Quinte West churches work to bring a refugee family here

Luke Vanderkamp, the pastor of St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Trenton, shows a stained-glass window in the sanctuary that urges Christians to help those who are in need. Photo by Selena Steele-Clough, QNet News

By Tara Henley

TRENTON – A fundraising campaign to sponsor a family of Christian refugees has been launched through several Quinte West churches.

Pastor Luke Vanderkamp of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Trenton said he had the idea to sponsor a refugee family in October when he began doing research on United Nations refugee camps. That’s when he discovered that “Christians were being left out of United Nations refugee camps because of religious persecution,” he said.

Few news organizations are reporting on Christians in refugee camps, according to Vanderkamp, adding that this is part of the problem.

“I was sick and ye visited me,” the stained-glass window says. Vanderkamp said this encapsulates the necessity to assist refugees. Photo by Tara Henley, QNet News

“There needs to be a voice for what’s happening (in the camps), because as I spoke to people, I realized many people had no idea what was actually happening in the United Nations camps to minorities.”

He added: “This is not only an effort to bring a family here, but this is an effort to bring a voice to minorities, like Christians, who are struggling.”

A total of 14 churches in Trenton are involved with the Quinte West Ministerial Association as a part of the effort. Even though the fundraising has just begun, $6,000 has been raised. In order to reach Vanderkamp’s goal to bring in a refugee family of six, they need $40,000.

While the refugee family the association chooses may be Syrian, Vanderkamp said the family’s nationality is not their priority when they look at refugee profiles.

“This particular effort that we’re doing here with the churches is not just focusing on Syrian refugees, but refugees in general that have experienced persecution because of their faith,” he said. “So the refugees that we get may or may not be Syrian, but they will be Christians who have faced persecution and hardship.”

Rev. David Mundy of Bridge Street United Church – which together with two other Belleville churches is sponsoring a Syrian refugee family – said he believes Syrian families should take priority. The current Syrian crisis is “the worst humanitarian crisis since the Second World War,” he said.

“I think it’s unfortunate,” Mundy said of the Quinte West Ministerial Association’s decision to only sponsor a persecuted Christian family. “I think to base need on religious background seems like an unfortunate thing to do. But I’m just glad that they’re willing to support a family.”

Bridge Street United has teamed up with St. Matthew’s United Church and Eastminster United Church to raise money to sponsor a Syrian family that will be flying out of a refugee camp in Lebanon on Dec. 6. The family is set to arrive in Belleville shortly after.

Vanderkamp said a large part of choosing the sponsored family is whether they will be a good fit in the Trenton community. He wants to make sure the family will thrive and that the community will have all the resources the family will need, he said.

The Quinte West Ministerial Association has partnered with the Mennonite Central Committee, which holds the formal sponsorship agreement with the federal government. Once 80 per cent of the $40,000 goal is raised, the association will be able to start looking through family profiles.

The group is looking for funds through promotion both in the churches themselves and also in the community. There are plans to put collection boxes in downtown Trenton businesses, and to place an ad asking for donations on UCB Radio, a local Christian radio station. A Facebook page containing more information and fundraising updates has been set up by the association.

Ian Sutherland of the Bridge Street sponsorship group said he believes once the families arrive, they will bring with them “a sense of relief” to the Quinte region.

“All of these people bring different things to our community and culture,” he said. “I don’t think Canada is any longer a white, Anglo-Saxon Protestant country. We are a much more cosmopolitan and diverse crowd now. So I think there will be another valuable cultural addition brought to us with the families that are coming.”

Sutherland said if a financial donation cannot be made to help contribute to the refugee cause, a donation of “personal support and time would be very much appreciated” as well.