SANCTUARY FAMILY RETREAT
Embracing asylum-seeking families with God’s love.
In early 2023, SU Australia engaged in a dialogue with Embrace Sanctuary Australia. The mission of Embrace Sanctuary is to empower asylum-seeking families and provide support to local churches and individuals fostering communities for displaced individuals.
This conversation sparked the idea of a partnership to host a retreat at SU Australia’s Coolamatong Farm Camp for recently arrived families, which gave birth to the inaugural Sanctuary Family Retreat.
A dedicated team of 23 adults and nine children from 10 church communities volunteered for the cause. Leveraging Embrace Sanctuary’s network, 53 participants, including eight families, couples, and individuals, were brought together from five distinct cultural communities, some having arrived in Australia only weeks before.
Among the participants were families still adapting to their new lives, facing language barriers, and navigating the complex traumas of fleeing their homelands. Conversely, others, having settled in Australia over a decade ago, joined as translators and cultural connectors, bridging gaps for those facing language and cultural challenges.
The retreat centred on themes of Welcome, Safety, Connection, and Hope, explored through songs, picture storybooks, and personal narratives. Over six days and five nights, the community shared language, culture, meals, games, and activities like karaoke, soccer, and volleyball. A theme song, “Welcome, we’re welcome here,” was crafted in five languages, alongside a mural composed of calico squares from each participant.
One attendee described the retreat as “a piece of heaven,” while a father, witnessing his family sail for the first time, tearfully exclaimed, “This is freedom like we could never have experienced in our home country.”
The Sanctuary Family Retreat was profound and challenging, pushing individuals beyond their comfort zones. Yet, within this temporary community, participants discovered Christ in one another, experiencing God’s transformative love. Plans for future retreats are already underway, with more church communities expressing interest in supporting arriving families and facilitating additional Sanctuary Retreats.
With faith in God’s provision, the movement aims to grow, embodying God’s love and welcome for families needing sanctuary.
You’re helping to create communities of belonging where more children, young people and families can discover life in God’s big story. Thank you! To keep this work going, visit su.org.au/donate.