The First Parish Church of Gorham (United Church of Christ) has recently announced a major new refugee housing initiative which its members believe will bring its mission of serving the community to a new level. In an interview, Pastor Christine Dyke said, “Our beliefs are rooted in the faith that what we have is not just for us. We believe we must care for each other and the earth.” Those beliefs have guided a variety of initiatives.

The church’s latest initiative will support four refugee families, (12-16 people) with housing. Back in the late 1980’s, the church added a 47,000-square-foot addition to the building to support its large Sunday school population and other programs.

Over time this space has become less used, and the question was asked, “Why do we have all this extra space and how can we better utilize it?” After a careful information gathering and sharing process, it was decided by 100% of the congregation to apply for a grant through Maine Housing that would assist refugees who are seeking asylum and in need of housing.

First Parish Church was awarded a 2-year grant for $376,250 which will pay for the renovation of space and some of the program costs for the first year. Showing strong support, 86% of the congregation voted to accept the grant. Work will begin soon, and the project will be completed and ready for occupancy by October 31, 2023.

The space to be converted will be for congregate living. Each family will have their own bedroom and shared common space including a kitchen. Great Falls Construction has been selected as the contractor for the project. Amy Leddy will serve as project manager and John Milano as the church point person.

An important part of helping the refugee families will be to provide them with support. Greater Portland Family Promise will provide a case worker for 10 hours a week. The church will establish a committee to oversee the grant implementation. This 6- to 8-person Oversight Committee will be formed with representatives from Missions, the Church Executive Council, along with congregation and community members. Each of the four families will be assigned two “Buddy Families” from the congregation to assist them. So that everyone knows what is expected of them there will be a written agreement with each family regarding space rules, expectations, and payment of rent.

First Parish has many initiatives that support its beliefs. The church has had a longstanding relationship with the Courage House located across the street. They supply bedding and other essentials along with Thanksgiving dinner for the residents and in return, the residents of the Courage House assist the church with room setups. The belief that taking care of the earth is the responsibility of all of us is reflected in three of the church’s improvements. Two charging stations for electric vehicles have been installed in the parking lot, heat pumps have been installed in part of the annex building and 66 solar panels will be installed in July.