British Columbia Congregation Opens Heart to Syrian Family

Helping to resettle a Syrian family of five into their remote town of Terrace, B.C., has helped members of Terrace Christian Reformed Church see beyond themselves, says Pastor Joel Ringma.

They have been able to look at the terrible struggle occurring in Syria from which millions of people are fleeing for their lives and, in a small but meaningful way, respond to that ongoing tragedy.

And, said Ringma, they have especially been able, by linking together in this one important cause, to grow closer as a congregation.

“Our eyes have been opened to the needs of the stranger, and it has also renewed the mission of the church as God's kingdom people, seeking shalom for the foreigner among us,” said the pastor.

“This has helped us see ourselves as missional: using gifts of all sorts as a deed ministry, demonstrating with our actions the love of God.”

So far this year, three Syrian families have been sponsored by groups in Terrace, a town of about 12,000 residents located more than 1,300 km (800 mi.) northwest of Vancouver.

About 18 months ago, Amanda and Daniel Talstra started the process of sponsoring the family. They had recently returned to Terrace CRC after working for six years with the Mennonite Central Committee to resettle and reintegrate Cambodian refugees.

“We had seen first hand the heartbreak and trauma involved in the process of becoming a refugee and then the resettlement process,” said Amanda Talstra. 

“And even though we had moved back to Canada, we still wanted to be involved in helping.We loved the idea that through Canada's sponsorship program, a small church in northern B.C. could reach out to serve as a local solution to a global problem.”

So they gathered a group to form a committee to pursue the project. In the process, they connected with World Renew, which located and made arrangements to bring the family to Canada.

“Our motive was to respond to God’s call to help the alien and the stranger,” said Joy Moravec, a member of the sponsorship committee. “Through it all, our vision was to see God’s hand moving through us —and World Renew was very helpful to us.”

World Renew is the CRC agency that resettles refugees in Canada. Over the past two years, it has witnessed a surge of interest in refugee sponsorship from churches such as Terrace CRC.

“The church response has been heartening. Since the beginning of 2015, 60 CRC churches have committed to take part in welcoming refugees through sponsorship,” said Cameron Klapwyk, who works for World Renew’s refugee resettlement office.

For over half of these churches, this will be a new experience, a ministry they have never participated in before.

In total, said Klapwyk, World Renew has helped resettle almost 300 refugees in the past calendar year, and there are many additional applications in process.

“Church communities across Canada wait expectantly to extend a welcome just as Terrace CRC and so many more have done before them.”

Once a family had been identified, the Terrace CRC sponsorship committee initially thought they would have plenty of time to prepare to meet the needs of the family. But they soon received a call—in late September—that the family would be arriving within a few days.

They got busy and found an apartment to rent and items to furnish the home with little time to spare, said Moravec.

“We were able to find a freshly painted apartment in downtown Terrace. From there, the kids can walk to school. We felt so blessed,” she said.

At this point, they aren’t disclosing the name of the family, preferring to let them settle into their new life without many distractions. But, said Moravec, the sponsorship committee is saying that the family fled from a war-torn city in Syria and lived in Turkey before coming to Canada.

“The husband and wife both worked in professional careers and are very happy that their kids are in school,” said Moravec.

“They tell us how important it was for their children to have an education so they can be successful. That was something that can’t happen in Syria at this point.”

Already, church members and the couple from Syria have spent hours learning to communicate, working to overcome the language barrier.

The Syrian family are practicing Muslims, which means they have no place to worship right now because there is no mosque in Terrace.

“We are working to accommodate and help them maintain their religious lifestyle,” said Moravac. “We are also working to help them feel safe in their new community.”

Terrace CRC has reached out to make a home for the family, but the congregation is not asking them to be members of the church. Instead, they are choosing to witness to Christ’s love through their actions.

“God has given us this family, and helping them is what is important to us. As in the kingdom of God, when we give, we receive—and we’ve already received so much more than we anticipated,” said Moravec.