To the members and adherents of Grace United Church, Dunnville;
Greetings to you all. It is my hope that this letter finds you well and finding the blessings of God apparent in your life.
At our annual congregational meeting in February 2020, we agreed to sponsor two Kurdish refugee families. We entered this project with enthusiasm. Of course, the next three years held a lot of surprises and challenges. However, our commitment to these families remained.
Our faith calls on us to love our neighbor. To do so in many ways. To welcome the stranger, to feed the hungry and to clothe the poor.
Last week we learned that one of the families; Hozan and Jihan Yaaqob and their two daughters Jana and Mansa, have been approved to finally travel to Canada. They are scheduled to arrive in Toronto on October 26. This is good news.
But we as a community of faith need to remember that we have agreed to support them and help them to adjust to life in Canada for at least the next year. This will take a lot of work and will cost a lot of money.
We have raised a significant amount of money to support both families, but we still need to raise more.
So, I and the other members of the Refugee Committee, are asking you to consider what you can offer. We need people to help in several ways. We need to help the parents get to English as a Second Language classes, so we need drivers. Helping them find their way around town and at some point, helping them find work will all be important.
We have accumulated a lot of furniture and clothing and kitchen utensils. We are not seeking any further help in those areas.
Finally, we need to raise more funds. If you find you are able to contribute more to this cause, we would be very appreciative. We will also be looking to organize more fundraising projects. We hope you are able to participate, help, and contribute to those as they arise.
I thank you for your time and your attention.
Blessings,
Rev. Warner Bloomfield