First Presbyterian Church – a rich tradition of refugee sponsorship
The Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program officially began in 1978 and marked the first time Canadians were able to get involved in the resettlement of vulnerable refugees. Since 1980, more than 160 communities have welcomed privately sponsored refugees from more than 175 countries, and since 2015, more than half of the 62,000 Syrian refugees who have been resettled to Canada were privately sponsored. This sponsorship model has subsequently been copied by many countries around the world. The need for refugee resettlement in safe third countries has grown exponentially over the last decade – there are more refugees now than at any time since World War II.
First Presbyterian Church has been involved in refugee sponsorship since early 2016, during the Syrian refugee crisis. First Presbyterian’s initial sponsorship effort was through Open Arms Brockville (“OAB”), which is a partnership of four local churches (First Presbyterian, First Baptist, Bethel Christian Reformed Church, and St. Paul’s Caintown) as well as community members. This group’s first sponsorship was for a family of 10 from Syria, helping them to settle in Brockville. The refugee family subsequently moved to Ottawa, but OAB members continue to keep in touch.
In 2018, OAB sponsored two Syrian “Women at Risk” (women with no male family protector), a widow with three young sons, and a single woman who was a neighbour in Damascus. These refugees have recently moved to Windsor but maintain connection with the OAB group.
In 2022, OAB welcomed a refugee family of four from Egypt (via Malaysia), who have settled happily into Brockville and welcomed a new daughter, Hannen in August 2024!
First Presbyterian Church assisted the Friendship Brockville sponsor group to welcome, on an urgent basis, a Palestinian family, originally from Syria, in 2017. The family has subsequently moved to Ottawa (where they have relatives) but love to come for visits to their friends in Brockville.
First Presbyterian Church is also working with Brockville Freedom Connection (“BFC”). BFC reunited Nasro Adan Mohamed with her husband Liiban Khadiye and young daughter Afnaan Ahmed in March 2023, after 3+ years of effort and pressuring Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). A happy reunion as Brockville-based refugee greets her family | Brockville Recorder & Times
This sponsorship concluded in February 2024. BFC welcomed a new family, a refugee from Uganda and her two children, who arrived in August 2024.
In September 2023, First Presbyterian Church, in partnership with Brockville Together and two refugee groups from Merrickville and Perth, welcomed an Afghan newcomer, Mohammad Nadir Saeedi. Nadir’s sponsorship concluded in September 2024, and Brockville Together has just welcomed a Syrian man (via Malaysia), Mohammad Idris, who just arrived in October of 2024!
Thank you for your ongoing help in bringing these vulnerable people to safety and a new life in Canada. The sponsorship groups are very thankful for your support!! The need for refugee sponsors continues to grow in the face of increasing conflict and persecution around the world. If you are interested in being part of one of First Presbyterian Church’s refugee sponsorship groups, please contact Rev. Marianne at @[email protected].
I was a stranger and you welcomed me. Matthew 25:35
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