Happy New Year!

What a great time we had celebrating the start of a New Year with the Karen community! There must have been at least 200 people crowded into the Philpott gym. Karen people travelled  from London, Toronto and even Windsor to join the party. And we had people from at least 7 or 8 Hamilton churches  there too. We were treated to some great singing, cultural dancing, as well as a mini-history lesson. And of course an abundance of amazing food. The recently arrived Karen families face many challenges as they strive to integrate into the life of our city. It is our prayer that they will find peace, and joy, and many new friends here in Hamilton.

Karen New Years Celebration

The Karen refugee families have taken the initiative to hold a special New Years celebration. They are inviting other Karen people from the surrounding area-London, Mississauga, Toronto. They expect around 200 people! SISO and TrueCity are helping facilitate this gathering which will be held at Philpott Church (in the gym) on Saturday Dec 30th from 11am -3pm.

If you are around and want a wonderful introduction to some Karen culture please join us. They would love to share their food, and songs with some of their new Canadian friends.

Video on Burma

Did you know that Fort Wayne Indiana has the largest population of Burmese anywhere in North America? They are mostly from the Karen and Mon ethnic groups. Consequently journalists in Fort Wayne have done a lot of research on the Burmese people. One journalist produced an excellent video that provides background on the country of Burma and insight into the struggles that the people of Burma face.  Although not specifically about the Karen (who are largely from a Christian background)  it will help you understand a bit more about where the Karen refugees have come from.

The link is below.

http://fwnextweb1.fortwayne.com/ns/projects/burma/Flashfiles/WFWA-video.htm

Newly Arrived Karen Families

Wentworth Baptist Church hosted our second clothing distribution this week. It was a great opportunity for some of the newly arrived Karen refugees to choose some winter clothing, and a few household goods for their families. Several families have just moved into their own apartments and facing all the adjustments that brings with it.

TrueCity Conference 2007

Mark your calendars now. The TrueCity conference will be held on Feb 23-24th 2007. The keynote speaker this year will be Rick Tobias, director of Yonge St. Mission. The heart of the gathering will be a host of workshops and seminars on relevant topics for our churches. Of particular interest for those of us working with refugees and new immigrants will be the following workshops:

• Hamilton-Respite at the End of the Refugee Highway
• Racism and the Church
• A Journey towards Reconciliation 
• Developing Multi-Cultural Leadership in our churches
• Welcoming NewComers

More details to follow!

Focus Team Meeting

We will meet Saturday December 9th at 9am at the Hughson St. Baptist Church manse. The main topic on the agenda is discussing  plans to welcome the newly arrived Karen refugees.