In the wake of the devastating war in Ukraine, Episcopal Relief & Development has partnered with the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe to help local congregations throughout the continent to aid Ukrainian refugees.
As the European presence of the Episcopal Church, the Convocation has a long history of ministry to refugees dating back to before World War I. Since the late 1980s, the Joel Nafuma Refugee Center (JNR), based at Saint Paul’s Within the Walls in Rome, has provided direct service to refugees from many countries, helping them to rebuild their lives.
ERD is working with the Convocation to strengthen and expand the capacity of all Episcopal congregations across Europe to respond to the refugee emergency resulting from violence in Ukraine. It has created a fund to support local congregations’ refugee response and will pair those grants with training from JNRC staff. Though the needs will vary depending on the refugee groups affected, assistance will include food, shelter, emergency supplies, and trauma counseling. In addition, the Convocation is reporting refugees in their congregations throughout Europe, and through this partnership, steps are being taken to equip congregations to welcome these refugees and connect them to ongoing humanitarian initiatives.
Episcopal Relief & Development is also working with other partners, including ACT Alliance (Action by Churches Together), on both immediate and longer-term responses.
We are grateful to the Vestry for its approval of a grant to support Episcopal Relief & Development’s partnership with the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe in response to this tragic and ongoing humanitarian crisis.
