refugees – We are the First Congregational Church in Winchester https://fcc-winchester.com A Christ-centered nurturing community, growing in faith, serving in love, welcoming all with joy. Fri, 14 Jan 2022 15:21:47 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.2 https://i0.wp.com/fcc-winchester.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/cropped-cross-2.jpg?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 refugees – We are the First Congregational Church in Winchester https://fcc-winchester.com 32 32 71464776 Afghan Refugees: How You Can Help https://fcc-winchester.com/latest-news/afghan-refugees-how-you-can-help/ Tue, 11 Jan 2022 14:53:00 +0000 https://fcc-winchester.com/?p=16648

 

You may have read about efforts to resettle Afghan refugees in the US and in New England. Two initiatives present opportunities for you to help:

 

  1. Our Refugee Immigration Ministry (RIM) Metro North Cluster, which FCCW has worked with for years, is developing a partnership with Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Boston (CCAB) to resettle a person/family. CCAB is one of the prominent official resettlement agencies in Massachusetts.
  2. The Winchester Interfaith Community has gathered members from houses of worship to find what we might do collectively. That effort has evolved into an initiative called Winchester Interfaith Resettlement Partnership (WIRP). WIRP intends to provide volunteers, funds, and other support to organizations in our town and towns nearby that are already beginning to accept refugees through Ascentria, another prominent resettlement agency.
How you can help:
  • Can you help find housing? Metro North Cluster’s first step is to find an apartment or house to rent for a year. If you happen to have a lead, please let us know.
  • Can we count on you for??
    • Occasional assistance such as providing some social time, driving to appointments, navigating government benefits, teaching how to fill out job applications, and how to use the public transportation system.
    • Occasional financial donations.
    • Occasional donations of goods such as clothing, blankets, chairs, tables, and kitchenware.
  • Are you open to joining a core group of FCCW members who coordinate/handle tasks to assist Afghan refugees as they seek to build a new life here? If so, we’re ready to welcome you with grateful arms!
Can you help? Please contact Linda Alexander or Bruce Alexander

 

NOTE: This Thursday WIRP is holding a volunteer training and orientation session to be held at (with a YouTube stream option) Parish of the Epiphany Episcopal Church, 70 Church Street in Winchester from 6:30-8pm on Thursday, January 13. One of us (Bruce) will attend this on behalf of FCCW. If you would like to attend, we will send you the details for the meeting – it would great to have 3-4 of our congregation attend.
]]> 16648 Host Home Needed for RIM Metro North Clients https://fcc-winchester.com/latest-news/host-home-needed-for-rim-metro-north-clients/ Wed, 18 Sep 2019 18:04:09 +0000 https://fcc-winchester.com/?p=7673 In mid-August, a mom and family of 4 children were forced to move out of the apartment they were renting (with cluster support). Since then they have been living in a host home in Melrose (two bedrooms and shared living space in the home of a couple whose grown children have moved out).

Prospects for finding an apartment anywhere in the Boston area are slim at best, in part due to the fact that the mom cannot get work authorization until early next year.

Although the current hosts have generously said that the family can stay a little longer, the cluster needs to find another host home for the family. It does not have to be in Melrose. (Even if the family moves to another town, the children can continue in Melrose schools for the rest of the year.)

If you have room in your home and would like to consider hosting this family, please contact Linda Alexander or Bruce Alexander.  The cluster recognizes that hosting a family of five for a number of months will add cost to the hosts’ utility bills and some other costs.  The cluster is prepared to provide a stipend to help with added costs.

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