by Amy Butler

The House of Welcome is an initiative of the NSW Ecumenical Council. It offers service provision for refugees and asylum seekers who are released from detention and do not have adequate support to settle into the Australian community.

This includes people on Temporary Protection Visas, Bridging Visas and people under the category of ‘Habeas Corpus’.

“One man came to us recently,” explains Father Jim Carty, Coordinator of the House of Welcome.  “He had been a policeman in Kuwait but he is a Bidoon.  The Bidoons, while dwelling in Kuwait, have never been recognised as Kuwati nationals by the government. Probably as a response to terror,
many were sacked from their jobs and now no country will take them, including Australia.  This man had been sitting in detention for four years,” he said.

With a shop front resource and referral centre just one train-stop from Villawood,  the House of Welcome provides emergency accommodation, support to find permanent housing, English courses and an employment program.

The Rev Jim Crosweller,  assistant minister of nearby St Stephen’s, Woodville Road, says there is a growing awareness of mission opportunities among refugees.  “The experience of generosity is very powerful,” he says.

“The refugees are very grateful and it causes them to ask questions about what motivates us. Also, refugees are longing for family. They really enjoy church and appreciate being part of our community.”

After many years of working with refugees, Jim Carty says one of the best rewards is to see how refugees,  once they are on their feet in the community,  want to help other refugees. He recently met a man working as a translator at Centrelink who had lived in a refugee camp on one of the Japanese islands he visited.

“We hope our job here at the House of Welcome will be phased out as people become self-sufficient,” he says.

Another former refugee who now helps new refugees entering Australia is Xuyen Tang. Born in Vietnam as the sixth of eight children, Xuyen says most of her childhood memories are of the conflict there.

“The war seemed neverending and everyday I could hear gunshots or bombings,”  she explains.  “Many young men were drafted to fight the civil war and most households had lost someone on the battlefield, including my two older brothers.”

In 1975 when the Communists took over the country and many people were fleeing,  Xuyen escaped to Malaysia where she lived in a refugee camp for
seven months.

In 1979 she arrived in Melbourne as a ‘boat person’ having come across the sea. She had been separated from her family and was totally alone, with no belongings, nowhere to sleep and very little English.

It was through meeting a group of Christians at Monash University that Xuyen’s life began to turn around. “When I left Melbourne for Sydney a student gave me a brand new jumper. I had never dreamed of owning a new jumper as all my clothes were second hand. They did not try to force me to believe in Jesus but they did show genuine love and care for me.”

Upon arriving in Sydney,  Xuyen met Phin, who was later to become her husband.  Phin introduced Xuyen to the student Christian group where she began to study the Bible.

“I made the decision to accept the Lord as my personal Saviour on one evening in June.  The Lord opened my eyes to see that it was by his grace that I was brought out of Vietnam to Australia.”

Xuyen says her life has been transformed in human standards, having a beautiful family and a professional job managing Anglicare’s migrant services.

But she says the best thing that has happened to her in Australia is becoming a Christian.

“Of course I still experience pain and sorrow, but God’s word always offers comfort and deliverance. I have the assurance that God is my refuge and he will carry me through any storms in life.

praying on refugee sunday

Refugee Sunday will be held on August 31. Anglican Churches are encouraged to pray for refugees during their church services. For more information visit www.anglicanmedia.com.au/sie

  • Pray for the work of the House of Welcome, that through the generosity of Christians refugees would settle into our community
  • Give thanks for the life and witness of Xuyen Tang and pray for her work
  • Praise God for refugees who have heard the gospel for the first time, and for those who have responded in repentance and faith
  • Pray for wisdom and compassion for those in government who are making important decisions that will impact refugees
  • Pray that God’s people would respond to the opportunities to provide friendship and support to refugees