Olive St. Center Addresses Needs of Immigrants in El Centro, CA
Vesper Society links arms with leaders of overlooked communities that want to create a healthy future. Pastor Ron Griffen, serving the rural community of El Centro in Imperial County, California, is such a leader. Shortly after Pastor Ron came to serve at the First United Methodist Church (FUMC), they began having a series of meetings to discuss the direction of the church. One of the goals was to develop programs to meet unmet needs, especially within the Hispanic community.
El Centro is on the border of California and Mexico with a population that is 80% Latino. Knowing this community faces a lot of issues regarding immigration, they developed several programs to help provide service and partnership. These programs are now housed in the church’s Olive Street Center.
In the spring of 2013, FUMC sponsored its first English Conversation Class at the Olive Street Center for those wanting to improve and practice their English speaking skills. This group has met for the past six years on a weekly basis. Both church and community members provide support, and classes are filled with sharing, laughing and learning.
In 2015, the church sponsored free citizenship classes that offer 8 to 12-week sessions throughout the year. It is indeed an exciting time when a student passes their Citizenship test, attends their Naturalization Ceremony and returns to show their newly acquired Citizenship papers to the class. It is with great pride that they often state, “I can now vote.” Mr. Cesar Guzman, community college instructor, has graciously provided the instruction for the classes and is humbly thrilled with how they have improved the health and well-being of the community.
In the same year, FUMC sponsored an Immigration Legal Clinic which went on to partner with National Justice for Our Neighbors and became JFON-Imperial Valley. It is a ministry of hospitality that welcomes immigrants and provides low cost or free, high-quality immigration legal services and includes a broad range of immigration representation, including asylum, immigrant victims of abuse, and naturalization. Some of those assisted through JFON have waited 15 to 20 years to obtain their legal documentation.
Ann Featherstone, a church council member, shared a story she heard from a friend who is a border patrol agent. Not long ago he experienced a situation involving an immigrant father and his five-year-old son who were detained at the border. The family was separated and the Border agent was charged with transporting the child to another location on the coast. The child was traumatized and inconsolable after being taken from his father, but after a while, the agent noticed he was gaining control over his emotions. The young boy began singing, quietly at first, and then louder. He was signing songs of praise to God. Featherstone relayed that as we think about change and ponder its meaning, perhaps the example of this little boy can help us feel acceptance and faith as we experience the peace of God’s love.
Christy Alvarez, site director for JFON, told us a story of Maria and Martha, a mother and daughter. They came to the US from Honduras three years ago and during that time applied for legal status and work permits while staying in a Women’s Shelter. Struggling to receive a status update, these two women were going to lose their space at the shelter. Christy and an attorney partnered to help them get their work permits, establishing a more long-term solution to their situation. After 18 long months of waiting, the women shed tears of joy knowing they now had a chance to make a home here.
For many immigrants, whatever their legal status, Olive Street Center has become a familiar and safe place where they can meet and become empowered to meet their personal goals and live a more fulfilled life as part of their community.