News

Experience the Sights, Sounds, and Spirituality of the Holiday Season
at the Hagerstown Historic Houses of Worship Tour

A holiday tradition continues in downtown Hagerstown on Thursday, December 26 at the 11th Annual Historic Houses of Worship tour. The free, self-guided tour takes place from 3:00 to 7:00 pm and features eleven worship sites, all gatekeepers of history, art, literature, and architecture. Sites will share their ecumenical heritage, traditions, and music of the holiday season with visitors.

Many sites are located within walking distance of one another, and all sites are handicapped accessible. Light refreshments will be available at various locations. The tour brochure shows participating locations and all event details. Brochures can be picked up at participating worship sites or downloaded from the web at www.harccoalition.org

Attendees are encouraged to dine before or after the tour at one of the downtown establishments. From Puerto Rican to American fare a variety of options are available. https://www.hagerstownmd.org/685/Dine-Downtown

The event is hosted by the participating worship sites with support from the Hagerstown Area Regional Council, the City of Hagerstown, and Visit Hagerstown & Washington County CVB.

“What I love about the Historic Houses of Worship Tour is on what’s usually a quiet day, there are small and large groups walking in Downtown Hagerstown to expose themselves to the beautiful architecture of the houses of worship,” said Dan Spedden, president of Visit Hagerstown & Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau. “

In the event of inclement weather, visit HARC’s website at www.harccoalition.org or listen to WJEJ radio station, 104.3 FM and 1240 AM. In the event of cancellation, the tour will take place on December 27.

In a time of many divisions, the HARC Interfaith Thanksgiving Service held on Sunday, November 24, was a beautiful event full of unity amid appreciation of our differences. The multi-colored leaves on the bulletin cover illustrated this harmony: “[they] are all alike, yet all different. And they fit perfectly together.”

The service started with an Islamic call to prayer, concluded with a joyous song “Bringing in the Sheaves,” and featured speakers from Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Baha’i and Native American faith traditions as well as a large interfaith choir. 135 people attended the service. If you weren’t one of them, you can view the recording on Benevola UMC’s YouTube page. Many thanks to the many participants who made this service amazing, and to Benevola United Methodist Church for hosting this year.

   

The HARC Lighthouse After-School Program is a brand new program that started in Washington County Public Schools (WCPS) in September! At our November meeting, Kim Duncan, WCPS Community Schools Coordinator, shared information about Community Schools and the importance of this program and other wraparound services for children in our county. Angela Yamashita, the new Program Coordinator for Lighthouse, shared how the program is going so far and how others in the faith community can get involved. And Lighthouse Steering Team Leader Rev. Scott Winnette shared how we can all help. Watch the recording of this program HERE.

“Khan works at FedEx, often 10 hour days, and does so joyfully, happy to be there” shared Jane Powell, Refugee Welcome Network (RWN) volunteer and “ally” for Khan and his family.  In October, his hard work was recognized by FedEx when he received a Certificate of Excellence. This was a great joy for both Khan and Jane!”

I’m soooo proud of him I don’t know what to do,” Jane exclaimed.  “Oddly, he says the same of me!!!”  Jane has also learned and grown in her work with Khan and other refugees, and has become a friend to him and others.

Not only does Khan work hard at FedEx, but he also works hard to commute home each day after his long shifts. At 10:00 pm, he takes the Hopewell Express to Hagerstown, then Lyft home, since he lives on the north east end of town.  He found this way himself to cut down on the cost of Lyft since the Hopewell Express is free.  The Lyft rides are also currently free, thanks to the Rides United program of the United Way of Washington County, MD; the codes have saved Khan and his family hundreds of dollars in transportation costs. RWN Transportation Team volunteers have been taking Khan to work in the mornings, and they have also been driving his adult son and daughter to work at Amazon. The ride support has not only saved the family money, but ensured they could get to work on time without long and complex commutes.

Khan and Farida and their four children arrived in the U.S. on January 31, 2024 and came to Hagerstown shortly after, where the RWN began working with them. They were fortunate to have won the “lottery” to escape from Afghanistan with permanent residency granted to them in the U.S.  Yet getting here cost them the life they had – including a store that they owned and savings – and they had to start all over in a new country with work permits, but no English language skills. Since then, Khan has taught himself a solid level of English – “so much so that we can hold a conversation without Google!!!” says Jane.

With support and friendship from our RWN members, a church who paid their rent for one month (thank you First Christian Church!), and with their strength and determination to thrive in their new home, Khan and Family are now working hard and contributing to the Washington County Community, both economically and personally, with their kind spirits and beautiful culture. HARC and RWN are proud of them and grateful to call them friends, along with many other refugee families and individuals we’ve worked with this year.

A final note – Khan loves watching WWE wrestling; if you do, too, let us know if you want to make a new friend!

The Refugee Welcome Network is blessed to have many generous volunteers and donors, but we always need more help.  Allies to work with families like Khan’s are especially needed – walking side-by-side with a new friend isn’t always easy, but it’s incredibly rewarding and we’ll train and walk with you as you do so. We also need volunteers to haul furniture; if you have a truck, that’s hugely helpful.  As tax season approaches, volunteers willing to help families with taxes are also needed. There are many other volunteer roles that also help. Current household goods needs include: iron and ironing board, blender, vacuum cleaner, and 2 TV’s. If you can help with any of these, please contact refugeewelcome@harccoalition.org or 301-842-4272.  If you can’t help with those, a financial gift is a HUGE help as well – you can donate here.
 

MLK Day 2025 falls on Monday, January 20. Is your congregation, non-profit, or governmental office planning an observance? Let HARC know! If you are planning a special service, a community improvement event, a special meal to honor the life and work of Dr. King, please provide the details (and a flyer, if you have one) to us at info@harccoalition,org. Potential attendees and volunteers are seeking some way to honor the legacy of Dr. King. Help us to link them up with your ministry/event!