“Today, my children are studying and have what they need thanks to the kindness of the Comunidad de Paz Haws. My children are happy to have attended the Christian camp and my baby has had what he needs since his birth.”
This testimony of Patrice*, a single mother from Guatemala, speaks to the importance of local churches opening their doors to receive and offer help to migrants who have endured hardship and sometimes horrific circumstances to ask for asylum in the United States.
Comunidad de Paz Haws was developed by Haws Avenue United Methodist Church in Norristown, Pa. In 2023, the congregation received a $2,000 Mustard Seed Migration Grant from the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) to expand its ministry in an area with a large Hispanic-Latino population.
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A year after Patrice’s husband was killed in their village, she began to receive threatening messages that her children would meet the same fate. She packed up what she could and headed north with her children through Mexico and into the United States. They, like many immigrants crossing the U.S. border in the last three years, were received by the U.S. Border Patrol and loaded onto a bus. They did not even know where the bus was going.
The Rev. Lisa DePaz, pastor of Haws Avenue UMC, describes her church as being an aging and small church that lacks the financial resources to help alleviate the economic needs of arriving immigrants. “It has been a barrier to actively demonstrating God’s love,” she said. “This grant has helped fulfill the goal of reaching out to this community.
“As a result of this project, anxiety, loneliness, misinformation and a sense of not belonging have significantly decreased among the 11 refugees and immigrants we served.” Haws UMC provided assistance with rent and bus tickets for transportation to job interviews. Single mothers, the majority of the recipients, received necessary supplies for their babies.
While some congregations can meet and interact with migrants in their communities, others are restricted by state or federal laws. The Somerset UMC congregation in Massachusetts wanted to help new arrivals.
When the project started, Jane Larsen, the church’s Staff-Parish Relations chair, networked to find ways to get supplies into the local hotel where Massachusetts was housing the migrants.
“Due to rules and regulations, we were not allowed to have direct contact with the migrants. All donations were given to them by the National Guard who were stationed at the hotel. Only the National Guard and our Town Health had access.” A key strategy for the congregation was to make friends with the health agent and members of the National Guard. This turned out to be the best way to serve those inside the hotel.
The state provided minimal supplies to arrivals to help with basic needs. Through the grant money and donations from church members, additional items, such as winter clothing, could be provided. In addition to supplies and food items, seven car seats were purchased so families could take their children to doctor’s appointments and other places.
In late December, the migrants were moved to better accommodations in Raynham, Mass. The church continued to deliver supplies to Raynham. The families were aware that the donations were given by members of Somerset United Methodist Church and through an UMCOR Mustard Seed Migration Grant.
Being in community with migrants can be as creative as a congregation’s collective imagination and a Mustard Seed Migration Grant can be the push over the top that launches a new ministry. These three congregations took the chance of starting something new and have given and received the blessings of shared lives and the abundance of God’s grace.
Mustard Seed Migration Grant applications are open for 2024 projects. To learn more, visit https://umcmission.org/story/mustard-seed-migration-grants/.
* Name changed.
excerpt from a story by Christie R. House, consultant writer and editor for Global Ministries and UMCOR.
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