May 16, 2011
By Greta Huls

The Episcopal Migration Ministries annual conference concluded May 12 at the Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson after three days of keynote addresses, and mandated education and training for its network of affiliates in 34 offices located in 30 dioceses.

More than 120 participants attended the conference, titled "Celebrating a Legacy of Welcome," in the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona.

"Our office has over the years had a very good relationship and relied on the support of Episcopal parishes and other local faith and community institutions to extend welcome to the newcomers we assist," said the Rev. John Denaro, EMM's staff officer for church relations and outreach, noting that Arizona Bishop Kirk Smith has been very supportive of the ministry's efforts.

EMM oversees the arrival of about six percent of all refugees entering the United States and resettles refugees in Tucson through Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest.

The U.S. Department of State works with and funds 10 volunteer agencies – five of them faith-based, including EMM – and the State of Iowa Bureau of Refugee Services to resettle refugees in the United States.

Refugees are men, women and children who have fled their country to escape violence and persecution often related to their race, religion, politics or social status. The U.S. is the largest resettlement country in the world, resettling some 2.6 million refugees since 1975.

Highlights of the annual conference included a brief address on May 10 by Daniel Hernandez, an intern in the office of Democrat Representative Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona. Giffords was shot in the head on Jan. 8, 2011, outside a Tucson grocery store during her first "Congress on Your Corner" gathering of the year when a man ran up and began firing, hitting 19 people, six of whom died. Many credit Hernandez for saving her life.

Democrat Representative Steve Farley of Arizona, a member of Grace St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Tucson, spoke May 12 on the subject of the conference theme and ways to engage local government in support of migration programs.

Farley told the participants about his experience on Jan. 8 when Giffords was shot.

"A mantra came to me as I was with the families and the suffering that day at the hospital, and that was: You can't stop hope with a bullet, you can't stop love with a bullet, you can't stop faith with a bullet," he said. "And the crowd started chanting when I said that ... and it felt like that was where the hope was coming from this. We could rise above this and we could truly change as a society."

The Rev. Timothy Dombek, canon to the ordinary for the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona, and the Rev. Carmen Guerrero, canon for peace and justice for the diocese as well as a former national Jubilee Ministries officer, attended the May 12 luncheon, where they welcomed the conference attendees and made brief remarks.

In 2009, EMM resettled more than 4,500 refugees in the United States. Their network of affiliate offices, faith groups, and volunteers helps extend hospitality to the "stranger in our midst."

Partner agencies provide refugees assistance with housing and employment services, as well as orientation in their new community. Affiliates also assist with health screenings, English-language training and school enrollments. Their goal is to help refugees achieve self sufficiency as quickly as possible.

Episcopal News Service
Greta Huls is canon for communications in the Diocese of Arizona.