“The Christmas stories are reminders that this Jesus came to show us how to love as God loves. And one of the ways we love as God loves is to help those who are refugees, those who seek asylum from political tyranny, poverty, famine, or other hardship.
“In the 1930s, Episcopalians did this to love as God loves, and today, ministries like Episcopal Migration Ministries, the work of this church, have helped to resettle some 100,000 refugees as of December 2021. And that work goes on for refugees from Afghanistan and from other places around the world.
“The Christian vocation as Jesus taught us is to love as God loves. And in the name of these refugees, let us help all refugees.
“God love you. God bless you. And, this Christmas, may God hold us all in those almighty hands of love.”
—The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop and Primate
The Episcopal Church
Download full video transcript of Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s Christmas message in English or Spanish.
Download a copy of 1938 iconic poster produced by the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio, titled “In the Name of These Refugees.”
How to aid our refugee neighbors this Christmas
Learn more
Find out about Episcopal Migration Ministries’ work and how to get involved at episcopalmigrationministries.org. Sign up for the EMM newsletter or weekly news digest.
Afghan Allies Fund
Those interested in helping with the urgent need for housing assistance for Afghan allies arriving in the U.S. can find donation information online.
Volunteer or sponsor
Those interested in volunteer opportunities or community sponsorship to support Afghan allies can fill out this interest form.
Support
To directly support EMM and its life-changing work, visit episcopalmigrationministries.org/give, or text “EMM” to 41444 (standard messaging and data may rates apply).
Seattle-area refugee efforts
Founded in 1978, Diocese of Olympia’s Refugee Resettlement Office (RRO), an affiliate of Episcopal Migration Ministries and the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia, serves refugees and asylees in the Seattle area. Our clients come to us from anywhere in the world seeking guidance and assistance in building a new life in America and achieving economic self-sufficiency. Our mission is accomplished through resettlement, job placement activities, and business development programs that promote self-employment.
To find out more about local efforts, including how to volunteer, visit the Refugee Resettlement Office website.
Episcopal Migration Ministries
The Episcopal Church has served immigrants new to the United States since the late 1800s, when the Church opened port chaplaincies to minister to sojourners on both coasts. In the 1930s, local parishes collected donations to provide steamship passage for those fleeing Nazi Europe. Out of this effort, the Presiding Bishop’s Fund for World Relief was born, the forerunner organization to Episcopal Relief & Development and Episcopal Migration Ministries.
Through the mid- and late 20th century, Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM) partnered with other faith organizations to resettle those oppressed by the Iron Curtain and the genocides of Southeast Asia. In the 1980s, EMM was formally established. In partnership with a network of affiliate agencies, dioceses, churches, and volunteers, EMM is today one of only nine national agencies through which all refugees enter the United States.
Church of the Redeemer
Welcome to Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.
Church of the Redeemer is at 6210 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. We are a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.
The Episcopal Church welcomes you.
