Please join us, via Zoom, on Friday, September 17th at 7:00 p.m. for a short congregational meeting. There are two items on the agenda:
1) Community Garden - we have received grant money for the community garden. This money must be used this fall
2) Refugee Families - The Refugee Committee would like to recommend that Trinity considers sponsoring an additional two refugee families.
Motion for Community Garden
That Trinity Baptist Church make the existing pilot community garden into a permanent garden.
Background
As you see, if you been to the building this summer, the garden has been growing well despite a late start. We are in midst of beginning to harvest the produce.
We have received two grants that must be spent this calendar year. The group of current gardeners would like to do a number of things to enhance the space including:
· Install a water line tied into the existing well line in the downstairs men’s bathroom to have water closer to the garden.
· Expand the number of plots for next year.
· Get a quote and install a system to harvest rainwater off of the building’s roof for the garden.
This needs to be a permanent garden if we are to invest the money in these improvements.
Motion for Refugee Sponsorship
That Trinity Baptist Church enter into a new Agreement with the Canadian Baptists of Western Canada, a Sponsorship Agreement Holder with the Government of Canada, to sponsor two families: Emad, Rita and Olivia and Tereza.
Background
In the fall of 2015, the Trinity Baptist Church congregation indicated there was a desire to consistently sponsor refugee families to come to Canada. The sixth family that TBC has supported either entirely or taken over from another church are safely here in Canada. It is time for TBC to work towards bringing another family to Canada. The Refugee Committee would like to recommend considering the sponsorship of another Syrian family. The CBWC has open spots and would only charge us one fee for the two applications.
Emad, Rita and Olivia
Emad is a 34-year-old man from Syria and has been living in Beirut, Lebanon for the last 10 years because of the fighting in Syria. He has been married to Rita, 24 years old, for the past 5 years. They met in Syria when both were helping with a Christian Relief Society and bible study in Wadi-Elnasar-Homs, Syria. Rita moved to Beirut when they were married. Emad was able to get permission from the Lebanese government to work as a night watchman and they have a 1 ½ year old daughter named Olivia. Rita tries to supplement the family income by preparing meals for Lebanese families. It is their desire to escape the discrimination in Lebanon and come to Canada.
Tereza
Zenebech Mosisa Tereza and is 28 years old from Ethiopia. She lived and worked in Lebanon for many years, part of that time as a nanny/housemaid for Rasem Moree & Naheda (Syrian contacts now living in Edmonton). She is an orphan and lost her parents at a very early age. She accepted Jesus Christ and was baptized. She is in desperate need and needs a better future as she is a single Christian woman stuck in Ethiopia. As a single Christian woman in a Muslim area of Ethiopia, Tereza is in danger every day. There may be Christians in Egypt who can shelter her if she applies/waits to be privately sponsored to come to Canada. The processing time for refugees in Egypt is only 7 months at this time as compared to Syrian refugees in Lebanon needing to wait 3.5 to 4.5 years. The refugee committee is proposing Trinity sponsor Tereza (which she prefers to go by) as she would hopefully come to Canada well before Emad, Rita & Olivia. As well, it would be good if we reached out to refugees from other countries. Her plan would be to work with Rasem & Naheda in Christian outreach with Navigators here in the Edmonton area.
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