Sep 1, 2021Author’s NoteBecoming Neighbours — This small book is an offer of gratitude for all that I have received from my neighbours — brothers, aunts, grandfathers, nieces, mothers — at Kinbrace. Cups of tea, a phrase in a new language, a place at the dinner table, a listening ear, a shift in perspective, incomparable hugs…Refugees2 min readRefugees2 min read
Aug 31, 2021Chapter 3: Mutual TransformationBecoming Neighbours — Asylum Seekers9 min readAsylum Seekers9 min read
Aug 31, 2021PrefaceBecoming Neighbours — I first encountered Kinbrace in 2013 while sitting in the upstairs room of a Catholic soup kitchen in the heart of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. It was late spring and I had just finished exams, completing my second year of university in International Studies. …Refugees2 min readRefugees2 min read
Aug 31, 2021IntroductionBecoming Neighbours — When my partner, Tama, and I co-founded Kinbrace with other members of East Vancouver’s Grandview Church in the spring of 1998, we set out to design and inhabit a human-scale response to the urgent homelessness needs in our neighbourhood. Tama and I were latecomers to the vision and creativity already…Refugees3 min readRefugees3 min read
Aug 31, 2021Kinbrace’s Core ValuesBecoming Neighbours — Welcome We are in solidarity: bearing witness to exile, we live with refugee claimants. Trust We are a community: affirming dignity, we commit to the best in one another. Mutual Transformation We are diverse: striving to listen well, we learn and grow. Celebration We are grateful: amidst joy and sorrow, we discover hope. Prayer We are sojourners: held by grace, we journey into the mystery and love of God.Refugees1 min readRefugees1 min read
