Expanding the Mission of Welcome : Providence Baptist Church

Did you know Raleigh serves as one of the top 10 resettlement cities in the country? As hundreds of refugees pour into our city, we are dependent on the help of church and community partners to extend the mission of welcome in our community.

When hundreds of Afghan refugees moved to our area, there was a housing shortage. Refugee Hope Partners (RHP) learned that many of the new Afghan refugees were housed at the Extended Stay on Glenwood Avenue. RHP immediately reached out to one of their local church partners. 

Providence Church was located just ½ miles from the extended stay where the Afghans were housed. The local outreach director at Providence, Karen Fiorini, learned about the need. She immediately asked “How can we help?” That question set off a catalyst of “watching God do more than she could ever imagine”!

Karen connected with Brandon Misamore, RHP’s new communities coordinator. She visited with the refugees at the Extended Stay to welcome them and to understand their immediate needs. After learning about some of these needs, Karen sought the help of the church body. Providence members drove refugees to Walmart and other stores to purchase much needed food, cooking equipment and clothing. Karen was amazed, “We barely got the word out before the needs were met. God was on the move and we just joined in.” Desiring to provide space away from the Extended Stay and an opportunity for broader connections with the community, Providence invited these new neighbors to share a meal on Monday nights. There they could hear encouragement in their own language from a Farsi speaking member. When close to 60 people showed up that first Monday, Karen realized that God was up to something special and she needed more help from RHP. Michele Suffridge provided training on the process of resettlement. The training included cultural awareness on how to engage and encourage our new refugee friends. Equipping those new volunteers led to explosive growth as the Monday night meetings continued. Providence families began to walk alongside refugee families to help with transportation to school,  ESL classes and medical and dental appointments. The church expanded opportunities for relationships by hosting teas for women and children, providing outdoor events at a nearby park, and helping families move them into new homes.  Providence invited other churches to help and soon ten other churches and the Raleigh Baptist Association joined the mission.

Karen summed it up with this, “What we have seen is the sweetest display of the unified body - the hands and feet of Christ. God is such a good Father. He is not only meeting needs, he is using the testimony of His love to draw others in the community into this work of loving our refugee neighbors and He is doing more than we could ever think or imagine!”