St. George has had a long history of sponsoring refugee families through the Refugee Committee of the Anglican Diocese.
The current Refugee Sponsorship Steering Committee was established in October 2015 under the auspices of the Social Justice and Outreach group in response to public outcry regarding the Syrian refugee crisis.
Since then, three of the five sponsorships the Parish has been involved in have come to a successful conclusion:
• Feb 2016-2017 - Raed & Natasha Belal and their four children (Syria)
• May 2018-2019 - Haile Yemane (Eritrea)
• Oct 2019-2020 - Abdul & Betul Elcuk and their three, now four, children (Syria)
A fourth sponsorship, of another young man from Eritrea, was unexpectedly and permanently cancelled by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) in Nov 2018.
The fifth was committed to in July 2019. Our sponsorship application for a young Eritrean woman and her husband is “in progress.” She application has been approved and she is expected to arrive in May 2024.
We are now looking for new volunteers to get involved with this important ministry. If you are interested, please contact admin@stgeorgecadborobay.ca.
Financial support for this ministry is also needed and appreciated. Gifts can be made out to St. George's Anglican Church with a note that the donation is for the Refugee Ministry.
For more information about refugee sponsorship in the Diocese of British Columbia, visit https://bc.anglican.ca/ministries-and-programs/refugee-sponsorship--218