I was a stranger and you invited me in
Matthew House and The Furniture Bank help refugees get established
Mary Haskett
Special to Spur Ottawa
When refugees come to Canada, they typically bring almost nothing with them. Various government and private sponsorship programs help provide housing and food security for the first year, but the process of integrating into society is challenging. Often refugees face dire poverty. That’s where Matthew House Ottawa and The Furniture Bank come in.
“Three months ago I came to Canada,” says Louai, a 20 year-old Yemeni refugee. “I didn’t know anyone here. When I arrived, I felt unsafe. By chance, I found Matthew House Ottawa, a nice big house with loving residents and volunteers. Roberta, the host mother, treated me like her son.”
Matthew House supports refugee claimants while they work through the application process. It gets its name from Matthew 25:35, where Jesus says, “I was a stranger and you invited me in.”
“We can house up to eight refugee claimants at any one time,” says Miriam Rawson, Executive Director of Matthew House Ottawa. “They stay anywhere from one to five months. We don’t have live in staff, but we have a volunteer host mother who lives at the house to make sure everything runs smoothly.”
Once the refugees find a permanent residence, they choose furniture from The Furniture Bank for their apartment.
“Working at The Furniture Bank to help others in unfortunate circumstances is a blessing for me,” says program director, David Botha. “Meeting those who walk the path I once walked gives me opportunities to not only ease the burden of material needs, but also to share stories and give hope.”
The Furniture Bank launched in 2008, after a couple from Stittsville visited a group of Haitian refugees their church was sponsoring. The couple noticed that furniture was very sparse. Some of the people were even sleeping on the floor. They decided to collect furniture donations and provide them to those in need in the community. When they moved away from Ottawa, in 2012, The Furniture Bank became part of Matthew House Ottawa.
“For me, being part of this ministry is a privilege,” says Rawson. “I am honoured that God has shown me His favour in calling me to co-labour with Him in this way.”
Similar Articles
Alpha team overwhelmed by season’s success
Fall 2017 welcomed an enormous ecumenical Alpha campaign in Ottawa, where the turnout was so successful that Alpha leaders can only wonder how to build on the momentum. “In my mind we’re […]
One Way Ministries hosts pastoral appreciation night
Pastoring has always been a challenging job. COVID magnified those stresses, separating pastors from their congregations, forcing them to learn new ways to lead, while society and friendships fractured in the divisiveness of the culture. With restrictions now gone, One Way Ministries hosted a special evening to […]
Youth ministry during COVID
Most churches rely heavily on virtual services. For youth, whose lives are already saturated in social media and technology, Zoom meetings are more of a struggle. One year into the COVID-19 pandemic and with no hint on how long restrictions will continue, Spur Ottawa checked in with local youth pastors to […]
Christian Counselling Ottawa launches teen support group
With the new school year started, many youth are still trying to process the emotional impact of the past two years of restrictions. Not sure where to turn or who to turn to, many are left feeling confused, anxious, and alone. “Teens need […]
Praying with weary travellers
Airports aren’t known as beacons of tranquility. Between holiday crowds, piles of luggage, and invasive security, they’re usually seen as hurdles to cross before your vacation really begins. One place in the Ottawa airport, however, has a radically different […]
Midrash—Christian writers guild teaches through ancient storytelling
In ancient times, there was a well-employed method of storytelling, called midrash. Midrash is the telling of an old story in a new way, bringing the listener’s attention to new parts of the story. The Ottawa Chapter of the Word Guild brought midrash to life in […]
