Does your congregation observe
World Refugee Sunday? The World Evangelical Alliance has supported such an annual observance for decades, in connection with June 20 being World Refugee Day.
Even if it's not your church practice, now is a good time to reflect on how support of refugees can be part of Christian living. Perhaps you'll be inspired by a
recent blog over at FaithToday.ca on the topic. Perhaps you'll want to download the latest version of the EFC's resource
Welcome the Stranger: A Canadian Church Guide to Welcoming Refugees, which was entirely updated and republished last week.
Or perhaps you may simply want to take inspiration and encouragement from the following stories, gathered in conjunction with the revision process of
Welcome the Stranger but not included in that document. You can also find more refugee and sponsor stories in the updated edition of
Welcome the Stranger.
New Stories Shared by Canadian Refugee Sponsors
Encouraging You to Sponsor a Single Refugee
by Julaine Palmer [photo above shows Juliane with friends]
My husband and I have been involved with the private sponsorship of refugees for 38 years. We began with welcoming three young siblings who had been living in a UNHCR refugee camp in Malaysia for 18 months. Those “children” are now in their 40s and early 50s. They all live in British Columbia. They all married and have children of their own. We keep in touch. They returned to Ontario to visit us in July 2025. That was a great reunion! We had visited them many times out West over the years, but this was the first time two of them had been back to Ontario in 30 years.
Most of the sponsorships with which we have been involved have been private sponsorships of refugees using a Sponsorship Agreement Holder (like Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec) and a constituent group (whatever church we were members of at the time). If you need to brush up on the mechanics of sponsorship, a good place to start is the Refugee Sponsorship Training Program website (
rstp.ca).
Many sponsors have written great articles about sponsoring families of refugees. I would like you to also consider sponsoring single individuals. Often we have been able to fundraise through fellow church members, relatives and friends to sponsor a single individual to come to live either in our home or in the home of someone else on the team.
Over the years, we have been blessed many times and in many ways by getting to know single newcomers and especially through welcoming them to live with our family. If you have a spare bedroom, perhaps you could consider this ministry yourself.
The Story of a Ugandan Refugee
As told to Sandra Berry
I have spent much of my life in a refugee camp in Malawi, and now I am a university student in Canada.
This is such a privilege and such a heavy responsibility.
I studied hard in the refugee camp in Malawi, mainly online. My studies were my hope for a better future, so I worked very hard. When I received the acceptance to come to Canada and study, I was so happy and so terrified at the same time.
I arrived in August and felt I was ready to do my very best. But my hope soon turned to despair. I felt so alone being separated from my younger sister. I was constantly worried about her back in the camp. We are the only two remaining of our family. She is always encouraging when I speak to her by cellphone, but I know that she feels very lonely and sad. She is depending on me to do well. It is a big responsibility.
The studies here were much harder than I expected, and I found it difficult to concentrate. I have learned from the university counsellor that this is trauma, and I am thankful for the counselling I have received that helps me focus better on my studies.
Beside the challenge of studies, everything that was simple back home – shopping, cooking, getting from one place to another – was really confusing and overwhelming.
When I was offered to have a companion family from a local Christian church, it was like Jesus had heard my cry for help and support. My Canadian family have me over for meals, and we celebrated Christmas together. They helped me find good quality second-hand clothing and showed me how to take the bus. They taught me where to shop for groceries that weren’t so expensive. We go to church together regularly, and I feel such peace when they pray with me particularly when I have an exam or a job interview.
I don’t know if I would have been able to continue without my Canadian family, but I feel such safety and peace knowing that they are supporting me and praying for me.
The Story of a Nigerian Refugee
As told to Sandra Berry
I was born in Nigeria. My mother was Christian, and my father was Muslim. Very few people know that my mother is Christian – we keep this very quiet. My parents taught me to be respectful of people who have a different faith than you, but I grew up going to mosque with my father and practicing the Muslim religion. I am Muslim because everyone in my community was Muslim, but I also saw my mother’s sincere faith, and I knew that it was very real.
There is deep animosity between Christians and Muslims in my country. This results in constant arguments that escalate to fights and often to persecution and death. You are not allowed to discuss your faith openly or ask any questions.
Some people found out about my mother’s faith. It is easier for a woman to be a Christian in my community than a man, and my father is a very devout Muslim, so they didn’t hurt our family. Even so, my parents encouraged me to leave because my tolerance was seen as a betrayal and threat to both Christians and Muslims.
In Canada I have met such good Christians who have talked to me about Jesus. It is still hard for me to understand and accept him as the Son of God. But I have seen His love in the way that I am welcomed and the respectful conversations we have had as we study the Bible together.
I am still seeking what it means to be a man of faith and a man of peace. I want these both to be true. I am learning to understand and trust Jesus. I know that I can trust my Christian friends to walk with me on this journey.
The Story of an Iranian Refugee
As told to Sandra Berry
My husband and I are both professionals who wanted to live a quiet life, but my husband struggled with politics, and I struggled with religion. Neither of these struggles are allowed in our country.
I had serious questions about Islam, but of course it wasn’t possible to ask these questions or discuss different opinions. So I just distanced myself and lived life, but I always longed for more. My soul felt empty.
My husband was forced to work for the government, but he didn’t agree with much of what the government was doing, so this became more and more difficult for him until he reached a breaking point. He refused to comply with what they were asking him to do, and this immediately meant his life was in danger. Many friends warned him to leave and helped to make that possible. I was really sad to leave our country, but I was eager to go to a place where I could be honest about my heart.
When we arrived in Canada, I wanted to go to a Christian church the very next day. We walked in and spent over two hours talking with a pastor. It was like a huge black curtain was pulled aside and light shone in – finally! When I heard about who Jesus really is, everything in my heart and mind fell into its right place. We began attending church regularly and became members in a wonderful Bible study group. We have such honest and deep discussions, and I feel like I am discovering and growing every day! I made the decision to be baptized, and it was a truly life-changing experience for me.
My husband is so supportive, but he hasn’t yet made the decision to accept Jesus. Even so, the Bible study group loves and accepts him and are not offended by his questions. I trust that Jesus will continue to lead us and answer our prayers for our lives and for the people of Iran. I want everyone in my country to experience the love and freedom I have in Jesus!
Serving Refugees in our Community
From Milliken Gospel Church through Susan Davis
In March 2022, Milliken Gospel Church was invited to help an Afghanistan family of seven: a couple, their four children and the children’s grandmother. They had fled from Kabul to Pakistan due to imminent life threats and loss of an immediate family member in their home country.
The primary co-sponsor and his wife are from Afghanistan Muslim families living in our community of Markham, Ont. They contacted Associated Gospel Churches to see if there would be a church in Markham willing to support them as the constituent group for their Private Sponsorship of Refugees applications.
With faith, compassion and prayers for God’s guidance, we trusted this was God’s calling. In April 2022, our church started with four constituent group members to help out our congregation’s first sponsored Afghan family. The whole refugee family is Muslim.
From 2023 to 2025, God added an Iranian family and two more Afghan families to our sponsorship list. Since the government refugee quota was significantly reduced this year, we have been praying fervently and waiting for God’s provision since May 2025.
With God’s grace and His provision, in 2024 we set up the cross-cultural Afghan support group with the participation of the constituent group members. While we were waiting for the first sponsored family to arrive, our crosscultural Afghan support group had opportunities to meet newcomers of around ten Afghan families learning to resettle in the greater Toronto area via the Government Assisted Refugee program. Hence, with God’s grace, our crosscultural Afghan support group has grown to around 15 brothers and sisters under our mission ministry.
Both constituent group members of the first sponsored family and the primary sponsor are required to attend online training courses through the Refugee Sponsorship Training Program to understand and prepare the pre-arrival plan for newcomers. This opportunity helps us to understand each other better, build a closer relationship, share our life stories, and pray for the primary sponsor and sponsored family. Periodically our church members are asked to pray for the sponsored family in various life-threatening and difficult situations.
In November 2023 we were excited to prepare to welcome the first sponsored family at the Pearson International Airport. Unfortunately the elderly sick grandmother was not arranged to fly with her son and family. The grandmother was alone for more than two weeks in Pakistan. Before the primary sponsor requested constituent group members to pray for the family, we actually had already announced this urgent prayer request to our church mission committee members. Once again, we experienced God’s blessings. The grandmother arrived safely in Toronto with a warm and joyful welcome by constituent group members, the primary sponsor, her children and grandchildren.
The crosscultural Afghan support group also began the Afghan Men’s Group Fellowship in February 2024. We have also organized some social events to build a closer relationship with other Afghan families through our testimonies as well as God’s words and prayers.
God has given our church a chance to experience cross-cultural outreach in our community, and our prayers are being answered in His will.