Refugee Employment & Language Outreach

Salem Alliance Church | Salem, OR
Initiative: Refugee Apprenticeships & Curriculum for Baraka English Program
2023 Grant: $30,000

Creating Personal and Professional Opportunities for Refugees to Thrive

Salem, Oregon has been a popular resettlement location for refugees since 2015, due to its lower cost of living compared to nearby Portland. In 2021, the U.S. State Department named Salem an official resettlement city. Refugees come from countries all over the world, including Afghanistan, Syria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ukraine, and Venezuela, to be resettled—but as part of the U.S. Reception & Placement Program, they only receive enough federal support to last 90 days. After the first three months, they are expected to have jobs to support themselves, which can be difficult as they try to learn a new culture and language.

Leaders at Salem Alliance Church saw the gap in resources for refugees in their community and founded several programs to fill that gap.

“We believe God’s heart for refugees and immigrants is clear throughout scripture,” says Anya Holcomb, pastor of refugee ministries at Salem Alliance Church. “He asks his people to welcome the stranger, love our neighbors as ourselves, and care for the least of these. Salem Alliance Church seeks to live out God’s heart by extending the love of Jesus to our global neighbors. We want to be at the forefront of welcoming them to our community, learning from them, and walking alongside them as they establish a new home in Salem.”

Through the Kingdom Advancing Grant, the church was awarded $30,000 to support Sparrow Furniture, its manufacturing and woodworking business that provides paid apprenticeships for refugees, and its Baraka English program, which offers English classes and childcare for women learning the language.

Through these two programs, Salem Alliance Church shares the love of Christ by helping refugees build both professional and personal relationships in their community and equipping them to thrive in the United States.

About Sparrow Furniture

Sparrow Furniture was first opened in 2017 to provide paid apprenticeships for refugees, equipping them with manufacturing skills and English lessons to help them secure long-term employment. The average apprenticeship with Sparrow Furniture lasts around 14 months, after which refugees work with staff members at Sparrow Furniture to build a resume and connect to a local business owner who can offer them a job.

“All of the apprentices who have completed our program have moved on to better-paying, full-time jobs all over the country,” says Thomas Berney, development coordinator at Sparrow Furniture. “We’ve also had businesses where we’ve encouraged refugees to apply reach out to us and ask to be connected to more of our apprentices because they’ve been so happy with the results of the program.”

About the Baraka English Program

When Salem became an official resettlement city in 2021, approximately 300 refugees per year began to arrive in Salem. Salem Alliance Church’s Refugee Ministry Team recognized that the increase in refugees would also create new needs and opportunities to serve, so they conducted a needs assessment with new refugee arrivals and community partners. Results showed that two of the top needs of refugees and immigrants were language-learning and community-building opportunities for women.

“Many women with young children were stuck in their homes all day, with no access to English classes or local relationships,” says Anya. “There weren’t any English classes in our community that provided transportation and childcare.”

After consulting with several other church-based English programs around the country, Salem Alliance Church’s team determined that providing English classes—along with free transportation and childcare—would allow them to meet significant felt needs of refugee women and build mutually transformative relationships.

In February of 2023, the Baraka English Program launched. Classes filled on the first day, and there are currently 70 women and 40 children from 17 different countries participating each week. More than 50 volunteers from the church invest in these families by serving as English teachers, hospitality hosts, childcare workers, and bus drivers. “Baraka” means “blessing” in many languages around the globe, which is a fitting name for a ministry designed to bless refugees and immigrants who may struggle to find belonging and hope.

“The programs at Salem Alliance Church are an investment into the lives of our new refugee neighbors, empowering them with language and work skills,” says Thomas. “As the world comes to Salem, we seek to be a place of rest and support for refugees, immigrants, and asylum-seekers.

The Kingdom Advancing Grant will help Salem Alliance Church expand opportunities within both Sparrow Furniture and the Baraka English Program. It will allow for the hiring of more apprentices by providing funding for their wages. Other grant dollars will be directed toward expanded staffing for Baraka English and purchasing additional English curriculum.

As volunteers, ministers, and staffers at Salem Alliance Church continue to welcome the stranger in their community, they also hope to create a replicable model that churches in other resettlement cities can use to empower refugees with English knowledge and employable skills.