“First Church & Friends” is now an official sponsor group for Welcome Corps, and we are preparing to welcome two refugees from Sub-Saharan Africa in October 2023. These newcomers will have Official Refugee Status and full access to government benefits; our team will support them in a 90-day resettlement effort. Our plan is to house them in Cambridge during this period, where they will have full access to our community and City benefits; they could then move elsewhere once more established.
Sign up to volunteer in resettling the refugees!
There are tasks for a wide range of time commitments and skill levels. you can join our effort in any way, big or small. If you have questions about being a volunteer, please email us at: welcomecorps@firstchurchcambridge.org.
Do you have a background in real estate, or in housing?
Are you active on Social Media?
Do you enjoy training people on tech, or about budgeting and banking?
Then we especially need your help to welcome refugees! First Church & Friends’ Welcome Corps effort is preparing to welcome two refugees from Sub-Saharan Africa in coming weeks. These newcomers will have Official Refugee Status and full access to government benefits. Our team will support them in a minimum 90-day resettlement effort. We are asking for volunteers with these specific backgrounds to support our refugee effort in these areas. We also need temporary housing for the refugees for 2- 3 months – so if you have any room in your home, or know of anyone else who does – please let us know! If you can join us in our effort with time or housing, complete this form as a first step. And reach out to your friends and community with this experience; people outside of First Church are very welcome to join the team! If you have any questions about being a volunteer, please email us at: welcomecorps@firstchurchcambridge.org
Welcome Corps Resettlement Information Session
Sunday, September 17, 12:15 – 1:15 p.m.
Harter Room and via Zoom
“First Church & Friends” is an official sponsor group for Welcome Corps, and two refugees from Sub-Saharan Africa are arriving to us soon! Do you want to learn more about what this will mean for our community and how you can help to welcome and resettle them? Please attend a special information session after worship on Sunday, September 17, led by special guest Ann O’Brien, Director of Sponsorship at IRIS (International Refugee and Immigrant Services). IRIS is a founding member of the recently launched Welcome Corps national program. Based in New Haven while working across the nation, IRIS has welcomed over 8,000 refugees together with community sponsor groups such as ours. Ann will be joined by Dr. Simone Bamba, leader of Mission Maranatha, a Welcome Corps sponsor group from West Roxbury similar to ours that recently welcomed a refugee from Somalia. Learn more about Welcome Corps refugee resettlement from those with recent experience, and bring all your questions!