Sundays at 8 a.m., 9 a.m., and 10:30 a.m. · Details

  8000 St. Martin's Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19118  ·   215.247.7466  ·       Give

St. Martin-in-the-Fields
  • Advent
  • Welcome
    • Mission & Values
    • COVID Protocol
    • Clergy & Staff
    • Lay Leadership
    • Space Rental
    • Calendar
  • Worship & Music
    • Music
    • Sermons
  • Transition Updates
  • Forming Faith
    • Children, Youth, and Families
    • Wellspring
  • Care
    • Prayers
    • Sacraments
    • Visits
  • Ministries & Groups
    • Stephen Ministry
    • Liturgical Ministries
    • Fellowship Ministries
    • Education, Formation, and Spiritual Ministries
    • Recovery Groups
    • Community Outreach
    • Community Engagement
  • Contact Us
    • Contact Us
    • Events & RSVP
    • Communications Request
  • Give
    • 2024 Stewardship Campaign
    • Make Your 2024 Pledge!
    • Give to St. Martin's
    • Planned Giving

Refugee Resettlement Ministry

The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the stranger as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

Who does the ministry serve?

Launched in 2016, the Refugee Resettlement Ministry (RRM) at St. Martin’s was created out of parishioners’ concern about the global refugee crisis. St. Martin’s Refugee Resettlement Ministry joins with leaders of faith communities, secular organizations, and citizens in the Philadelphia area to resettle refugees in a safe, secure, and welcoming environment.

St. Martin's is a member of the New Sanctuary Movement, with whom we have taken action over the past several years. Other collaborators include other churches in the Wissahickon Deanery, and the following:

  • HIAS PA
  • Nationalities Service Center
  • POWER's Live Free Strategy Team
  • Driving PA Forward Coalition
  • JUNTOS
  • Shut Down Berks Coalition
  • Church of the Crucifixion

How has RRM served the refugee community?

In October 2016, RRM began fundraising efforts in preparation to host a refugee family. In December 2016, St. Martin’s welcomed the Dahans, a Syrian refugee family of four, to Philadelphia.

A core group of 20 parishioners and community members, supported by untold numbers in the St. Martin’s community, ensured the Dahan family’s resettlement through generous donations of time, goods, and services. RRM has hosted several public and private fundraisers, raising more than $30,000, and St. Martin’s Committee Engagement Committee’s operating budget has contributed $20,000 to Samra’s LaSalle tuition.

Together, our community coordinated the Dahans' housing and transportation, and supported their access to health care, employment, and education.

In 2022, through the generosity of the congregation and others, the ministry raised $24,000 to help purchase a minivan for an Afghan refugee family of eight. The Payab family narrowly escaped Afghanistan before the Taliban takeover.

Also with generous donations from members of the congregation, RRM mounted a winter coat drive for asylum seekers arriving in Philadelphia from Texas.

During the pandemic:

  • RRM provided $6,000 in support of crucial work with immigrants and refugees.
  • We were able to provide housing and food for a displaced asylee from Venezuela and return him to a support system in New York.
  • We provided hundreds of immigrant families in South Philadelphia with diapers and supplies through JUNTOS and the Church of the Crucifixion.

Get Involved!

Anyone interested in working with and building up this ministry is welcome to join us for regular meetings. Contact RRM chair Jeff Meade. Meetings are Monday nights at 7:30.

You can also donate diapers to the ministry's weekly Diaper Drive. Read more here.

Jeff Meade

215-806-8028

More

Meeting Minutes

October 5, 2023

Feb 21, 2023


News

​Help Give a Boost to the Diaper Drive

​Help Give a Boost to the Diaper Drive

It’s a cool, drizzly Friday morning. In the parking lot across from St. Martin’s, Refugee Resettlement Ministry members Sandy Lentz and Lanie Dilks stand by their cars, waiting alongside the Blessed Baking volunteers, who are also bravin...
Read More
​Refugee Resettlement Ministry Coat Drive Comes to an End

​Refugee Resettlement Ministry Coat Drive Comes to an End

Many thanks to members of the St. Martin-in-the-Fields community for their incredible generosity in providing coats and other winter apparel for asylum seekers arriving by bus in Philadelphia. In the end, we received the equivalent of more than ...
Read More
Refugee Resettlement Winter Clothing Drive Update: ​Target Gift Cards for Asylum Seekers Still Needed

Refugee Resettlement Winter Clothing Drive Update: ​Target Gift Cards for Asylum Seekers Still Needed

Recently, we appealed to you for new and gently used winter coats and other cold-weather apparel for asylum seekers from Texas. We are delighted to announce that we have dozens of bags filled with your generous donations. Please dona...
Read More
Winter Coat Drive for Asylum Seekers from Texas

Winter Coat Drive for Asylum Seekers from Texas

St. Martin’s Refugee Resettlement Ministry Launches Winter Coat Drive for Asylum Seekers from Texas Asylum seekers from Texas are arriving by the busloads in Philadelphia, a Northeast Sanctuary hub, where they transition to other sites...
Read More
Come to Hospitality on January 15 to Reunite with the Dahans and Payabs, and Join Asylum Seekers Welcome Team

Come to Hospitality on January 15 to Reunite with the Dahans and Payabs, and Join Asylum Seekers Welcome Team

The Refugee Resettlement Ministry has been actively and personally involved in helping to resettle two families over the past few years. The Dahans arrived in Philadelphia from Syria in 2016 with two children, Ayman and Iman, and now a new...
Read More

Share this page: Refugee Resettlement Ministry
Community Engagement Community Engagement Committee Meeting Minutes Climate Action Team Under God: With Liberty & Justice for All POWER Local Organizing Committee Guatemala Companion Parish Ministry Refugee Resettlement Ministry St. James School

© 2023 St. Martin-in-the-Fields
8000 St. Martin's Lane · Philadelphia, PA 19118
215.247.7466
Privacy Policy · Powered by Membership Vision

  View Entire Post

Service Times

Join us online for Sunday morning worship!

  • 8:00 a.m. The Holy Eucharist (spoken)
  • 9:00 a.m. The Holy Eucharist for Children, Family, and Youth
  • 10:30 a.m. Choral Holy Eucharist

All services are available on our YouTube channel or by clicking here: StMartinEC.org/live

Location

St. Martin-in-the-Fields
8000 St. Martin's Lane
Philadelphia, PA 19118

Contact Us
215.247.7466

Newsletter Signup

Giving is an important component of a balanced spiritual life. Returning to God that which God has given us is a tangible way to express and grow our faith. There are many ways to provide financial support to the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. Thank you for your generosity.

Give Now Member Account Login Pledge Today