A legacy that continues
From the earliest days of the Baptist women’s movement, there has been a deep commitment to welcoming those arriving in Canada—offering not only practical help, but friendship, dignity, and hope.
That work continues today.
In 1998, Baptist women helped open Matthew House in Toronto, a place of refuge for newly arrived refugees. Within days, the home was full. Over the years, thousands of people from over a hundred countries have found temporary shelter, community, and care there. Women supported the work through prayer, meals, clothing, financial resources and the countless practical details of helping families begin again.
Similar expressions of care have taken root in many places. At Oasis Dufferin Community Centre, women walked alongside newcomers navigating poverty, language barriers, and isolation—offering food, training, counselling, and community. At Calvary Baptist Church in Toronto, Grace Pascoe’s simple act of providing food for her students grew into the city’s first food bank.
And the story is still unfolding.
Today, Baptist women continue to respond to the needs of those seeking safety and a new beginning. Through sponsorship, advocacy, and support, they walk with women like Nazia and Robina—sisters who have spent years waiting for refuge and now hope to build a new life in Canada.
Across generations, the response has remained the same:
To notice.
To care.
To act.
In welcoming the stranger, Baptist women continue to reflect the love of Christ—offering not just help, but hope and belonging – a legacy of welcome, rooted in compassion and lived out in every generation.