Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM) is pleased to announce the hire of Sarah Shipman as its new director, beginning August 1, 2022. Shipman—who served most recently as deputy attorney general for Kansas—will oversee EMM’s operations as an Episcopal Church ministry and one of nine national refugee resettlement agencies partnering with the U.S. government.
A graduate of Washburn University School of Law, Shipman held several positions in the Kansas Department of Administration, including the secretary of administration, before joining the Office of the Kansas Attorney General. She also served as vice president and counsel at a Topeka, Kansas, bank, and has held other managerial, legal, and academic positions.
Shipman is studying at Bishop Kemper School for Ministry in Topeka and will serve as a lay deputy to The Episcopal Church’s 80th General Convention this month.
“I am delighted to welcome Sarah in her new role and look forward to seeing EMM continue to thrive under her direction,” said the Rev. C.K. Robertson, canon to the presiding bishop for Ministry Beyond The Episcopal Church. “Not only does she have an impressive professional background as an administrator, manager, and attorney, she also comes to us with a commitment to mission and ministry, living out the way of love we see in Jesus.”
Previous director Demetrio Alvero retires
Shipman replaces longtime director Demetrio Alvero, who retired after 17 years with EMM and 44 years in the field of refugee and migrant work. During Alvero’s tenure, EMM reached a milestone of welcoming and assisting more than 100,000 newcomers to the U.S. in search of safety and opportunity since the 1980s.
“I cannot overestimate the impact Demetrio has had on countless lives through his ministry,” Robertson said.
Ministries ran by Episcopal Migration Ministries
In addition to the federally funded programs EMM administers to help resettle and integrate new neighbors, its partially church-funded engagement unit provides education and resources; hosts a monthly Episcopal Asylum and Detention Ministry Network; and connects congregations with asylum seekers and newly arrived Afghans through the Neighbor to Neighbor program.
“EMM is the Way of Love in action,” said the Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church. “For decades, this ministry has been a mighty tool by which our church and our partners have lived out Jesus’ call to minister to those who are vulnerable and in need of hope.”
Learn more about Episcopal Migration Ministries’ work—including its partnerships, scope of ministry, curriculum resources, and impact stories—in its 2021 Annual Report.
Find giving options to support EMM’s work of welcome and education.
Learn more about Episcopal Migration Ministries
Those interested in learning more about EMM’s work can find information and resources at episcopalmigrationministries.org. Sign up for the EMM newsletter or Weekly News Digest at Signup for Our Newsletter.
Church of the Redeemer
Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. 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 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is 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.