There are more than 25 million refugees in the world today: children, women, and men forced to flee their home countries to escape persecution and violence. Families are forced to leave behind everything they have ever known in search of safety, hope, and a new beginning. In many cases, families are torn apart, futures remain unknown for countless years, and what remains is the faith that something better awaits.

When we enter the season of Advent, and I allow myself to fully embrace what it means to be in waiting for the one that teaches what it is to walk this world in love, I am overcome by the waiting that our refugee brothers and sisters must endure. Not only are they waiting for shelter and safety, but they also are waiting to be welcomed and embraced. They are waiting to know there is a place that accepts them as children of God, worthy of the love and dignity that we understand from the holy child. My faith demands of me this Advent season, as it does every Advent, to remember this waiting is not in vain.

Episcopal Migration Ministries, the refugee resettlement ministry of The Episcopal Church, has resettled more than 95,000 refugees. This ministry of welcome is who we are called to be by the very root of our faith: a people who embrace the stranger and recognize the face of God in each person we encounter. It is part of who we are as followers of Jesus. Jesus said, “I was a stranger, and you welcomed me.”

We invite you to join the welcoming movement this Advent season.

• Educate yourself through our webinars, podcast, or “Love God, Love Neighbor” conference.
• Join the Episcopal Public Policy Network to learn more about how you can work with local and elected leaders to support refugees.
• One of the most tangible ways you can show your support now for refugees is by making a financial gift to EMM. By doing so, not only do you stand with and support a historic ministry of The Episcopal Church in a time of great need, but you also ensure refugees are welcomed to a haven of safety and opportunity. Give securely online at EpiscopalMigrationMinistries.org/Give, or text “EMM” to 41444.
• Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram: @emmrefugees.

Advent Webinar Series

Walking in Welcome: An Advent Series with Episcopal Migration Ministries

Episcopal Migration Ministries and The Episcopal Church’s Office of Government Relations are hosting a series of three one-hour webinars, Walking in Welcome: An Advent Series with Episcopal Migration Ministries, on December 5 at 4 p.m., December 13 at 4 p.m., and December 18 at 12 p.m., all Eastern time.

• Airing on December 5 at 4 p.m. Eastern time, Mapping the Way: Tools for the Journey will clarify the current state of refugee resettlement in the United States, briefly explore how to assess community gifts and assets, provide guidance on communicating the message of welcome, and suggest next advocacy steps for supporting the work of refugee ministry.
• One Community’s Journey to Welcome: The Story of West Virginia Interfaith Refugee Ministry will air on December 13 at 4 p.m. Eastern time and will offer listeners the opportunity to hear how one interfaith group of local leaders came together to educate, advocate, and provide welcome to refugees and immigrants.
• The final webinar of the series, Partners in Welcome: Join Us on the Way, will air December 18 at 12 p.m. Eastern time and will include an overview of the Partners in Welcome program that Episcopal Migration Ministries is actively involved in developing, building, and recruiting.

Registration is required. Request registration links here. The webinars will be available on-demand following their live broadcasts.

Podcasts

Episcopal Migrant Ministries’ Hometown podcast launched in February 2018 as part of the Good Book Club initiative from Forward Movement. The podcast features interviews with men and women resettled to the U.S. as refugees, the history of and current events surrounding the largest recorded forced displacement on record, and reflections from folks across The Episcopal Church.

Subscribe on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Stitcher, and find episodes and additional material on the EMM blog.

Stay tuned for Season 2 of the Hometown podcast!