Did you know that with the support of Canadian churches and communities, World Renew helped 155 refugees arrive and resettle in Canada last year? This happens thanks to World Renew’s position as a sponsorship agreement holder and the dedication of volunteers.

“If a church is going to set up a refugee committee, you really need commitment,” says Gary, a member of the Refugee Committee at Peace Church* in Alberta. Becoming a sponsoring church involves time and dedication, particularly from volunteers with flexibility to assist with a number of tasks. “There’s so much paperwork, there’s applying for social insurance numbers, there’s setting up the home for the newcomers to Canada.” And all of this does not even cover the actual applications that are submitted thanks to the Refugee Sponsorship and Resettlement team at World Renew. So why pour all of these resources into refugee resettlement?

“People flee because they’re not safe in their own countries. They fear for their lives,” Gary explains. Jacques* and his family, who originate from a country in West Africa, experienced that very real fear.

“Life in my home country was always difficult,” Jacques says. “Our country’s leadership began to defy the law. As I graduated in human rights law, I was supporting fellow citizens in their protests against the government. When it came to our neighbourhood, the police were shooting young protesters in the street. They would run to my house and I was giving them food because they were doing the right thing. But the militia came and asked me, ‘Who owns this house?’ Then they pulled their guns on me.”

Jacques had already seen two friends killed by the militia, and was convinced he was about to die too. “They didn’t shoot me, thank God. But they did take me to jail.” For three weeks, Jacques was questioned and tortured. “I kept telling myself: ‘I’m lucky I didn’t get killed,’ but really, the torture felt worse than death. It was horrible.”

One evening, a police officer who Jacques knew from high school visited him in prison. “I don’t know how God helped with this situation,” Jacques says. “By some miracle, the officer came back that evening and got me out of jail. He asked me, ‘Where do you want to go?’ My wife and my kids were staying with relatives in the village, so I went there.” But it quickly became clear that by staying there, not only was Jacques not safe but he was putting his extended family in danger too. So he began to look for a way to escape.

“A friend of mine who was originally from a neighbouring country said he could help me flee,” Jacques says. “He had diplomatic license plates and was able to assist me in crossing the border. God was helping with that because they’ve closed the borders completely now.”

In this new country, Jacques was safer. But because there’s a common language between his home country and this one, militia cross the border easily. “They were looking for people involved in an attempted military coup, but I wasn’t among them!” Jacques says. “I’d just offered food and water to young people. I did nothing wrong: I didn’t even attend protests myself.” The militia are known to abduct people and the whereabouts of many of these people remain unknown.

Safety remained a concern, and challenges abounded. Jacques’ sister had left their home country years before and attended Peace Church. Thanks to that connection, the congregation was able to sponsor Jacques and his wife and their three children. They arrived in Canada and the church community made them feel welcomed and safe.

“Thanks to my experience, education, and multilingual ability, I now work for the federal government, in immigration and citizenship,” Jacques says. “I still have nightmares about what happened to me [but] I’m really grateful to be here.”

“It’s a wonderful way to serve God, to help people from around the world,” Gary says. “An exciting day at our church is when we bring a refugee family to the church and introduce them to the congregation. The church has walked with us through the process. This is our way of serving God.”

*names have been changed for security reasons