Olympics Not the Only Breaker of National Barriers

A Reflection from Galilee Ministries of East Charlotte

By Toni Hagerman

In these last weeks of summer, barriers are coming down all over the globe as the world comes together to watch the Olympic Games. But it's not the only place where obstacles to relationship are coming down. Except unlike the Olympics, it happens every day at Galilee Ministries of East Charlotte.

Program Coordinator Toni Hagerman shared a reflection on life at the ministry during a recent week.

Galilee Ministries of East Charlotte (GMEC) has been up and running for a little over a year now. GMEC, on behalf of the Diocese of North Carolina, operates the Galilee Center on Central Avenue in Charlotte six days a week. In addition to GMEC, six other entities share the building, including Central Piedmont Community College (English and citizenship classes); Refugee Support Services; Loaves & Fishes food pantry; Charlotte Community Kitchen (community meals); Catholic Charities (after school, youth programs and citizenship classes); and Cross Cultural Counseling (mental health services.)

Every week we are amazed at the opportunities we have to witness lives changing right before our eyes. I am privileged to serve as the on-site coordinator for the center, and I want to share with you a few of the special moments that happened over the past week or so.

This past Thursday, I had the opportunity to sit down for several hours with 14 women who were making knit hats. Together, we represented people born in Pakistan, Germany, Switzerland, Bhutan, the mountain highlands of Vietnam, and five different states in the U.S. We talked about faith a little bit. Some of the women go to church. Some to mosque.

The refugee ladies were all talking about going to a pool party later in August at the Jewish Community Center (JCC). The JCC is providing towels, bathing suits and little mesh bags for everyone who signs up for the party. The Muslim women told us about the types of bathing suits they wear to remain covered, which led us to conversation about bias they feel against them because they wear the hijab. And yet, still, these Muslim women were discussing the possibility of attending the pool party at the JCC!

Barriers are coming down. Friendships are forming. Understanding and empathy are developing across language and cultural barriers.

Thursday was not an isolated incident. On Wednesday, there was standing room only in the conference room for the Refugee 101 class. This is a class where people from the community meet for an hour and a half to learn more about refugees and how they can be involved in welcoming and supporting the refugee community. People are coming out of the woodwork!

We have been meeting individually with the nonprofits that share the building to discuss renewal of their agreements with the Diocese. On Friday, we met with the Refugee Education Program Coordinator for the community college. She shared with us that the English students love coming to Galilee Center. They feel a difference here. They like it better than the other locations for English classes, so she is hoping to move more of her students to Galilee this fall.

What is different about Galilee Center?  Why do the students want to come here?  I'm not sure, but I do know we have made a focused effort to make Galilee a welcoming place. We provide coffee, tea and snacks in the morning, offer community garden space for those who would like to grow vegetables, and are currently creating a multi-faith spirituality center to support the spiritual life of people of all faiths. Somehow all of this has created a space where people feel at home. We are grateful! 

A few weeks ago 40 middle school youth from the Episcopal Outreach Camp spent the entire day at Galilee. They did service projects in the morning and sponsored a dinner and movie night for the community in the evening. During the afternoon, we introduced them to our new Galilee Refugee Experience Simulation game. Their youth leaders had warned us that many of the youth come from families who think refugees should all be made to leave the U.S., but, at the end of the game when we debriefed, all of the kids were very engaged and thoughtful. Since then I've heard a few individual stories about youth who were very moved by their time at Galilee.  

One by one, little by little. In this time characterized by hate and fear in our politics, I'm thrilled to witness the "kingdom come" at Galilee Center.  

There are plenty of opportunities to witness this. We currently are in need of folks to serve in our reception area on weekday mornings, welcoming and directing people as they come to the center. If you have an hour or two to give once a week or once a month, consider giving it at Galilee Center. You may find that you, too, are one of the many people who feel that the Galilee Center is their second home. 

Thank you for the opportunity to serve with you! 

Peace,

Toni Hagerman