The Winter Gala for Refugee Ministry is the brainchild of Transfiguration which began when a parishioner, the Rev. Casey Shobe and the Rev. Rebecca Tankersley visited Gateway of Grace and witnessed how the ministry serves refugees. Gateway of Grace takes care of refugees' immediate needs such as food, shelter, clothing and transportation as staff and volunteers begin the work of helping individuals from around the globe flourish in their new world. The ministry offers classes to learn English, job skills, how to get around the city and other things people new to the country need to know. 

At the gala Bishop Rob Price spoke about how important it is to care for immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers and has made this a cornerstone of his Episcopacy. In January, he called for the entire diocese to say each name of our brothers and sisters who are in immigration detention during Prayers of the People every Sunday.  

The Rev. Canon Dr. Samira Page, who is founder of Gateway of Grace, addressed the gala and said, "This week's ice and cold weather have set the perfect mood for our theme. Tonight, we gather in winter -- but we are looking east. Not because the season is gentle, but because light still rises, even when the world feels cold, cruel, and uncertain. Our theme comes from St. Diadochos of Photiki, a fifth-century bishop who lived during a time of upheaval, displacement and fear. Writing to people overwhelmed by forces beyond their control, he offered this counsel: 'When the soul feels the onset of spiritual winter, let it look to the east, for there it will see the light of righteousness rising.' Looking east in winter is not denial of hardship. It is deliberate, embodied choice -- when circumstances give us every reason not to. 

"For the refugees and displaced families we serve at Gateway of Grace, winter is not a metaphor. It is lived reality: borders crossed on foot, families separated by policy, pregnancies carried through uncertainty, homes lost not once but again and again. This is not abstract suffering. It is specific. It has names, dates and consequences. And because of that, what we do here cannot be abstract either.

The Rev. Canon Carrie Headington said the evening was inspirational. "It was a powerful night celebrating the courageous people who have made their way to be with us in Dallas." The program also included a refugee from Iran who shared her story. "I arrived in the United States with a child in my womb and a prayer in my heart."

Page spoke about the woman's journey. She "began in Iran, where she and her husband, Ayoob, came to faith in Christ. It continued through Turkey, through persecution and closed churches, through flight, and through a three-month journey by land while she was five months pregnant. It continued when her husband was taken into detention just before their child was born and later when he was detained again - leaving an empty chair at the table, a mother raising a 14-month-old alone, and the loss of their apartment. And it continued when, in her darkest hour, Gateway of Grace did not offer platitudes - but presence. Through housing, accompaniment, and community, she found not only shelter, but a family. 

"Tonight is about hope that outlasts winter -- not because winter is over but because no one walks east alone."