Welcoming Refugees - where are things up to?
At August's Annual Meeting, I shared a new and exciting initiative to help us achieve our key priority of Local Outreach.
Wellspring has been invited to join with other Hobart Anglican churches to assist refugee families settle in for their first 12 months in Tasmania. We have a concrete opportunity to share life with Jesus with some of the most vulnerable and needy.
Here is a summary of what's happened in the past few months:
- A dozen Wellspring members expressed their support and passion to get behind this, with various networks and resources at their disposal.
- Two Community Supporter Groups across four churches have formed, including me and three other Wellspring members. We’re called “Welcome to Hobart 1 & 2”, with a hands-on role to assist new arrivals with transitional housing, employment, education, healthcare, and so on.
- CRSA (the organisation which matches refugee families with local CSGs) requires applications from these teams and its members: this comprehensive process is being completed currently. We will undertake training in February 2024, with UNHCR and CRSA arranging the matching process soon after.
- With the current demand in refugee camps worldwide, it's likely that refugee families will potentially arrive during the first quarter of next year. How wonderful would it be to show up as a 'Welcome Party' at Hobart airport, meeting them with warmth and love as their first impression of Australia?
- Finances will be centrally controlled through Anglican Health & Welfare, a Diocesan organisation led by a Board (of which I'm a member).
- Wellspring's financial contribution will be drawn from an upcoming grant, to be applied for through the Diocesan New Ministry Development Fund. The two CSGs are considering several fundraising options also.
- There are multiple ways that a church community can be involved (click here for such a partner organisation).
Please be praying! This is a bold new step for our church and there are many unknowns. But in our life with Jesus, we partner with Him for Spirit-anointed, Luke 4 ministry.
Rob Imberger.
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