[Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs press release] June 20 is World Refugee Day and the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society has prepared resources to observe this important event in dioceses and congregations of all sizes.

“In observance of World Refugee Day, the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society invites Episcopalians to learn more about how The Episcopal Church welcomes and resettles refugees in partnership with our 30 resettlement affiliates in 26 dioceses across the country,” commented Bishop Stacy Sauls, Chief Operating Officer of The Episcopal Church.

“World Refugee Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2000 to honor the contributions of refugees throughout the world and to raise awareness about the growing refugee crisis in places like Syria and Central Africa,” said Deborah Stein, Director of Episcopal Migration Ministries for the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society.  “World Refugee Day is especially significant this year as the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society continues to celebrate its 75th year of this life-saving ministry.”

Resources
To support local World Refugee Day celebrations, the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society has created several tools:
•    Worship materials for Sunday, June 21 (the closest Sunday to World Refugee Day) including prayers of the people and sermon starters, that can be downloaded at no fee here.
•    Bulletin insert for Sunday, June 21 (the closest Sunday to World Refugee Day) which focuses on bringing awareness to refugee issues and opportunities for local involvement in this life-saving ministry. Insert can be downloaded at no fee here.
•    An interactive map of events across The Episcopal Church to find a World Refugee Day event that is convenient to your community. Interactive map is here.
•    Information about where to find an Episcopal Migration Ministries affiliate in your community and how you can volunteer locally can be found here.  If you are interested in learning more about partnership opportunities, contact Allison Duvall, Manager for Church Relations and Engagement (aduvall@episcopalchurch.org)
•    #ShareTheJourney with Episcopal Migration Ministries by hosting a World Refugee Day event in your congregation or diocese. Send your event details to wjohnson@episcopalchurch.org to be included in the World Refugee Day interactive map.

Did you know?
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports:
•    Every four seconds someone is forced to flee due to conflict, persecution or fear of violence.
•    There are currently more than 50 million refugees, asylum seekers, and internally displaced people worldwide, the most in the post-World War II era.
•    To date, more than 3 million Syrians have fled the violence in their country.

Resettlement facts from the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society:
•    70,000 refugees were resettled in the U.S. in 2014.
•    5,155 refugees were resettled in 2014 by the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society and its network of affiliate offices

Questions? Allison Duvall, Manager for Church Relations and Engagement for Episcopal Migration Ministries, at aduvall@episcopalchurch.org, 212-716-6000.

Episcopal Migration Ministries
Episcopal Migration Ministries is the refugee resettlement program of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society. Each year the Missionary Society works in partnership with its affiliate network, along with dioceses, faith communities and volunteers, to welcome refugees from conflict zones across the globe.

#ShareTheJourney as the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society celebrates 75 years of resettling refugees in the United States. #ShareTheJourney is a multi-media effort to educate, form, and equip Episcopalians to engage in loving service with resettled refugees and to become prophetic witnesses and advocates on behalf of refugees, asylees, migrants, and displaced persons throughout the world.

Check out the website: www.episcopalchurch.org/emm and www.episcopalchurch.org/sharethejourney