Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM) is the refugee resettlement and migration ministry of The Episcopal Church. EMM has announced the awarding of Rainbow Asylum Ministry grants. These grants bolsters programs dedicated to serving LGBTQ+ asylum seekers. The United Thank Offering supported these $3,000 grants.
Rainbow Initiative
The congregations and communities selected to receive the grants participate in EMM’s Rainbow Initiative. EMM formed the initiative in response to a 2022 General Convention resolution. This resolution directed the church to promote support for LGBTQ+ people forced to seek refugee or asylee status.
There are 29 Rainbow Initiative Congregations/Communities in the U.S. and Europe. Each varies in their approach:
- Some offer housing, basic necessities, or direct support services.
- Others offer focus on community education, fundraising, or advocacy.
Rainbow Asylum Ministry grant winners
EMM awarded Rainbow Asylum Ministry grants to the following:
- Joel Nafuma Refugee Center, St. Paul’s Within the Walls Episcopal Church, Rome, Italy
- RISA (Rainbow Initiative at St. Anna’s), St. Anna’s Episcopal Church, New
Orleans, Louisiana - St. Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church, Portland, Oregon
- Rio Grande Borderland Ministry, El Paso, Texas
In addition to financial support, each grantee will receive personalized training, technical assistance, and participation in an EMM-led learning community.
“We are thrilled to enhance our support and training for these essential ministries within our church, which are dedicated to serving the most vulnerable among us,” EMM Director Sarah Shipman said.
Find a map of Rainbow Initiative Congregations/Communities, as well as resources to get involved, on the Rainbow Initiative webpage.
Learn more about Episcopal Migration Ministries.
[Information from the Office of Public Affairs of the Episcopal Church.
Episcopal Migration Ministries
Episcopal Migration Ministries welcomes refugees, educates communities, and mobilizes congregations to advocate for the protection and rights of all migrants.
In the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia, the Refugee Resettlement Office carries out this work.
United Thank Offering
The United Thank Offering (UTO) is a ministry of The Episcopal Church for the mission of the whole church. Through UTO, the Episcopal Church invites individuals to embrace and deepen a personal daily spiritual discipline of gratitude.
UTO encourages people to notice the good things that happen each day, to give thanks to God for those blessings, and make an offering for each blessing using a UTO Blue Box. The Episcopal Church entrusts UTO to receive the offerings. Then UTO distributes 100% of the collection to support innovative mission and ministry throughout The Episcopal Church and Provinces of the Anglican Communion.
Learn more about UTO at episcopalchurch.org/uto.
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.