As churches across Algoma prepare to celebrate Refugee Sunday, I have been thinking about what it means to make room for another person—not only in our communities, but in our lives.
That question was brought into sharp focus during the recent meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC-19), where Anglicans from around the world gathered to reflect on the growing number of people displaced by war, violence, persecution, and disaster.
What stayed with me most were not the statistics, overwhelming as they are, but the stories of churches walking alongside refugees and migrants through simple, faithful acts of welcome, friendship, advocacy, and hope.
Among those voices, I was especially moved by the witness of Archbishop Samy Fawzy Shehata of the Episcopal/Anglican Province of Alexandria.
Archbishop Samy spoke of Egypt, a country that is home to millions of migrants and refugees from across the region. What struck me most was not simply the scale of the need, but the way he spoke about those seeking safety.
He described them not as strangers or burdens, but as guests.
That single word carries profound meaning.
Behind every statistic is a face, a family, and a story. Every person forced to leave home bears the image of God and carries hopes, gifts, fears, and dreams.
Christian hospitality has always been about more than providing shelter. It is about making room for another person to belong, to contribute, and to recover hope.
In Canada, our circumstances are different, but our calling is the same.
For generations, Anglicans have participated in welcoming refugees through sponsorship, settlement support, language learning, advocacy, and friendship.
Much of this ministry happens quietly—in parish halls, around kitchen tables, through shared meals, rides to appointments, help navigating a new community, and the simple gift of becoming a neighbour.
These acts may never attract public attention, but they bear faithful witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
As we prepare to observe Refugee Sunday, we are invited once again to remember that welcoming the stranger is not an optional expression of Christian discipleship; it lies close to the heart of our faith.
Throughout Scripture, God calls God’s people to care for the stranger, remembering that we, too, are recipients of God’s gracious welcome.
Hospitality is not simply opening a door. It is opening our lives.
It is choosing relationship over fear, compassion over suspicion, and hope over despair.
In a time when public conversations about migration can easily become polarized, the Church has an opportunity to offer something different—not simplistic answers to complex public policy questions, but a steadfast commitment to the dignity of every human being created in the image of God.
The Diocese of Algoma has a long history of walking alongside newcomers through parish ministries, community partnerships, and refugee sponsorship.
I give thanks for the many clergy, lay leaders, volunteers, and families whose quiet faithfulness continues to make Christ’s welcome visible in communities across our diocese.
My prayer is that Refugee Sunday will renew our commitment to this ministry of welcome.
May we continue to receive the stranger as our neighbour, to recognize Christ in those who seek safety and belonging, and to become communities where hope takes root.
“I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” (Matthew 25:35)
To learn more about the conversation at ACC-19, including Archbishop Samy Fawzy Shehata’s inspiring witness from Egypt and the Anglican Communion’s response to the global refugee crisis, visit: Anglicans discuss collaborative approaches to the refugee crisis at ACC-19
