A Partner Church Story

Without church partnership, Welcome Home (WH) would not exist.  With church partnership, WH is able to provide a solid, Jesus-centred home to dozens of refugees every year.  The black and white reality is this:  WH needs churches to enter into long-term, symbiotic relationship with them in the name of Jesus and for the sake of refugees. 

Half a dozen churches in the Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario region understand this, but here is the story of The Meeting House–Waterloo (TMH–Waterloo) and how they are engaging WH in a holistic, meaningful, and focused way.

Being a church partner with a program implicates more than the just a one-time activity or occasional financial gift.  It is a commitment to stick with something and contribute to it on multiple levels.  TMH–Waterloo is learning how to do this with WH.  New Canadians have been the Waterloo site focus for the year 2011 and two Home Churches have embraced WH as their location for living out that focus.  As a result, the refugees and staff of WH are:

  • invited into homes to share meals
  • treated to a few rounds of bowling or mini-golf
  • welcomed into a day in the life of a Canadian.

These larger group events are intended to be a springboard for new friendships between Canadians and newcomers.

New friendships are the most desirable outcomes of church partnership, but WH receives no government support, so charitable donations are vital.  In this respect, TMH-Waterloo has:

  • collected monthly provisions of items such as toilet paper, laundry soap, rice, sugar, oil, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, house cleaners etc.
  • Home Churches have also put their own donated house cleaners to use and accepted the challenge of cleaning rooms and apartments after a resident moves out.
  • When the time comes for refugees to leave WH, the Furniture Redistribution Project, headed by a TMH-Waterloo member, kicks in with everything from couches to beds as well as the means to transport these pieces to their new residences.
  • For the summer 2011, WH was the recipient of a $5000 grant from TMH-Waterloo toward the cost of summer projects and the hosting of an intern.

In these ways, TMH-Waterloo is striving to give relationally and materially to the work of WH.

The natural result of all this is that individuals become more aware of the issues surrounding refugees and can speak out into the community with more intelligence and insight.  Involvement on WH’s advisory council, participation in WH’s Multicultural Walk, and the invitation to share at a Sunday meeting were all ways that members of TMH-Waterloo have allowed themselves to learn more and therefore advocate better on behalf of those seeking protection in Canada.

Your church could be the next to partner with Welcome Home and discover that we are the best place for a newly arrived refugee to live, receive support, and find a sense of family in the Kitchener-Waterloo region.  Contact us today!