Pledge: Sam Fulginiti
Prayer: Rev. Steve Junkeit
Song: NBNS
Brents Card Game Winner: Charlie Renshaw
Sergeants Report: Joe Arcari
Raffle: Mark Patterson, Mark Caldarella, Bob Antoniac
Happy Bucks: Yankees don't have to worry about the Red Sox, sad bucks for the catastrophe caused by Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas, Charlie put in all his winnings and was just happy, for the beautiful day, John & Marty were happy that we are one small step away from getting the incubators delivered,football season is underway
Program: Rev. Steve Junkeit, First Congregational Church of Old Lyme - Refugee Resettlement Program
Five years ago, recognizing a need to help refugees get resettled, 3 churches in Old Lyme banded together to help. Steve talked about a movie, THE LIFTERS as a metaphor to the refugee worldwide problem. In the movie, there were craters and sinkholes enveloping buildings, roads, people, etc. It was discovered that by using tunnels, it was possible to find the origins of the sinkholes and build a structure to stabilize the land above. This is what the resettlement program is all about - stabilizing peoples' lives by providing a support structure.
The Syrian conflict has produced 6 million refugees, some of whom have come to the United States. They are desperate and need help. A community co-sponsor model with IRIS (Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services www.irisct.org), was established. Some states refuse entry to refugees, not Connecticut. Housing, employment, education, and medical care are some of the required services which they address.
The process of screening refugees for entry into the USA is intense and lengthy. It took over 2 years for a Syrian family of 5 to pass the application process which included many interviews and background checks. By the time they arrived, Steve knew them well. The family spoke no English so an interpreter was provided. A mandatory "American" meal had to be provided within 24 hours and each person was given $1,000 by the state department. They become green card eligible after 1 year. The indoctrination process started immediately. Since the children were out of school for 3-4 years, they essentially had to start over. Their first jobs were menial and the work was hard but they were grateful for the opportunity. The children are very happy to go to school and are disappointed if school is cancelled for any reason. The first Sryian family was welcomed into a house the church purchased for $180K - funds that were raised locally. Soon after purchasing the house, the current administration cancelled the refugee program but that didn't deter the church. They partnered with another organization and then helped a family that fled Puerto Rico after the devastation of Hurricane Maria.They lived in the house for 9 months then moved to New Haven where they are beginning their new lives. They then assisted a family from the Congo. The most recent story is about a family from Iraq. Gasan was an interpreter who befriended members of the National Guard during the Iraq War. Gasan risked his own life to save members of the Guard. They dreamed of emigrating to the United States. It took 15 years but they were accepted for entry to the US. Today Gasan is employed by an architectural firm in Centerbrook.
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