Vineyard Compassion Celebrates Refugee Week: 17-23 June 2024

“To me, a home is where you feel loved, safe, and cherished.” - Malala Yousafzai 

Over the last year we have been working as a team to figure out how we can best help refugees and people seeking sanctuary to feel welcome in our community. We are keen to celebrate the amazing, resilient people that we have had the privilege to serve and get to know as they settle into their new home. This year's theme for Refugee Week is ‘Our Home,’ a fitting tribute to the brave individuals making their new homes in the North Coast area. 

Home can be a place of refuge, a feeling, or a state of mind. It can be found in smells, tastes, and sounds—from the clothes we wear to the words we grew up with. Home is in food, music, and arts, in our cultures and landscapes. Can you imagine how you would feel if you had to leave your home and everything that it means to you? 

Melanie Gibson, Provisions Coordinator, explains, “Vineyard Compassion is committed to welcoming newcomers. We participate in a local council working group that supports refugees and people seeking sanctuary by collaborating with key agencies including education, health, social work, police, and housing.” 

This unique, coordinated approach has been praised by health and social work representatives for its positive impact. Clients have noted that the welcome and support they receive here are unmatched compared to other areas.  

One newcomer describes the impact this service has had on his life:  

“I received support in various forms, from access to a coffee shop with Wi-Fi and laptops, consulting services, food and ingredient offers and toiletries, SIM cards for calls and data, clothes, shoes, and bags, and organising happy events, dances, and festivals. Additionally, there was help in arranging training, classes for life in the UK, job finding methods, understanding life rights, offering volunteering opportunities, and various other services that I am grateful for.  

I appreciate all the kindness, attention, love, and support I received during this time. God bless all these kind people.” 

Our Welcome Coordinator, Anna Arnold says, “We aspire for the North Coast to be renowned as a place of welcome for refugees and people seeking sanctuary. Vineyard Compassion aims to be synonymous with offering the warmest welcome and the most compassionate support to those who have had to leave everything familiar to create a new life in a new home. We recognise that people from diverse backgrounds can significantly enrich our community.” 

Join us in celebrating Refugee Week and help us build a community where everyone feels loved, safe, and cherished.