Hunger Panel Seeks Wide Refugee Support
Episcopal News Service. July 12, 1979 [79219]
Racine, Wisc. -- The Episcopal Church's National Hunger Committee has made a strong commitment to throw its nation-wide network into efforts to respond to the tragedy of refugee resettlement.
The Committee's annual meeting -- June 25-27 at the DeKoven Foundation here -- was in progress while the newspapers were full of the story of the ethnic Chinese "boat people" thrown out of Vietnam and subsequently out of Malaysia. Just a day later, President Carter doubled the refugee admission quota (from 7,000 to 14,000 a month) and religious leaders met in New York to spearhead a drive for quick action and response to the crisis.
The Committee's resolution takes note of the crisis and calls on the people in the network to "stir the consciences and response of the Church concerning the refugees" and to "strive to increase the number of sponsors. "
According to the Rev. Charles A. Cesaretti, hunger staff officer at the Episcopal Church Center, the Committee took the action as a first step toward pooling the vast nationwide resources of the Episcopal Church, and toward bringing a variety of Church Center concerns into focus on the issues. Networks involving a number of lay and clerical leaders at provincial and diocesan levels have developed in many areas of Church work over the course of the 1977-79 Triennium.
The resolution has high praise for the work and leadership of the Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief which has taken a major role in the refugee issue. Through the Refugee Resettlement Office, the Church has placed well over 45,000 refugees in the last 30 years.
"The Committee was deeply concerned that the global focus be held up," Father Cesaretti said. "The concern right now is for Indochinese refugees and it really has to be that way. But we can't lose sight of the fact that throughout Africa, Latin America and Europe there are other refugees whose needs are as desperate. We felt that this was the time for the Church to approach the problem on as broad a basis as possible beginning with the networks and with the wide variety of staff members whose ministries are touched by refugees."
The Committee resolution concludes with a call to the Presiding Bishop asking that he establish a Refugee and Immigration staff task force at the Episcopal Church Center to "plan, execute and coordinate the Episcopal Church's refugee relief and resettlement program."