarm clock, wall clock, paper/pens/pencils, 3 umbrellas, combs and brushes
Diocesan Archdeaconry of Fredericton Refugee Sponsorship Meeting
Held at Cathedral Hall
Thursday, March 10, 2016 at 1:00 p.m.
The third meeting of the Diocesan Archdeaconry of Fredericton Refugee Sponsorship Project was held at the Cathedral Hall in Fredericton, NB on March 10th beginning at 1:00 p.m. The meeting was chaired by Archdeacon Pat Drummond. Numerous handouts were distributed to the attendees. Specifically:
Guidebook for Sponsoring Syrian Refugees Through the BVOR Program
Settlement Preparation
Furniture and Equipment “Wish List” for Sponsored Family
A copy of the Bishop’s letter in last week’s Diocesan e-news requesting volunteers
Application for Criminal Record Check
The various areas of need were outlined with a view to designating specific people who would be responsible for assisting our refugee family in each area of need.
Generally speaking, the family will need basic life-skills training re:
apartment regulations
use of appliances
use of a telephone, including 911 and an emergency contact number
use of public transit: bus stops, transit routes, bus schedules, etc.
small-group orientation
Chair and liaison with all parishes involved in the project – Pat Drummond
Application/Liaison with ABC – Kelly Humber Kelly
Note: Ann Deveau to assist Pat and Kelly as necessary with their tasks
Treasurer: Dave Blacklock, Christ Church Parish Church, 457-2894
Kelly agreed to compile an Orientation Binder including:
photos of the contact people
Tele-Help services at 811
maps
bus schedules
immigration documents that need to be completed
Accommodations: Sonya Solven of Considerate Property Management will find the accommodations for the family. Contact Info.: <[email protected]>
Cell Phone: 260-0442. Pat Drummond and Kelly Humber Kelly will assist if need be.
Furniture: Doug and Ann Deveau will oversee the acquisition and storage of furniture. Doug also volunteered to help with moving. E-mail: <amdrm at nbnet.nb.ca>
Medical/Dental: The Fredericton Downtown Clinic has been designated to serve the incoming refugees. Kelly has the list of dentists that may be willing to offer their services. In the meantime, the refugees are covered under an Interim Federal Health Program. Nancy Wiggins will be asked to oversee this area. Sally Grace offered to help. <sgrace68 at gmail.com>
Household Items: Nancy will e-mail an updated list of the Furniture and Equipment “Wish List” to reflect what items have already been acquired or offered.
Clothing: Value Village coupons are available and they are currently offering one free outfit for each family member. Pat explained the family will have to understand second-hand clothing is not an issue in Canada. Gail MacGillivray and Sasha Fetter agreed to oversee this.
Foods, Kitchen, Grocery Shopping: Betty Scovil and Gladys Lacey House have volunteered to oversee this. Elizabeth Hamilton will help. Some crossover with furniture assignment will be worked out.
Paperwork: Ann Buckland has agreed to oversee setting up a bank account for the family. They will require a direct deposit form, a debit card, a child-tax credit form, and a GST refund form. They will need an address in order to proceed. They will have already been issued S.I.N. numbers, but the paperwork they arrive with must be checked to make sure it is accurate. The Multi-Cultural Association has contact information. James McCarthy is able to speak Arabic and has volunteered to help with budgeting. Sasha Fetter and Anne Hewson will assist.
Contract for Phone/TV/Internet: Peter Jacobs has agreed to locate a computer and printer for the family and negotiate the hook-up contract for them. [email protected]
School Enrollment: Multi-Cultural Association will assess their current level of functioning for placement. They also do bridging with family and school. Anne Hunt and Anne Hewson will assist with this.
Language Training: There is an Arabic-English Bilingual Dictionary available at Westminster Books. They are currently on back-order but you can call and add your name to the list. Shipments come every two weeks. Language training sessions are being offered through the Multi-Cultural Association. The family will also require drivers to get to language classes. Anne Hunt and Sherry Pope will assist with this.
Bus System: Sally Grace and Kelly Humber Kelly will assist with this.
Orientation: The city is offering free recreation passes. It would be nice to take the family on a tour of the city. Kelly and Ellery Furlong volunteered to help with this.
Transportation: Gladys Lacey House volunteered to oversee this. We will require a driver schedule and a list of volunteers and phone numbers. Deanna McG. , Gladys L.H., Doug M., and Chris Fetter may help with this. A schedule will need to be developed.
Pat explained that a Criminal Record Check is required for all people who want to volunteer to work with children and vulnerable people. The completed application form should be returned to City Hall or the police station. You will require two pieces of I.D. including a photo I.D. Your passport and/or your driver’s licence along with your Medicare or S.I.N. card will do. It takes 2 to 3 weeks to process and they will call you when it’s ready for pick-up at the police station. Ask your parish minister to write a covering letter for your application. As you are a volunteer, the cost is $11.30.
Pat further explained that Muslim is pronounced Mu-slim rather than Maw-slem. The second pronunciation is offensive to them. Also, for religious and cultural reasons, please make sure to always have a woman from your sponsor group present when visiting the home and have the wife present whenever a female volunteer is interacting directly with the husband.
While we do not need all of our sponsorship monies up front, we are in need of funding to begin the settlement process. To that end, please let your parish know that they may make monetary donations through their Church Treasurer. Just mark the envelope “Refugee Sponsorship Fund” and your treasurer will issue you a receipt and forward the donation to the Treasurer at Christ Church Parish Church for deposit to the Refugee Sponsorship Account.
The meeting adjourned with The Grace at 2:10 p.m.
Sherry Pope
31 March Update
Committee of 11 parishes from the archdeaconry met again March 30th with six parishes in attendance.
Some have contributed money to the trust account, and others are currently doing fund-raising. Pat Drummond will contact others for status reports.
Criminal record checks are ongoing for volunteers.
Members have portfolios such as medical/dental; accommodations; education; language training; budgeting; food; furnishings; transportation; orientation. Some cannot accomplish much until the composition of the family is known and/or the timing of the family’s arrival, but are researching what to do. Donations of household goods are being collected.
For decision-making purposes between meetings, the executive committee comprises Archdeacon Patricia Drummond; The Rev. Rick Robinson; Kelly Humber-Kelly; Ann Deveau.
As a recent example of the need for rapid decisions, the Atlantic Baptist Convention asked if we would accept a Somali family on very short notice. The man is in his 70s, blind, in a wheelchair, illiterate and considered unemployable. His wife is younger and in better health but also illiterate with poor employment prospects. They wondered if we would take this family with high medical needs and do hands-on support for two years, not one as anticipated with a Syrian family. Furthermore, it would be in addition to a Syrian family to be chosen later! As unfortunate as the situation is for these Somalis, the committee discussed it, considered what we have ready for money, preparations and a team, and concluded we did not feel ready to handle such a heavy responsibility well beyond the scope of anything the vestries had agreed to do originally. The larger committee agreed that it was best to decline.
The committee continues to want to sponsor a Syrian family of four or five people. However, the Atlantic Baptist Convention reported to us last week that the whole process has slowed down considerably at the federal government level which has pulled back hundreds of temporary staff from overseas to their regular jobs in Canada. Also, they have several churches ahead of us waiting to choose families from the lists of refugees released periodically by the government. They say, realistically, it may be four to seven months before “our” family arrives in person.
Approximately 4.6 million Syrians have fled the country as refugees to escape the violence of civil war. More than half of these refugees are children. While the majority of refugees are fleeing to surrounding countries, these resources are limited and cannot accommodate the need. Our Canadian government has stepped up to help thousands of struggling Syrian refugees, and many community groups have come forward to help.
The Cathedral is applying to sponsor a Syrian refugee family, with the help of 10 other Anglican parishes within the Greater Fredericton region. As sponsors, we will be responsible for supporting our refugee family for one year.
Together, we are raising the funds necessary to financially support the family, with some government assistance.
Along with the Multicultural Association of Fredericton, we are preparing for the family’s arrival. We will need volunteers who are willing to provide social support to our family, upon their arrival in Fredericton and throughout the one-year sponsorship.
We are looking for passionate, dedicated volunteers to sit on our Anglican Refugee Sponsorship committee and give of their time and expertise for this incredibly important initiative. As a committee member, you can volunteer to aid the family in one of the following categories:
• Accommodations – search for affordable, practical rental accommodations near a city transit route
• Furnishings and household items – look for furniture and keep a record of what is available through donations
• Education/Language Training – register children in school, help with using the school bus, arrange for language training for all ages
• Food – organize a “church shower” with a planned list of suggested donations; assist with grocery shopping
• Medical – set up family with doctor, dentist, and other medical needs
• Transportation – show how to acquire and use bus passes, review bus schedules, drive family to appointments
• Documentation – assist family in completing documentation (SIN, Medicare, Child Tax Benefit, etc.)
• Social – aid in the transition of our refugee family into Canadian/Fredericton society
• Interpretation – please inform us of any Arabic speakers in the parish who could help communicate with the family
• Secretary – write and distribute meeting minutes
• Personal finances – help family with banking and budgeting
We do not need large numbers of volunteers for each category, but we do need dedicated people! If you are willing and able to join our Anglican Refugee Sponsorship committee, please contact:
Kelly Humber Kelly
<humberk at stu.ca> (506) 262-5101 16/02/21
What is God calling us to do about the Syrian refugee crisis?
That important question has been preoccupying the cathedral’s Missions Committee since September when we saw heart-breaking images of Syrian refugees fleeing a cruel civil war. Bishop Edwards issued a call to action, asking every congregation to respond in some way.
We have prayed about it. We know Jesus was a refugee himself. His family fled to Egypt ahead of Herod’s soldiers. We know the Bible tells us to love our neighbours — and our enemies. Jesus tells us to welcome strangers. Paul urges us to offer hospitality to sojourners.
As a committee, we think it is right to open our hearts to help Syrian or Iraqi refugees. It’s what we ourselves would want if a catastrophe struck our country, and we were fleeing bombs destroying our families, homes, businesses, our hopes and dreams.
But what to do? First, globally.
Through the weekly notices, we have been urging you to donate to the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund. PWRDF has been assisting refugees for decades. They have offered food, water, shelter, health care and counselling to families who escaped to Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon.
Since September, PWRDF has received $170,000 for its work overseas. Until the end of December, the federal government will match donations dollar for dollar. The Missions Committee has sent money from our own budget. We urge you to do the same if you can. A cold winter is coming, and the refugees in those camps need your help more than ever.
Second, locally. The committee has been fact-finding. We’ve been reading sponsorship handbooks, monitoring the media and talking to people. We’ve attended meetings of the Refugees Welcome organization and the Multicultural Association of Fredericton. We have spoken with actual refugees who are living in New Brunswick.
The main message they had for us was this: Yes, there are millions in United Nations refugee camps waiting for a miracle. But they are not numbers. They are people, and fully half of them are children. They are in a state of limbo – they can’t find meaningful work or go to school or build a future. All they want is a chance to be productive and get their lives back, in a peaceful place.
We have contacted other local churches — Baptist, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, United — to find out what they’re doing. Some are already raising money to sponsor a refugee family; some are studying the options, costs and risks; and some are struggling to combat fear and prejudice.
This is especially true since the massacres in Paris. But the people waiting in UN refugee camps are Muslim families fleeing conflict, not jihadists looking for more violence. They will undergo stringent security screening and health screening at the camps before they are approved, and again when they reach our shores.
We will count on the authorities to scrutinize thoroughly. And we refuse to live in fear. God is in control, and we have faith, trust and hope in Him.
If we want to get involved as a congregation, there are numerous options. Sponsoring a refugee family privately is a challenging, costly, slow process (probably a year) for any one congregation. It requires establishing a separate committee of about 10 to do considerable paper work and fund-raising and to arrange for accommodations, furnishings and resettlement assistance as the family transitions to life in Canada.
It’s very hands-on, and we would be responsible for them for one year. The cost to look after a family of four, for example, is about $28,000.
It would be quicker, easier and less expensive if we partner with an experienced organization which is already a Sponsorship Agreement Holder with the federal government. The Atlantic Baptist Convention has told Bishop Edwards that Anglican parishes can apply under the Baptist sponsorship agreement.
The workload of raising money, dealing with logistics, getting the family into school and language classes, would be shared. A family could be here within three months of application. And there’s a way to arrange it so that the federal government would pay half of that $28,000 annual cost for a family of four.
Our archdeaconry has asked if any area parishes are interested. We have talked with St. Margaret’s Anglican church which is looking for other parishes to help them sponsor a family. They think an alliance with the Baptists, using its sponsorship agreement, is probably the way to go. We have met local Baptist pastors who welcome an ecumenical approach, as does our bishop.
On the other hand, we could forgo sponsorship and wait to see whether a cohort of refugees arrives at Camp Argonaut soon. We could help those people. The Multicultural Association is already offering training courses for volunteers, and it needs interpreters, housing, furniture, clothing, jobs and friends for the families who will stay in our area.
In addition, those families will have relatives back in the camps who did not ride the first wave. Some will be seeking sponsors to bring specific family members here. It makes sense to reunite a family, but it’s another challenging, costly, slow process. And Ottawa does not share the annual cost with sponsors.
So, given all the options, what is God calling us to do about the Syrian refugee crisis? Pray? Give to PWRDF? Partner with other Christians to sponsor a family? Wait to see what’s needed if people come to Camp Argonaut? Rescue somebody’s cousins later? None of the above? All of the above?
The Missions Committee really needs to know what you think. What are your ideas, recommendations, concerns? We especially cannot proceed down the sponsorship road, alone or with a Christian partner, without knowing that the church is unified in its response.
Will enough people be eager to serve on committees, give money, donate their time, offer goods and services, and stand alongside these newcomers as friends and mentors over the long haul? With no strings attached?
Some members of the Missions Committee are here. Would you please stand? (ID them) Please share your questions and thoughts with us after the service today. Or, there’s some bright yellow paper and pens in a basket at the back so that you can leave comments. Your feedback is really important so that the dean and members of Bishop and Chapter can make an informed decision about what to do.
Now I will close with a brief prayer for refugees that our committee has been using. It’s borrowed from the Church of England. Let us pray.
God of compassion,
whose own son experienced life as a refugee,
we remember those fleeing from danger,
hungry and afraid, with nowhere to call home.
God, we ask for them warmth, security, food and peace.
God of hope,
we thank you for those who are working to bring relief and
comfort to those displaced,
showing glimpses of grace in the darkness of despair.
God, give them strength.
God of justice,
guide the nations and the leaders of the world towards peace,
stir hearts to be generous and compassionate.
God, help us to play our part in bringing about the change
that we want to see. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Christ Church Cathedral Missions Committee – 22 November 2015
FURNISHINGS LIST (remaining items needed as of June 22, 2016)
