Empowering Communities of Welcome across British Columbia

We seek to encourage and equip churches and other communities in their welcome of refugees new-to-Canada.

Beginning with practical support such as Welcome Boxes during newcomers' first week in Vancouver, we hope to see our communities extend practical and relational welcome as these newcomers settle in neighbourhoods throughout Metro Vancouver and in cities across BC.

As our communities extend this welcome, we hope to enter into relationships of mutual transformation with newcomers, where we learn from and with one another as we all continue to make Canada home.

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Dena Nicolai
Chaplain and Refugee Support Mobilizer

In her position as Chaplain and Refugee Support Mobilizer, and as a Commissioned Pastor in the Christian Reformed Church, Dena seeks to offer a ministry of presence for refugees new-to-Canada, and provide a bridge between churches in British Columbia and newcomers.

Prior to moving to Vancouver,  Dena lived for several years in the Middle East, based in Cairo, Egypt, where her work included organizing and facilitating numerous interfaith and intercultural dialogue events between North American university students and people from various countries across the Middle East. Her time in Cairo also involved volunteer work with various organizations serving refugees in Egypt.

We hope that churches can offer a vision of a place where all are at home.

Resources

Learn more and get involved

Who is a Refugee?

A refugee is a person who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war, violence, or conflict. Keep Reading

Responding to COVID 19

Many of the COVID-19-related challenges faced by newcomers-to-Canada are similar to those of other people living here Keep Reading

Why should I get involved?

The reasons are numerous. God's people are called to welcome the stranger and care for those 'within' our communities. Keep Reading

Types of refugees

People find refugee protection in Canada in multiple ways. Keep Reading

Current Needs

While we anticipate posting more specific volunteer opportunities in the fall, we are currently looking for the following. If you can offer any of the below or would like to learn more, please get in touch with us using the contact form on this site. Keep Reading

Supporting and Sponsoring

Resources for those Supporting and Sponsoring refugees. Keep Reading

Arabic Resources

These resources are designed to help Arabic-speaking newcomers feel more informed about settling into life in Canada. Keep Reading