THINKING AHEAD
SANDRA REIMER
The Newsletter of Vision Ministries Canada
VOL. 18, No. 1 // FALL 2014
MORE AND BETTER CHURCHES
vision-ministries.org
I Was a Stranger and You Invited Me In SANDRA REIMER
WELCOMING REFUGEES TO CANADA
“M
ost refugees have been through some kind of traumatic experience. Many have witnessed murders and rapes—oftentimes of family members and they have not had help to deal with that,” says David Cottrill, the Director of Community Outreach at North Park Church in London, ON. North Park takes seriously God’s words in Leviticus 19:33: “The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt.” Since 2006, the congregation has welcomed seven refugee families to Canada—three from Burma and four from Congo. Their first family came through a government program that covered the costs for the refugees’ initial year in Canada. For
some of the other families, North Park supplied funds for living expenses and helped them get settled. “We assist them to adjust to a new country. We help them with ESL [English as a Second Language] and to navigate the culture,” says David. “Each time we get a new family, it’s like adopting children. Except that they grow up much faster.” David says it is a balancing act between helping the families but not letting them become dependent. North Park is careful to involve healthy volunteers with the families. “People can become so wrapped up in these refugees’ lives, that they find it difficult when the refugees no longer need them.” One of the hardest things for newcomers to Canada is being without their social network. “They are used to seeing family and CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
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VMC Network News page 7
Permission to Speak Freely? page 5
Spontaneous Dialogue Is Surprisingly Fruitful page 8