“This is something that speaks to how well the Church loves people.”

Craig Macartney
Spur Ottawa Writer

The name of Alan Kurdi, and the iconic image of his lifeless body, galvanized the Western world. The distant problems of Syria suddenly became more real, brought home by the tragic picture of a drowned migrant toddler with a Canadian connection. It sparked greater awareness and breathed life into a wave of compassion rising in the Church.

“Churches have a lot to give and it’s pretty eye opening to them that this is happening in our world,” says Ted McGregor, team leader for Love Ottawa’s refugee response. “It’s interesting to see the Church taking this on and realizing it’s something Christ has called us to do. They’re recognizing that it doesn’t have to be a government program, it can be a Church program.”

McGregor says the evangelical church doesn’t have a great track record with supporting refugees and helping them integrate. Yet, he is encouraged by an increasing focus he sees on social justice and collaboration in the Church.

“Something like this forces you into a conversation about what our responsibility is, as Christians, to people in need. The concern is that it’s just something you feel for a few minutes, and then you go about your day. We’re seeing a lot of churches move past that, into a progressive role.”

Many local churches are looking for ways to get involved, but the scope of the crisis leaves many struggling with how to help. That’s where McGregor and his team come in. They’re connecting with interested churches and offering training nights to help them figure out where they fit in.

“We’ve had churches more tied to bringing over Christians. We’ve had churches where it’s about serving people. For some churches it’s already part of who they are. Others realized it’s something they want to become part of. All of them are focused on loving people and making a difference in their lives.”

For any group that wants to get involved, McGregor stresses that this is a long-term project.

“We’re talking about people’s lives and how they’re going to handle living in Canada,” he says. “The practical side of this is that these people are coming from very desperate situations and they need all the support they can get. It’s a serious responsibility, but it’s something that can speak to how well the Church loves people.”

Doug Ward, a pastor at Kanata Baptist, says the most difficult part is clearly communicating the process and implications to your congregation. His church spent more than a month praying about it, before they committed to the project. They’re now getting ready to receive a family of seven.

“With the volatility this brought politically, you have to be careful you are doing it for the right reasons,” says Ward. “The right reasons are that we are commanded to bless and welcome the alien into our midst. You aren’t going to know if the family is Muslim or Christian. You have to settle early on that whoever you get, you’ll take them in.”

Ward says the next step is identifying a core group of people to champion the initiative. Kanata Baptist formed a number of sub-committees, each focusing on one area of need. It’s a lot of work and takes significant fundraising, but the church rallied behind the program.

“This is a tangible display of God’s love, so we made it part of our overall strategy of reaching out. We’ve always been a church that’s involved in social causes. That’s our DNA.”

While some churches have the resources to manage the whole process, McGregor says it’s inspiring to see the issue fostering unity.

“There are people who want to do clothing drives or have interpretive skills. We have some churches that don’t have the manpower, but they decided to help another church by sending financial resources,” he says.

“It doesn’t have to be one church, it can be different churches serving each other. That’s the beauty of this. The Church is coming together.”