Do you have a couple of hours a week to help refugee and immigrant individuals, families, and/or youth and children in need? The Immigration Task Force is exploring a partnership with Neighborhood House, which is based in the High Point Neighborhood Center. Potential volunteer opportunities include conversational English, teaching or tutoring ESL, and making it possible for ESL students to attend classes at Neighborhood House by helping with childcare at their facility and offering rides to classes. Or come up with your own idea on how to help The 15-year-old neighborhood center is a gathering place that offers Head Start programs, youth tutoring and enhancement programs, Seattle Housing Authority’s Job Connection program, English tutoring for refugees and other services. High Point has been described as a vibrant mixed-income neighborhood with an emphasis on environmental sustainability featuring many parks and community gardens. It has a rich mixture of refugees including many from East Africa and Somalia. The Immigration Task Force in just in the early stages of exploring how it could help and it would appreciate assistance from anyone interested in the reward that comes from helping others. To learn more, reach out to Ev Eldridge.
An Urgent Update From Our Immigration Task Force
Fauntleroy is coordinating with Alki UCC to aid four refugee families from Peru, and we are close to finding sustainable housing for two of them.
All four groups have family and relational ties with each other. Three are living with the generous single occupant of a house near Westwood Village, the fourth is an older couple who have found temporary space in another incredibly crowded house near Morgan Junction. All need better, safer, more permanent housing. Mary and Bob Code have offered to lease a three-bedroom house (under market value) in Alki on the condition that the church guarantee the rent (that’s a common arrangement in a situation such as this).
The Immigration Task Force is working to prepare the necessary documentation and finances to present the proposal to the church Finance Ministry, executive committee and Council. In the meantime, the search continues for options to house the remaining two families.
About $5,000 has been raised from West Seattle individuals and such churches as Alki, Fauntleroy, Peace Lutheran and St. John the Baptist. We NEED so much more as the families arrived here almost penniless.
Fauntleroy has a $2,500 Neighbors in Need grant pending with the UCC, and ITF members will meet shortly with the Finance Ministry to discuss more fundraising ideas. Many furnishings and household goods have been donated, including from Fauntleroy’s 2nd Time Sale and the Microsoft warehouse donation. Storage space is also needed. More VOLUNTEER HELP IS NEEDED. And if you feel moved by the plight of refugees, perhaps you’d like to join the ITF. Please contact Bob Wyss (401-447-3628) or Dianne Sprague (401 447-4421) if you can help.
Finally, and most importantly, the offer from Mary and Bob Code has been incredibly generous and heartfelt because, to truly help these families, we need to keep them here in West Seattle, where our volunteers live. Let us hear from you if you have a lead on housing in this area. Bob Wyss and Dianne Sprague, co-chairs of the Immigration Task Force
Calling All Volunteers
Every spring, except for the last two years, our church publishes a volunteer survey during the stewardship season. It includes a snapshot of the diverse ways people can be involved in the life and work of our church. By taking the survey, individuals let us know where their interests, time and talents intersect for service and fellowship. The survey helps to us to see where we have volunteer momentum and where we don’t. It also gives us a starting group to reach out to when new opportunities come up. Here’s what a few church members have to say about volunteering and being involved at our church:
“As a volunteer at Fauntleroy Church I have served inside the church (on several Ministries, as Moderator, as a proud member of the world famous DAM Ukulele band) and outside our walls (helping prepare and serve a community meal at the Welcome Table). It’s been a great way to support a faith community that has given so much to our family and has introduced me to so many of the awesome members of our church.” -Zack H.
“Every volunteer task I’ve taken on at church has helped me get to know other church members, taught me something new, made me feel useful, and expanded my sense of purpose as I strive to follow the exceptional example of Jesus. Right now, I am volunteering in the nursery on Sundays and participating in the Immigration Task Force with some additional support for the Iranian refugee who Fauntleroy Church is sponsoring. Everyone has the ability to help, and I encourage all to give volunteering a try!”
- Maria G.
“I volunteer because I think it’s important to connect with other members of the congregation outside of worship. It’s an easy way to get to know folks and deepen my commitment to living out the Gospel with other people who want to do good in the world.” -David W.
“When I first joined the church, I was asked to join the Tue. Fixit Group. While we did fix stuff around the church in the morning, the highlight was going to lunch together. The fixit group disbanded but the social group lives on. We now get together for lunch on Mondays. Anyone from the church is invited. Please contact Dean if you want to be added to the group email. We are mostly men (the men’s group the Church does not have) but women are welcomed, and several have attended. We talk about anything but mostly get to know each other.” -Dean T.
Volunteers are needed in supporting, mentoring, and leading roles for short-term, long-term, one-time, and on-going needs. Please prayerfully consider the ways in which the Holy Spirit is moving you to be involved in the life and work of Fauntleroy Church while also building sacred connections with God and each other in the coming year. Fill out the survey online here or pick up a paper copy to fill out at the church.
Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey, as you consider how you would like to be involved! Have questions? See the FAQ below or reach out for a chat.
Sarah Ackers
Volunteer & Engagement Coordinator
Sarah.Ackers@fauntleroyucc.org
206-932-5600
FAQ
Who should fill out the survey? Everyone who is a part of Fauntleroy Church. There are volunteer opportunities for pre-teens through adults.
I’m planning on doing the same things I’m already doing. Do I need to fill it out again? Yes, please fill out the new survey. It has changed a lot! There are many more opportunities to consider. Plus, by filling out the survey, we know that you want to continue in your current volunteer roles.
Can I fill out one survey for my whole family? Please fill out one form per person in your family. In most families, the individuals have different volunteer interests.
Should I fill out the survey online or in paper form? If you are willing to do either, please fill out the survey online. It’s a big time saver for the staff!
What do you do with the information gathered on the survey? When volunteers are needed for specific projects or tasks, our volunteer coordinator uses the survey responses to narrow in on a group of people to approach first.
Am I committed to volunteering for the things I check on the survey? No. By checking a box on the survey, you are simply expressing an interest in a particular volunteer opportunity. You are not making a commitment.
I’m not sure what some of the tasks on the survey entail. Who should I contact to learn more? Reach out to our Volunteer and Engagement Coordinator, Sarah Ackers. She’ll put you in contact with the right person/group.
