Just like an inspiring call and response song lifts the spirits of a congregation, churches overwhelmingly answered the need for partners to help welcome new refugee families to the Eau Claire area.
“We initially met with pastors. We sent emails. Enthusiasm spread by word of mouth,” said Jodi Jewell, World Relief Wisconsin’s first community engagement specialist in the Chippewa Valley.
The response was heartwarming as 13 churches agreed to form Good Neighbor Teams (GNTs) ready to walk alongside nearly all of the 75 refugees who arrived in the Eau Claire area since February 2024.
“It is very unusual for so many families to be welcomed into the community by this extraordinary level of support from GNTs” said Gail Cornelius, World Relief Wisconsin’s regional director.
The teams, which each include between six and 12 volunteers from a church, first undergo extensive vetting and training. Next, they match with a family to provide support during the critical first months in the United States.
The GNTs assist with a wide range of activities. They prepare apartments, introduce their families to public transportation, practice conversational English and help them connect to resources and the community.
The power of belonging
“The GNTs really help to create a community of friendship and belonging for the newcomers,” Jewell explained.
She quickly adds that from the start the relationships are mutually beneficial with the volunteers gaining just as much as the newcomers.
“Volunteering as part of a Good Neighbor Team broadens your view of the world, grows your capacity for compassion and stretches you as you learn about another culture and develop new joy-filled friendships,” Jewell said. “If we allow them to, refugees can teach us more than we can imagine and our lives are enriched by these relationships.”