Reverend Dr. Cheryl Tatham receives a call from the IRC. There is a refugee family arriving in a few weeks and the IRC needs help collecting furniture to set up their apartment. The North Chevy Chase Christian Church springs into action. From beds and dressers to shampoo and toothpaste, the congregation gathers items to create the perfect home for a family resettled by the IRC in Silver Spring right before the holidays. With over 50 years of experience assisting the immigrant and refugee community, the hustle to get an apartment ready for a refugee family is not new to the North Chevy Chase Christian Church. Their mission is to connect faith to community. That mission turns to action through their partnership with the IRC in Silver Spring’s Welcome Home Project, a volunteer program where community organizations prepare the furniture and household items for a refugee family resettled by the IRC in Maryland.
The congregation at North Chevy Chase Christian Church includes immigrants from across the world, so many church members sympathized with the struggles that newcomers face when they arrive in the United States. This started their initiative to help ease the transition of refugees to the area through the partnership with the IRC. Spearheaded by outreach coordinators, Nancy Solomon and Dot Harper, alongside Reverend Dr. Tatham, the North Chevy Chase Christian Church will be conducting their second setup for a large refugee family right in time for the holidays. It is the gift that this congregation hopes to continue to give as the need continues to grow.