HARC is pleased to share our 2023 Impact Report with members and the public. Download your copy here to learn about the work we did TOGETHER last year and plans for 2024. Please share with your congregations and friends. If you would like a printed copy, please contact Kathy at director@harccoalition.org or 301-842-4272.
HARC’s Annual Meeting blessed with new board members and Dr. Sovine of WCPS
HARC’s Annual Meeting was held Tuesday, January 23 at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Hagerstown. More than 50 people attended the meeting, including representatives of 20 member houses of worship. Part of the business portion of the meeting included voting in four new board members (see video). Following the business, a short presentation was given on the Faces of HARC (see video, including pictures displayed). HARC also welcomed, Dr. David T. Sovine, Superintendent of Washington County Public Schools, who blessed us with faith story, professional background, and challenges he sees for children in our schools (see video). And our hosts shared about their faith tradition (see video). The meeting was a great way to kick off 2024!
HARC welcomes new Board members
The Hagerstown Area Religious Council (HARC) has elected four new members to its Board of Directors:
Rev. Dionne Hall of Grace United Methodist Church (UMC) in Hagerstown. Rev. Hall has lived in Washington County for more than 15 years. In 2017, she transitioned from her career as a school teacher to part-time, licensed local pastor and full-time seminary student at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. She was officially ordained in 2022. Rev. Hall has served as pastor at Grace Church since July 2021 and became the full-time pastor there in July 2023.
Ashlee Harris of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Ms. Harris has lived in Hagerstown since 2012. She currently serves as Communications Outreach Director for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and is also the Hagerstown area coordinator of Just Serve, an online volunteer database. She is the owner and president of Blinds by Ash, a blinds and window coverings company.
Pastor Suzanne Jones is the pastor of two churches in southern Washington County: Benevola United Methodist Church in Boonsboro, and Salem United Methodist Church in Keedysville. Pastor Jones holds a Master of Arts in Humanities: Drama and Literature Studies from Hood College in Frederick, Md., and a Master of Divinity from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Sohrab Shahab is the president of the Islamic Society of Western Maryland. A resident of Washington County since 2009, Dr. Shahab moved to Hagerstown after finishing his residency training as an ear, nose, and throat surgeon. His medical practice is in Martinsburg, W.Va
Free Home Repairs
The Baltimore Work Camp is looking for local residents in need of home repairs. Worksites are needed so high school teens from across the Archdiocese of Baltimore can participate in a week-long service mission designed to help the young people put their faith into action. The work at each home will be completed by 3-5 teens supervised by adult leaders. All volunteer labor and materials are FREE to qualifying households. To learn how your home might be included, please complete this confidential application.
RSVP March 1
Download a flyer/application here
Contact Information/ Questions/RSVP: St. Anthony Shrine / Baltimore WorkCamp, 16150 St. Anthony Road, Emmitsburg, MD 21727 (301) 447-2367
Website: https://www.baltimoreworkcamp.com/
Interfaith Art Camp engages children in values and morals through art
On Saturday, January 20, children participated in the very first Interfaith Art Camp, which was a partnership of HARC and the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts (WCMFA). “There were about 22 kids in total and everyone had a great time,” said Ashlee Harris, one of the organizers.
The one-day camp featured story time, a scavenger hunt, an art project, and a tour of the current exhibit, “Childhood Favorites: 100 Years of Children’s Book Illustrations.” Throughout the day, children learned about values that are shared by different religions.
“They were so creative in their art, and in their ideas and observations from the books,” Ashlee shared. “It was a pleasure to be with them.”
Many thanks go to organizers Ashlee Harris (HARC), Kellie Mele (WCMFA) and Paulette Lee (HARC Interfaith Team) for organizing this exciting new program to engage young people in faith and art.
A lot of the parents ask if there are going to be more opportunities like this in the future. We hope so! HARC is considering offering a full week camp in the summer, but additional help will be needed to make that happen. Interested in helping? Contact Ashlee at jon2ash@gmail.com.
National Fund for Sacred Spaces – funding opportunity for major repairs and renovations
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is once again offering its annual National Fund for Sacred Spaces grant opportunity for churches with historic buildings (you don’t have to be on the national register) to do major repairs or renovate spaces for outreach purposes. Learn more here. Register for an informational webinar here (Feb 1 at noon). Deadline for a letter of interest is February 29. If you decide to apply, HARC and the Washington County Convention & Visitors Bureau are willing to write letters of support for your application.
Seeking a Part-Time Pastor
New Light Metropolitan Community Church (NLMCC) is seeking a part-time pastor to be the spiritual and administrative leader of the church and shall work in a spirit of cooperation with the Board of Directors and lay leaders. Located in Hagerstown, Maryland NLMCC is a church in the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Church (UFMCC).This position can begin as early as April of 2024.
Download a document for details about the church and this position.
Faith Leaders Support Group
Ministry can be challenging, isolating, even befuddling. Let’s get together to share what’s going on in our spiritual communities, what’s working, and what areas are calling for something more. Let’s share support, ideas, and camaraderie from those who really understand. Together we’re better! Interested? Contact Rev. Sandy Boyer at sandy.boyer@gmail.com. Start date to be determined once a core group is formed and the best day/time is decided. Note: Faith leaders do not have to be members of HARC to participate.
Call for Sponsors for 4th Annual Project Playhouse
Habitat for Humanity will be holding its 4th Annual Project Playhouse event on Friday, May 10th at the Hagerstown Aviation Museum. As you know, this event brings the community together to build playhouses for children from low-income or disadvantaged families throughout Washington County. Project Playhouse also raises funds so that we continue to provide much-needed affordable housing.
We hope that your team will join us this year and sponsor a playhouse! Like last year, Habitat will match you with a local family and provide a list of family interests that will help you design a one-of-a-kind playhouse that will be given to the family at no cost.
We appreciate your support to Habitat and to our community. See attached sponsorship forms with more information. You can also check out our website: Project Playhouse — Habitat for Humanity of Washington County (habitat-wc.org)
Thank you for your consideration. I’d be glad to discuss this in more detail and answer any questions you may have.
Melanie Watts
Community Impact Coordinator
Habitat for Humanity of Washington County100 Charles Street
Hagerstown, MD 21740
(301)791-9009 X 105
melaniewatts@habitat-wc.org
www.habitat-wc.org
Asylum Granted! And a new child is born!
Malalai N. and her beautiful family received the happy news recently that they were granted asylum. They had fled Afghanistan in August of 2021 as our U.S. troops withdrew and the Taliban took control. Through humanitarian parole, the Nawabis lawfully entered the U.S. Members of Trinity Lutheran Church in Hagerstown met Malalai through their Food Pantry and Clothing Bank outreach.
While she was grateful for the helpful items Trinity provided, Malalai was anxious and tearful about how to start the complicated process of applying for asylum. Trinity created the Welcome Friends mission in an effort to provide friendship and support to this newly resettled refugee family. Through the generosity of Trinity and other community members, they were able to hire an immigration lawyer to assist them on their journey. After eighteen months of waiting, their dream has been realized and they have been granted asylum. Thanks be to God! Malalai expressed her tremendous gratitude, and that of her family, to Trinity for showing them so much love and support. She says she will be eternally grateful to the church.
Refugee Welcome Network continues the work
Since this family, eleven other refugee families and individuals from Afghanistan and one from Haiti have relocated to Hagerstown and requested assistance. Welcome Friends morphed into the larger Refugee Welcome Network (RWN) in an effort to meet these increased needs. Under the auspices of Hagerstown Area Religious Council (HARC), approximately 15 community members meet at least once monthly to facilitate support for our refugee community. We help procure affordable housing, jobs, school enrollment, household items, health care, and applicable social services. We have recently assisted three families with submitting asylum applications and are currently helping four families apply for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Employment Authorization Documents (EAD). Fortunately, God led a retired immigration lawyer to our team, so we no longer have to pay for legal counsel. Unfortunately, the pathway to eventual citizenship, which each of our families ardently desire, is expensive. The fee to apply for TPS and EAD’s for a family of four is $1,200.
New birth is celebrated
Daphnée C. moved to the U.S. with Humanitarian Parole, a work permit and social security number, and a 1-year-old boy. She found out after arriving that she was pregnant; meanwhile, her husband, who was supposed to follow a couple months later, is still stuck in Haiti since the U.S. embassy in Haiti closed due to civil unrest. Daphnée is on her own, but in the last few months has been surrounded by support from her church, St. Andrew’s United Methodist, and the RWN. RWN found her an apartment and has paid her rent while she approached the birth of her second child. Georges (pictured on the left), was born shortly before midnight Dec. 13 at Meritus, and is seen here at home in Hagerstown with his “big” brother, 16-mos. old Windsor. Mother and children are doing well, and are extremely grateful for the support and friendships developed during this time period. You can read her poem of thanks here.
Moving forward, help still needed
RWN held a retreat in November to help discern our path forward. Rental assistance for multiple families and current economic realities are daunting. However, we repeatedly have experienced God’s grace in providing talents and treasures when needed. Your prayers for this mission are very much sought and appreciated. If you are led to make a monetary donation, you can donate online here (designate to “refugees”) or make the check out to HARC and place “RWN” or “refugees” on the memo line and send to HARC, P.O. Box 1158, Hagerstown, MD 21741-1158. The donation is tax-deductible and would be greatly appreciated. Volunteers are also wanted! If you would like to become involved in this effort or have any questions, please contact refugeewelcome@harccoalition.org or call 301-842-4272.
