This article originally appeared in Christian Courier in print and at http://www.christiancourier.ca.
by Brad Wassink on January 12, 2015. In the article he mentions that congregations have taken on the financial and emotional commitment of supporting a refugee or refugee family for their first year in Canada. This includes raising between $20,000 to $30,000, depending on the family’s size. He indicates that today long wait times and a lack of consultation are among the top concerns for these churches. Some other examples include the change in federal funds to health care.

The article also mentions the fact that many SAHs believe that these current policy shifts may make private sponsorship prohibitively difficult. But others fear that raising their concerns publicly will put their role as private sponsors at risk.

The conclusion by the author is that Churches are looking for the best avenue to make sure their concerns are being heard. While it is encouraging to see churches exploring a variety of avenues to influence public policy, more can still be done.

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