FUUSN is now an official member of the Refugee Immigration Cluster. Congratulations all!

On November 14 the Board of Trustees voted unanimously for FUUSN to join the Newton-Brookline Refugee Cluster of the Refugee Immigration Ministry (RIM). Six congregations (FUUSN, Grace Episcopal, First Baptist in Newton Centre, Temple Reyim, the Newton Centre Minyan in Newton, and Temple Beth Zion in Brookline) are joining their efforts to sponsor political asylum seekers wanting to settle in the Newton area.

These people have fled desperate situations in their home countries. Families from Cameroon and Ecuador are already being sponsored and housed in a large apartment in Brookline. Two FUUSN families (Julia Huston and Dick and Lynne Bail) have offered housing for six to twelve months so that two additional families can be added.

The Board voted on September 12, 2017, to approve our official participation in RIM, provided at least a dozen members of our congregation volunteer to work with the program. At a Special Congregational Meeting on October 1, Lynn Holbein presented the program to the assembled members and asked for volunteers. Since that meeting, over Forty FUUSN members have volunteered to help in different ways ranging from babysitting, rides, ESL, work mentoring, and more.

Since asylum seekers are not allowed to work, FUUSN will hold a Special Collection for the Refugee Immigration Ministry this Sunday, December 10, to raise money for food and other necessities for these families.

Thank you to Lynn and to Richard Bail who have worked toward our formal participation for more than a year. We appreciate all of the FUUSN volunteers who will be working within the Newton-Brookline cluster to support to people who are seeking asylum. -Cathy Morocco, Board of Trustees