Ministry:  UTOPIA Missionaries & Dorcas Ministry

Location:  Brooklyn, NY

Project:  Building purchase by UTOPIA with funding raised by Eastern District Association and EFCA

Story:  There are 2 constants in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn.
1. Housing costs are very high
2. Lots of immigrants are moving into the neighborhood

The story of the building at 6611 Fort Hamilton Parkway chronicles how God used a former immigrant to the U.S. to help our Free Church ministries deal with those two realities. A member of one of our Free Churches was selling his 3 story building which had housing units and commercial space. When he came to the U.S. from Sicily many years ago, a church reached out to his immigrant family and as a result, he came to Christ. He thought, "how wonderful it would be if God can use this building to do the same for today's immigrant population."  With fund raising efforts by the Eastern District and the ministries below, and with help from Christian Investors Foundation, that dream has become a reality.

Dorcas Ministries: Grace Mo and Rebecca Lee give leadership to Dorcas Ministries, which is housed on the first floor.  Their ministry is to Chinese immigrant workers.  Dorcas Ministries provides a friendly place for Chinese immigrants to get all kinds of help. There are over 100 people enrolled in English classes and there is a waiting list of that many more. They can get letters translated, forms filled out, and questions answered about housing, jobs, and everyday life. They have part-time and volunteer staff that helps deliver these services. In the summer, they have had a 6-7 week day school for children and recently they started a Saturday school for children to learn to read and write Chinese. In other words, the Dorcas Center is helping to meet needs in the community.

The life of an immigrant is hard to imagine for those of us who have always lived in this country.  Imagine not speaking the language, not understanding the culture, not knowing if someone is trying to help or take advantage of you.  That is where Dorcas comes in. The immigrants have learned to trust Grace and Rebecca and their team.  "They see us as different," explains Grace.  Dan Reeve, Director of Urban Ministry for the EFCA, gets excited talking about the plans and successes of Dorcas, "The center is growing so rapidly and we are planning to expand toward ministry to kids." 

Proverbs 31:8-9 talks about caring for the poor and for those in need.  Those who serve in the Dorcas Ministry are certainly exemplifying these verses when they serve these hard working people by "speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves" as well as the many other ways they serve the Chinese workers in their midst.

UTOPIA (Urban Target Outreach Project in America): The upper floors have been used for missionary housing.  "UTOPIA missionaries are a bright light to the churches of New York City," comments Dan Reeve.  These young adults commit to 1-2 years of service and they serve our local urban churches that lack the resources to hire needed ministry staff. To have affordable housing is an incredible blessing.

Courtney Little is one of these missionaries.  When you listen to all the areas of ministry and responsibility, you'll want to ask Courtney when she sleeps or eats!  Courtney is a missionary working for the Arab Evangelical Free Church in Brooklyn. Wednesday afternoons are dedicated to Homework Helpers where she helps 8 Arabic students with their homework.  The families have all come to Brooklyn, NY within the last 2 years, over half within the last year.  English is very new to all of them.  Courtney also gives her time teaching Sunday School to the kids between 4 and 12 years old.  At the Arab American Friendship Center, she teaches 3 English classes a week to adults learning intermediate English.  To fill up her days, Courtney is working with the 3 congregations that meet in First Free Brooklyn - English, Arab and Chinese - to plan Summer Splash 2007.  This youth program is set to take place over 4 weeks in July.  Each week will have a youth activity in the afternoon - Music Camp, Sport Clinics, Basketball Tournament, Block Parties and more.  The English congregation is also putting on a vacation Bible school in the mornings for neighborhood children.  The goal is to reach 75 children each morning and afternoon of each week, totaling 150 young lives touched with love.  Courtney explains "the church is next to a park and it's always filled with kids, so it's possible!"

All these wonderful things are able happen because God stirred someone to sell the building at a very reasonable rate to Eastern District Association (EDA) and Urban Ministries.  These ministries then came to CIF for a loan to complete the transaction.  Now God is able to be seen by people in different cultures that may otherwise go without knowing how much He loves them and cares about their circumstances.  "Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." Luke 12: 6-7.