Director's Note

Friends, Colleagues and Supporters,

I am delighted to deliver to you this inaugural edition of Episcopal Migration Ministries’ online newsletter. By telling the stories of refugees and of our partners who serve them, we hope to share with you the many gifts refugees bring to the U.S. and describe the many challenges they must overcome to thrive here. We also hope to inspire you to offer assistance and friendship to the uprooted in your community.

World Refugee Day, commemorated yearly on June 20, presents an opportunity for all involved in the service of refugees to call attention to their plight and renew our commitment to alleviating their suffering. This year, EMM used the occasion to celebrate the many ways refugees have enriched communities across the country, advocate on their behalf, and highlight the dedicated efforts of EMM affiliates and co-sponsors who support them.

You will read about all this and more here. As you do, you’ll share the journey of refugees – and EMM – as we move our ministry into the future.

Gratefully,

Deborah Stein

 

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World Refugee Day

EMM and affiliates call attention to refugees' needs and accomplishments

 

June 20 marked World Refugee Day, a day to acknowledge the plight of refugees around the globe. EMM observed the day by unveiling a number of new video modules and other resources chronicaling our ministry and the inspiring stories of some of the many individuals we serve. Click HERE to watch.
 

EMM affiliates -- 31 in all, located in 27 different Episcopal Dioceses -- participated in World Refugee Day events in a variety of interesting ways. Here are a just a few snapshots of their involvement in local observances:
 
In Buffalo, Journey’s End Refugee Services hosted a party in the Olmstead Parks which refugees throughout the city and community were invited to attend. A prayer service at St. John’s Grace Episcopal Church was followedby a twilight candlelight vigil for refugees around the world.

 

In Minneapolis, the Minnesota Council of Churches Refugee Services  office took part in a regional resource fair at the Twin Cities World Refugee Day event.
 

In New Bern, North Carolina, Interfaith Refugee Ministry offered food prepared by refugees and refugee artwork for patrons at the downtown farmers market. The event garnered interest from a number of potential volunteers and helped introduce refugees and their concerns to a wide swath of community members.
 

Advocacy

Episcopal Church urges passage of reforms to protect refugees

 

World Refugee Day also served as an opportunity for refugee advocates to reaffirm their committment to better serve refugees around the world. The Episcopal Church and other groups who serve refugees need allies in our advocacy for greater support in Congress and needed reform to the U.S. Refugee Program. The Refugee Protection Act -- currently before the U.S. Senate -- would provide new protections for refugees overseas and improve services here at home. The Refugee Council USA website has more information about the legislation HERE.

Resettlement Update

As of June 30, EMM affiliates have assisted 3,698 refugees in fiscal year 2010, with the support of dioceses and many volunteers, from the following program regions:

 

Africa – 469
East Asia – 824
Latin America/Caribbean – 256
Near-East and South Asia – 2,091
Europe – 58 

Visit EMM Online

Episcopal Migration Ministries is now on Facebook . To stay informed about our ministry and advocacy efforts on behalf of refugees, connect with us HERE and click the "Like" button.
 

And as always, the Episcopal Migration Ministries website is an excellent source of news and information about EMM's ministry and advocacy on behalf of refugees.

 

Visit www.episcopalchurch.org/emm to learn more about EMM.

Co-Sponsorship Stories

All Saints, Atlanta: Farewell to Richard Hall

 

At the end of June, the refugee resettlement ministry at All Saints Episcopal Church in Atlanta said goodbye to a trusted advisor and a tireless supporter. Richard Hall – Director of Christian Social Ministries at All Saints – retired after five years in his current position and many more years of service to refugees.

 

Hall first worked with refugees in the early 1990s when he helped a young Bosnian couple enroll in school and acclimate to their new surroundings after their lives were thrown into chaos by the civil war back home. He has been involved in All Saints impressive refugee co-sponsorship program since 2005.

 

“To me it’s a very meaningful ministry of our [parish] and certainly the Episcopal Church,” Hall said. “Refugees are very resilient people because they’ve been forced to be in order to survive the trauma and experiences they’ve faced.”


All Saints has made an inspiring commitment to aiding refugees, co-sponsoring 12 different families through Refugee Resettlement & Immigration Services of Atlanta , an EMM affiliate, over the past nine years. The church also offers tutoring and ESL classes for refugee families and camp scholarships for refugee youth. This spring, All Saints furnished two apartments for Haitian families displaced by January’s earthquake, and the church is currently co-sponsoring a family from Bhutan.
 

MORE

 

 

Wesley Memorial UMC, Wilmington, NC: Welcome to Karen refugees

 

The Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church in Wilmington, North Carolina, is learning about the ups and downs of the refugee experience firsthand. The church agreed to co-sponsor a Karen Burmese family of five who arrived in April. The weeks since have presented challenges -- some frustrating and others amusing -- but church members and refugees are both benefiting from their relationship. From Wesley member Lana Winneberger in an email:

 

"That same week five of us from Wesley took the ESOL class so that we can begin their English language classes. Our first class was great. Everyone can say their abc's and count up to at least 20. (Refugee father) Lah knows a lot of words, but they all have trouble 'hearing' us speak it, as well as say it. They are very eager to learn."

 

Wesley UMC is the first church to co-sponsor a family through Interfaith Refugee Ministry's Wilmington sub-office -- EMM's newest resettlement site -- which began resettling refugees earlier this year. 

EMM in The News

Laetitia Mizero, a former refugee client and case worker for Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota -- an EMM affiliate -- was featured in article for a Fargo-area magazine. The story describes Laetitia's journey from Burundi to North Dakota and her efforts to raise her children and care for her younger siblings throughout a series of challenging episodes leading up to resettlement in the United States. Read the full story HERE

 

The Episcopal News Service ran a story about World Refugee Day and Senator Dick Durbin's visit with refugees in Chicago, which was organized by a coalition of refugee organizations, including EMM affiliate RefugeeOne. Read the full piece HERE.

 

Elsewhere, the Wilmington office of Interfaith Refugee Ministry -- EMM's affiliate in the Diocese of East Carolina -- was profiled in a piece by the Wilmington Star-News. The article describes IRM's efforts to resettle Burmese Karen refugees, along with the agency's World Refugee Day celebrations. Read the piece HERE.

 

Finally, the Louisville Eccentric-Observer recently published an in-depth profile of EMM affiliate Kentucky Refugee Ministries . The story marks KRM's 20th anniversary and includes a number of portraits of the agency’s clients. Read it HERE.




Episcopal Migration Ministries
815 2nd Avenue
New York, NY 10017





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