wfn.org | [ENS] Episcopalians offer hope and homes to refugees from Gulf Coast

["Matthew Davies" <mdavies@episcopalchurch.org>]

Daybook, from Episcopal News Service

September 2, 2005 - Friday Forum

Episcopalians offer hope and homes to refugees from Gulf Coast

By John Denaro

[Episcopal News Service] The phrase "The Episcopal Church Welcomes You!"
has
never meant more since Episcopalians have had to come to grips with the
reality of those uprooted by hurricane Katrina. The outpouring of offers
by
Episcopalians to assist in relocating the displaced has been enormous.

All Saints Church in Hampton, South Carolina, is ready to convert their
parish hall into temporary living quarters. A member of Piedmont
Episcopal
Church in Madison, Virginia, has not only offered to find rentals but
also
to transport up to four people from the devastation in his Cessna.
Episcopal
conference centers are clearing their schedules for the remainder of the
year to accommodate large numbers of Katrina's victims.

>From St. Mary's in Dyersburg, Tennessee, to Holy Trinity in Melbourne,
Florida, to St. Bartholomew's in Bemidji, Minnesota, churches are making
known their desire to extend hospitality to stranded Gulf Coast
neighbors.
And Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM) is quickly putting into action
a
plan to match congregations and church institutions with families in
need of
transitional support.

Welcoming newcomers who are refugees is a familiar experience to
hundreds of
Episcopal parishes. Across decades congregations have received waves of
Eastern Europeans, Southeast Asians, and Africans forced to flee their
countries because of political strife or war. These individuals could
not
return to their homes because of a well-founded fear of persecution,
which
distinguishes them from Gulf Coast families for whom displacement and
devastating loss is the result of a natural disaster. But with little
hope
of returning soon - or maybe ever - to places like New Orleans, Biloxi,
and
Gulfport, folks need the alternatives our churches are willing to
provide.

EMM, the refugee advocacy and resettlement arm of the church, is quickly
gearing up to facilitate the relocation of 6-7,000 individuals and is
hoping
that as many as 700 Episcopal churches will respond. The effort will
begin
informally and evolve into a more structured operation as the federal
government gets involved. From the looks of things Since EMM announced
that
it would apply its expertise in resettlement to relieve the burden of
Katrina's displaced, this goal is utterly achievable. Congregations and
communities that are willing to offer welcome should send contact
information to EMM@episcopalchurch.org

-- John Denaro is the Staff Officer for Church Relations and Outreach
for
Episcopal Migration Ministries

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