Still Welcoming the Stranger

Imad Janat gives a thumbs-up while walking through the Greater Sudbury Airport  with wife Roaa Hamdoun and daughter Lilia. The newcomers from Aleppo, Syria are being sponsored by the Islamic Association of Sudbury and St. Andrew's United Church. Jim Moodie/Sudbury Star 



34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand,
 ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father,
 inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 
35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, 
I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, 
I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 
36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, 
I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’

Matthew 25:34-36

At the beginning of June Dr, Ian Sutherland, the seemingly tireless advocate for Syrian refugees, joined me at Trenton United to offer his perspective on the project which brought 23 members of one family to Belleville. I was involved in this remarkable effort, but Ian, his wife Carolyn, and scores of others from the Bridge St congregation and several more faith groups were exceptional in their devotion to the four nuclear families of five each, plus three grandparents. 

It was heart-warming to hear through Ian that a number of them have found work and one of the older daughters has been accepted for college. Two weeks ago we were at the Farmer's Market in Belleville where a couple, also Syrian immigrants, sell savoury food as part of their catering business. We know each other so I asked after their children. The mom told me proudly and with a huge smile that their high-school age daughter was given two awards at school. The pride of these parents radiated from their faces as we congratulated them.

Then last week I read an article about an encouraging study about the success of many of the Syrians across the country in finding work and integrating into Canadian society. Language is an issue, and this large cohort of migrants lags behind other immigrant groups in terms of income. Still, they are finding a way to become Canadians. 

The article was in the Sudbury Star, and Sudbury was a community in which we lived for eleven years. I was impressed to see that the congregation I served there, St Andrew's, has just brought another Syrian family to the city, as part of a coalition of sponsors. Both wife and husband are dentists, but it will be a long road to qualify in this profession here. 

A July poll found that more than half of Canadians feel we're bringing in too many refugees, which reflects trends around the world. I'm disappointed and I have to wonder if those who are opposed have spent any time with refugees. 

It is more important than ever to uphold the biblical mandate to care for the stranger and Jesus' teaching that when we do, we are receiving him into our midst.