Canadian Immigration

Need help in settling in Canada? Approach churches, they are extending helping hand

How churches have come to be a boon to immigrants- Read on

It was in 2006, when the members of Christ Presbyterian Church celebrated Advent with a multicultural theme. The congregants present in the Advent belonged to different communities and sang carols in Tagalog, English, Twi and Spanish. The food also reflected multiculturalism as pita bread was served during one week of the communion. While this kind of diversity and multiculturalism is still rare in churches in Canada, studies show that immigrants are becoming the emerging faces of churches in Canada.

The National Congregations Study reported an increase in the ethnic diversity of the congregations as one of its findings. The number of non-immigrant churches has fallen down from a 61% in 1998 to a 49 % in 2006-2007. This change truly depicts the continuing increase of immigration in the United States.

Many church leaders are welcoming new immigrants into the church and cording to them all it takes is the right intention. This, however, can be challenging at times especially for mainline Protestant churches. The Catholic Church, however, has left no stone unturned to welcome new comers. To make immigrants feel at home, many churches have been organizing masses in several different languages including Spanish and Twi. The churches want to reach out to different communities, which mean they will have to reflect their communities.

Here are a few things that churches across Canada are attempting in order to make the immigrants feel welcomed in the congregations:
1. Story Telling Sessions: Story telling is viewed as a sacred act by man church leaders. Story telling sessions are organized by the Reconciliation UMC. In these sessions the members share one trait each that makes them as well as their culture unique.
2. Relationship-Building: This happens to be the most important step. Churches cannot force anyone to build relations but can encourage them to do so by creating opportunities where they can meet and share.
3. Common-Lunch: This helps people in opening up over the lunch table. It is believed that food is the most basic thing that helps people relate and connect and food is a common link that connects all cultures.
4. Complaints Sessions: The leaders of the church organize complaints sessions. In these sessions the people sit together, discuss their complaints and this helps in solving the issues in a more peaceful manner.

Those involved in this cause feel that sharing stories, food and leadership can help the immigrants feel like a part of the rest of Canada and United States and also a part of the kingdom of God.