Adapted from the Office of Public Affairs
Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM), the refugee resettlement service of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society, will sponsor #ShareTheJourney, an 11-day pilgrimage to the Great Lakes region of Africa.
Through the #ShareTheJourney pilgrimage March 2-13, stories of refugees and their resettlement in the United States will be highlighted through traditional and social media. During the pilgrimage, participants will share their experiences through blogs and posts on EMM’s web pages.
“Through the #ShareTheJourney pilgrimage, we are bringing awareness to the plight of Congolese refugees and the ministry of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society in resettling refugees from Congo and other conflict areas,” said Deborah Stein, EMM’s director. “Through real-time social media, our participants will serve as the eyes of the church as they witness conditions where refugees are currently living, and the responses we offer through resettlement.”
The pilgrims will travel to Nairobi, Kenya, and Kigali, Rwanda. Among the planned visits are the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre and the Gihembe Refugee Camp in Rwanda, as well as operations supported by Church World Service’s Resettlement Support Center-Africa and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ agency.
The pilgrims, in addition to Stein, are:
- Jessica Benson, Diocese of Idaho
- Kurt Bonz, EMM’s program manager
- Spencer Cantrell, gender violence fellow, National Immigrant Women’s Advocacy Project, Diocese of Washington
- Cookie Cantwell, Province IV youth ministries coordinator, Diocese of East Carolina
- The Rev. Canon Scott Gunn, executive director, Forward Movement, Diocese of Southern Ohio
- Wendy Johnson, EMM’s communications manager
- The Rev. Canon Frank Logue, canon to the ordinary, Diocese of Georgia
- Vicki Logue, Diocese of Georgia
- The Rev. Ranjit Mathews, the Episcopal Church’s network officer for mission personnel and Africa
- The Rev. Burl Salmon, middle school chaplain and dean of community life at Trinity Episcopal School, Diocese of North Carolina
- Alyssa Stebbing, outreach director, Trinity Church of The Woodlands, Diocese of Texas
- Lynette Wilson, editor/reporter, Episcopal News Service
The pilgrimage is funded through a Constable Fund grant awarded last year by Executive Council. The Constable Fund provides grants to fund mission initiatives that were not provided for within the budget of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society passed by General Convention.
