Open arms for refugees and immigrants
MCC East Coast walks alongside churches to provide relief and comfort
“Come…and you will see,” says John 1:39, MCC’s guiding scripture verse for 2025. Just as the disciples walked, learned and spent time with Jesus, MCC East Coast is walking alongside churches to provide comfort and relief to immigrants and refugees, from Maine to Puerto Rico.
A refugee is someone who has been forced to flee their country because of persecution, war or violence. People with refugee status who come to the U.S. do so through a legal pathway.
Open arms in south central Pennsylvania
In south central Pennsylvania, MCC East Coast brings together the people and resources of MCC, Church World Service (CWS) Lancaster, Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) and local churches to form a program called the Open Arms Network. Together, they work to provide a support network for refugees who are resettled in the area.
MCC’s support helps churches to expand their capacity to serve as the hands and feet of Christ. As a convening organization, MCC East Coast staff Rolando Flores-Rentas said, “We complement the work that churches are already doing – we provide not only economic incentives, but also moral support.” Rolando Flores-Rentas serves as Southcentral Pennsylvania Program Coordinator.
In 2024, Open Arms Network connected Lancaster Brethren in Christ (BIC) Church with MDS to complete the significant renovation of a home in the Lancaster, PA area that is now used as short-term housing for recently arrived refugees.
Members of an LMC congregation, Ministerios Peniel Internacional (Ephrata, Pa.), have used grants from MCC East Coast to purchase bus passes, furniture, household items, clothing and more for refugee families. They also provide spiritual and emotional support to family members. Pastor Reginaldo Hill recalled countless hospital visits, including in the early morning hours.
Having received their grant in late 2024, Assistant Pastor Celia Cardoza-Hill, also of Ministerios Peniel Internacional, said, “We were able to [support this family] through many different situations so that they live well in their new home and in this beautiful city.”
Hinkletown Mennonite Church (Ephrata, Pa.) also received a grant from MCC East Coast in late 2023 to support a refugee family of 9. Adam Fox, one of the volunteers, said, “Grant money has enabled our team to support the family in many essential ways…it is a tangible testimony to the interconnected and interdependent nature of the body of Christ.”
Responding tangibly throughout the East Coast
Amid spiking fear and concerns about increased Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) apprehensions, Anabaptist pastors and church leaders throughout the East Coast region, from Portland, Maine to San Juan, Puerto Rico, have continued to connect with MCC East Coast on immigration issues.
Staff in Philadelphia and South Florida facilitate virtual and in-person Know Your Rights workshops and provide bilingual Know Your Rights cards, also known as red cards, to church leaders and members. In Portland, New York City, and San Juan, MCC East Coast provides material resources including food boxes, hygiene kits, comforters and canned meat to immigrant congregations.
In Portland, MCC staff have facilitated trauma healing workshops to help individuals and families cope with past experiences including sexual violence and civil war.
In South Florida, staff continue to provide direct immigration services to help local Anabaptist church members find a legal pathway to remain in the U.S. MCC East Coast also sponsors community and church leaders’ participation in the 40-hour immigration training held multiple times a year at MCC headquarters in Akron, Pa.
Grant money has enabled our team to support the family in many essential ways...it is a tangible testimony to the interconnected and interdependent nature of the body of Christ.
Adam Fox
Volunteer from Hinkletown Mennonite Church (Ephrata, PA)
“The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.” – Leviticus 19:34 (NIV)
Welcoming the stranger
In the East Coast and across the U.S., MCC is joining churches in responding to Christ’s call to welcome the stranger. To find out how you can help, visit mcc.org/immigrant-neighbors or contact MCC East Coast at EastCoast@mcc.org or (215) 535-3624.
Caption for top photo: A "neighbor sign" is seen in front of a home in Pennsylvania in spring 2025. The English text, translated in Spanish and Arabic, reads, "No matter where you are from, we're glad you're our neighbor." MCC photo/Laura Pauls-Thomas
Immigration-related resources
Whether you're an immigrant or an ally, MCC has an ever-growing list of resources to aid in the struggle for immigration justice.
Migrant ally resources
Immigrant resources
