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Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Welcoming the Foreigner

This is only a bit of a departure for my blog.  It is still about leadership.  It is still in the theme of issues a nomadic leader faces.  It is applicable to all leaders in any capacity but is most specifically focused on the church leader.  You may be reading this and not share the theological base from which I am writing, but I suspect you will find it hard to argue against the 'rationale' and the fact that the principles apply across the board to how we accept and integrate immigrants into neighbourhoods, workplaces and churches.  I attribute that 'agreement' to the fact that God's foundational values and purposes are not only good for all humanity, but actually shared by humanity due to our common creation 'in the image of God'.  These are the echoes of God's voice all across the human race.

Most churches and individual Christians would I hope, aspire to be welcoming to all people, and especially the immigrant.  However to move from aspiration to inclusion requires some honesty around our thinking and actions.  Before we get to true ‘welcome’, some foundational issues need our attention.

      God’s View of the Immigrant:   Begin with clarity on God’s viewpoint of the immigrant who has landed in your city & neighbourhood.  The starting point is creation itself.  Since God created ALL humans in His image, an inherent value lies within every person no matter their race, religion, world view or moral standing.  This is where it all starts!   His image is reflected IN every human; one way His grace & mercy is poured out on all people.  God therefore makes no distinctions of value.

Now think specifically about the foreigner, the immigrant.  Even Israel, the ‘set apart’ people of God, was supposed to take in the foreigner and treat them with equality (Numbers 15:15; Deuteronomy 10:19).  Add to this a deep historical concern of God for the fringe, forgotten and foreigner – the very groups that, when not treated with dignity and fairness and love, made God the most angry throughout scripture. 

Who do you see when faced with an immigrant? This is someone who is created with the same value as you and therefore deserves equal respect irrespective of whether they have reconciled with God through Jesus Christ or not.
  
            Face Prejudice & Fear:  The history and current reality of the world, plus our own personal experience proves there are persistent barriers we have to admit and overcome as followers of  the Way of Jesus  if we are to be inclusive:

a.       Prejudice and the tendency to want to be with our own crowd (James 2:1 etc) is just the way we are ‘naturally’.  YET we have a supernatural power to overcome this.  Paul told believers that for those in Christ there is ‘no distinction’ between not only race, but even gender!  In other words, we are not to use the worlds’ classifications of dividing people anymore (2 Cor 5:16)

Besides these obvious theological reasons for inclusion and acceptance, there is a social component that builds a better society.  Canada’s Federal, Provincial and Civic governments are concerned over ‘stratification’ – the layering of society by economic status & ethnic identity.  Calgary’s Mayor Naheed Nenshi himself at a meeting I hosted for church leaders in Oct 2011 said this was his primary concern for the city.  I believe we have a duty as believers to do all we can to ensure immigrants are well integrated into society.   The irony is that many fled their countries to come here over this very issue – ethnic rivalries or intense poverty/economic barriers.

b.      Fear.  We fear what we do not know, so a piece of the answer is: “how do we get to know a new immigrant?”

As an example, I’d like to break down our global view/fear of Islam and pare that down to the individual hopes and dreams of a Muslim person.  As a Westerner, what is your default thinking when you hear “Islam”, or are face to face with a veiled Muslim woman?  My hunch is your immediate thoughts might include:

       “radical; paternalistic; terror; intolerance; violence; women’s rights” ...etc

What if rather than starting with a global perception/assumption, you began at the individual, personal level?  What if you approached them based on your common humanity?  Do you not share similar concerns for health, justice, love, relationships, well-being, prosperity, meaning, children, the future...?

When we view others as persons, not through our perceptions, biases and prejudices about their ethnicity or religion, we have common ground from which to start a relationship.  This is part of recognizing that all are created in God’s image.  Therefore ALL are of inherent worth and value to Him and therefore us.  Everyone is due respect AND attention no matter their ethnic, religious or moral state.

       Accurate information about Immigrants.  Are they all here to steal jobs?  Do they freeload off our generosity and become a drain on our resources?  Are they intent on remaining isolated in their cultural bubble?  Do they come with a lack of skills to work?  I have heard these and many more concerns expressed in political rhetoric and coffee-shop discussions.  Here are some overall stats to help frame our approach more positively regarding New Canadians coming to the Calgary region.  I think you will find similar attributes in any other city or country where people have chosen to immigrate.

          70% know English
          Educated!  70% with High School, 36% Univ. Graduates & most of the professionals have huge barriers getting re-certified to practice in Canada
          Determined! Most come on their own, only 10% are refugees
          Young! 50% age 25-44 – 34% under 24 yrs.
          Dedicated to being Canadian – compared to other countries, immigrants here become Canadian citizens at a much higher rate and as soon as they possibly can.
          Contributing – they are required to pay the same taxes on income as all Canadian citizens.  Even refugees get only 1 year of extra assistance before sharing in the same tax burdens as the rest of Canadians
          ALL face significant adjustment issues that affect family relationships for at least a generation.  Children of immigrants adjust much faster to their new culture than parents, often creating a culture and generational divide within the same home.  This is the price of choosing to seek a new future in Canada.  Applaud & respect the sacrifice of those parents. 

This presents the Church in Canada with numerous opportunities to help with parenting/generational conflict issues, assisting the first generation be able to worship in their own language while working to integrate into Canadian life, and providing worship/social/fellowship contexts for the second generation to integrate with more established Canadian youth.
  
      DON’T start a “ministry” to immigrants – just be a good neighbour.  Starting yet another ministry can at times put us relationally at arm’s length from people.  You can too easily "deliver a service" to people without being engaged on a relational level.   This does not mean we should not organize around our ideas and desires to create ministries, but I do think it’s helpful to frame all of this not so much as a ‘ministry program’ to immigrants but rather as a part of our calling to be a good neighbour.  Look around your neighbourhood and see that God calls you to be a good neighbour to each of them.  Take away the notion of creating an ‘immigrant ministry’ and start living/acting simply as a good, responsible neighbour who is empowered and motivated by Jesus Christ.  The simple acts of neighbourliness, informed and empowered by the Gospel message will turn us into salt/light/yeast/seed.  Unless we scatter ourselves into the lives of the neighbourhood where these immigrants live, those transforming elements are of no use.

What can I/we do to connect?
  1.  Be a good neighbour and walk across the yard, the street, the office floor.
  2. Be curious.  Most people are honoured to have you ask about their lives.  Ask about their homeland, families, their experience coming to Canada, what they miss etc.  If you have ever moved, they feel the same things as you, but more acutely because of the distance they have moved geographically, culturally and linguistically.  God said to Israel that one reason they were to treat the foreigner with care and respect was because they themselves knew what it was like to be immigrants in a foreign land! 
  3. Volunteer to be a host family for a refugee through a local agency that has the structure for this. 
  4. Volunteer with immigrant agencies.  Most have programs where a person or family can volunteer, from helping with English to professional mentoring of skilled immigrants. 
  5. Volunteer to be a conversation partner in local/agency/church ESL programs. 
  6. Get training as an ESL teacher.  This is one of the most critical needs for New Canadians to integrate into Canadian society. 
  7. Plan/Host an event to welcome immigrants in your community.  Go to your community association and suggest it. 
  8. As a church, start your own small centre for immigrant services. 
  9. Sponsor a refugee family – link with someone with a Sponsorship Agreement with the Government of Canada or find a similar vehicle your country uses. 
  10. Research to find out what immigrant groups are living in your community. 
  11. Go to your community association and find out what, if anything, they are doing.  Get involved – make suggestions. 
  12. If you own a business, consider hiring immigrants. 
  13. As a church, partner with a church comprised of majority immigrants and offer practical, developmental (not paternal) assistance. 
  14. From the pulpit, demonstrate your awareness of global issues.  Pray for their countries, especially when conflict is occurring.  Let them know you know and care.  Also, get to know their issues and concerns and show it through the issues you choose to address from the pulpit and in other discipleship contexts.
Because in reality, we are all wanderers, looking for a more permanent place...

Harv Matchullis



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