Issue 1 - November 2020 The Newsletter of the Refugee Ministry of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa | ♦ A New Beginning – PJ Hobbs – Director of Community Ministries | | Thank you for taking the time to read this first issue of New Beginnings, the newsletter of the Refugee Ministry of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa. Rooted in our biblical tradition of hospitality and welcoming the stranger, our diocese has been engaged in refugee sponsorship for over 40 years. I suspect that many of you reading this will have been involved in refugee sponsorship over the years. Thank you. This ministry is shared among many people, involving parishes, community groups, family members, and includes a key partnership with the Government of Canada. A single sponsorship requires a wide range of activities and tasks, including filing applications, fundraising, building a support team, addressing the specific needs of each newcomer, attending to the many details of integrating our newcomers into Canadian society, making sure financial disbursements are accurate and timely, and ensuring compliance with government regulations. What seems a simple, natural human act of providing safe refuge for someone in need can in fact be rather complicated. As a government Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH), the Refugee Ministry of our diocese plays a central role in navigating the many details of sponsorship and supporting the community groups and individuals who have taken on the blessed work of refugee sponsorship. As you read New Beginnings, you will learn more about our Refugee Ministry in this first issue and in others which will follow. I hope you will find it not only informative, but inspiring. You will also discover ways you can financially support our Refugee Ministry, helping to ensure this vital essential work is sustained. Please consider making a donation. We are of course in the midst of a global pandemic that has touched all of our lives. At first this meant that with travel restrictions there were no landings of approved refugee families. Since mid-summer, though, we have been welcoming new arrivals, who must first live in quarantine for 14 days. These are strange days. In the midst of it, we continue the essential work of the Refugee Ministry of our diocese. Thank you so much for your interest and continuing support. | Matthew 25:40 And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.' | ♦ Introducing the Refugee Ministry Panel – Mark Whittall | | The Refugee Ministry Development Task Force was established in 2019 to review the refugee program of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa, with a view to improving the sustainability of this important ministry. When the Task Force submitted its final report to Diocesan Council in September 2019, one of the key recommendations was the establishment of a Refugee Ministry Panel to provide oversight, leadership and support of the Refugee Ministry. With the acceptance of the Task Force recommendations, a call for Refugee Ministry Panel members was sent out in December 2019. The intent was that the Panel members would be actively involved in various aspects of our Refugee Ministry. Applications poured in, and in February 2020 the following well-qualified people were selected and met for the first time as the Refugee Ministry Panel, each with their own particular area of expertise and involvement: - Anna Gow (Policy & Risk Management)
- Mary-Martha Hale (Constituent Group Engagement)
- PJ Hobbs (Director of Refugee Ministry)
- Peggy Lister (Volunteer Management)
- Karen McBride (Financial Development)
- Nash Smith (Constituent Group Engagement)
- Garry Smith (Policy & Risk Management)
- Elsie Stresman (Communications, Partners)
- Mark Whittall (Chair)
| ♦ Inspiring Hope, One Thousand Doves At A Time - Karen McBride | 
What do you think about when you see a dove? Flight? Peace? The Holy Spirit?
Doves are symbols of all these things. And each also relates to the situation of refugees in our world: forced to flee due to conflict and human rights abuse, seeking a safe place to rebuild their lives, and deserving of the love and compassion of neighbours, even neighbours half-way around the world.
Now what would you think about if you saw a thousand doves in one place? Would it bring a smile to your face and fill you with a sense of possibility? Would it inspire you to want to spread more hope among the children, women and men who need our support? We certainly believe it would, and therefore warmly invite you to work together with us on the Thousand Doves project, a special fundraising initiative in support of the critical work of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa’s refugee ministry, the excellent calibre of whose staff and services many of you have experienced first-hand. Together, we are going to create a thousand paper doves and suspend them above the nave of Christ Church Cathedral Ottawa. The idea is inspired by a visit to St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London, England which hosted a multimedia art installation by Michael Pendry called “Les Colombes”. It was so simple: a flock of white paper doves in the church, seemingly swooping towards the massive window its far end. Yet its simplicity was both beautiful and meaningful on many levels, encouraging personal reflection on the part of those sharing the doves’ space. Given the relevance of the symbolism of doves to our shared refugee ministry, it seemed to be a natural fit to launch this Thousand Doves project in support of this important cause. It will serve to celebrate the contribution of refugee families to our communities over the more | than 40 years of refugee sponsorship activity, raise awareness of the ongoing importance of refugee sponsorship and encourage greater engagement in this life-giving ministry, as well as strengthen the capacity of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa to support constituent groups and co-sponsors in our region. How will it work? Beginning in early January, at the time of the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, we will formally launch the campaign to recruit individuals and/or groups to make the paper doves, and to collect pledges from family, friends and neighbours. We will provide all the instructions to our teams of dove-makers (including a YouTube video demonstrating the dove-making process step-by-step), as well as promotional material to support their fundraising efforts. All that’s required is regular 8.5 x 11 paper and a little practice, so it’s an activity that’s both accessible and fun for people of all ages. The doves and pledges will be collected in late April at Christ Church Cathedral. The project’s installation will be overseen by local artists and professional art installers Barbara Brown and Daniel Sharp, who are volunteering their time, and our flock of doves will be ready to reveal on the Feast of Pentecost on May 23. We anticipate that the Thousand Doves will be in place, with opportunities for public viewing, until the end of June, at which time we’ll arrange to return the doves to the project participants, as a memento of this community-based initiative, and as a symbol of the hope we shared in bringing the Thousand Doves project to life. Ready to get involved? You can register to make doves by contacting thousanddoves@ottawa.anglican.ca. We’ll make certain to keep you updated as the project ramps up. Information on this special initiative will also be available on the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa website beginning in early January. Thank you for your support for our important refugee ministry. 
| | ♦ INTRODUCING LILIAN ASIIMWE – Elsie Stresman  The Ottawa Diocese is very fortunate to have a number of qualified and dedicated staff working in various capacities. Within the Refugee Ministry Office (RMO) Lilian Asiimwe is one of these special people. She started in her position on 20 January 2020.
Lilian’s professional background is in human rights. She has a Master’s Degree in International Law and Human Rights. Prior to joining the RMO she worked on various United Nations projects under the United Nations Independent Expert on Human Rights and International Solidarity. Her work focused on international refugee protection, international migration and human rights, as well as climate change. Prior to that, she worked in various legal capacities in the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Netherlands, focusing on legal issues related to international cooperation, prosecution of sexual crimes, and developing OTP’s Policy Paper on Sexual and Gender-Based Crimes. Prior to joining the ICC, Lilian worked in Geneva at the United Nations Office of the High Commission for Human Rights (OHCHR) focusing on monitoring and reporting urgent human rights developments, developing an Early Warning and Rapid Response mechanism, and supporting field Peace Missions. Working with refugees is very close to Lilian’s heart. Having been unexpectedly and painfully forced to flee her country of birth, she has a lot of empathy for refugees all over the world. Lilian began working with refugees during her undergraduate studies at the University of Ottawa. Volunteer work as a Youth Programmes Director led to providing support in filing immigration documents along with accessing immigrant services. Filing a legal document for a youth in need solidified her desire to pursue a legal and human rights career. Lilian’s role at the RMO is very detailed. Alongside Joyce Couvrette, she revises and submits applications, case-manages all applications in process until the end of the sponsorship year, provides support to constituency groups, contributes to the Immigration Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)’s policy on private sponsorship through continuous engagements and meetings with various key players including NGOs, UNHCR, Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH) Council, and IRCC. The joys of her position with the Ottawa Diocese Refugee Ministry Office include having knowledgeable, supportive, selfless colleagues who go above and beyond to ensure that refugees are resettled and safe in Canada. Quoting Lilian, “I find it extremely inspiring and the best reminder that efforts of ordinary people can create extraordinary outcomes”. While she has always worked in larger organizations, Lilian is now loving the experience of working in a small organization with less bureaucracy where her contribution has a visible impact. Being part of something that has tangible results for real people brings her joy. The challenges of Lilian’s position are similar to many other non-profit organizations – resources are very limited. There are so many local people who are desperate to bring their loved ones to safety. The staff wishes they could help all of them. This is not possible partly because there are not enough human resources or the financial capacity to do so. | Matthew 25:40 And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.' | ♦ THE CARR - Elsie Stresman The CARR Executive: Collin Stephenson, Elsie Stresman, Ann Munroe, Margo Bell, Gord Munroe, Jennifer Dickson The Community Alliance for Refugee Resettlement (The CARR), a grassroots organization centred in the community of Perth, Ontario, was passionately dedicated to welcoming refugees to Canada and helping them integrate completely into our community, with the ultimate goal of becoming successful Canadian citizens. We had the unwavering assistance of several key organizations, including: the Perth & District Community Foundation, the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa and St. James the Apostle Church, Perth. We also had incredible support from the amazing citizens of the area in welcoming refugee families by sharing their personal time, talents and treasures. Our journey began in the fall of 2015 as a response to the picture of Alan Kurdi’s body washed up on a beach. Community interest showed an enthusiastic determination to ‘do something’. The CARR was created and quickly picked up speed. An executive was formed, and settlement teams were developed. At our peak we had over 150 volunteers joining our journey. With the support of our volunteers and living in a small town, we had to be our own resources. We quickly received more than $150,000 in donations and were able to sponsor four families totalling 24 people. All newcomers have made good progress in terms of language, education, employment and integration into Canadian society. Together we have faced the joys and challenges of resettlement. Though we have officially parked our CARR, the journey has made a difference to those we assisted and also to our volunteers. We are all richer for the experience. 
The CARR Executive: Colin Stephenson, Elsie Stresman, Ann Munroe, Margo Bell,
Gord Munroe, Jennifer Dickson. | ♦ DONATIONS ♦ If you would like to make an online donation to support the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa’s Refugee Ministry work, you may do so by clicking the “Donate Now' button. You will be immediately transferred to Canada Helps. Under the FUND heading, please choose AAA - REFUGEE MINISTRY OFFICE Enter a one-time donation in the “Donate Now” box, or you may donate monthly by clicking on the “Monthly” box. You will receive an immediate tax receipt from Canada Helps. DONATE NOW If you prefer you may write a cheque payable to Anglican Diocese of Ottawa, indicating that your donation is for the Refugee Ministry. Mail, or bring your cheque to Finance Office Anglican Diocese of Ottawa, 71 Bronson Ave. Ottawa ON K1R 6G6 . You will receive a tax receipt from the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa for donations made by cheque. Thank you. Your funds support the continued success of a program that generously assists local groups bring refugees to our region. For more information, please email thousanddoves@ottawa.anglican.ca | REFUGEE MINISTRY You can watch Bishop Shane’s interview with Joyce Couvrette, Refugee Ministry Case Worker, Anglican Diocese of Ottawa by selecting this link www.buzzsprout.com/1150388/5707522 (interview begins at 11:41)
or copying and pasting it into your browser. | | | | |
