In the 1980s the Church responded to the call to serve Cambodian newcomers whose population boomed in the area during that decade. Over time, the need for this English language teaching ministry faded, but was reborn with the resurgence of refugee resettlement in the mid-2000s when RIS began resettling Somali Bantu, Meskhetian Turks and Burundian refugees in neighboring St. John's Woods Apartments.

Crestwood is a church of response to the need at their doorstep. When it was made aware of its neighbors, it jumped to action. Working closely with Suwattana Sugg and Jeff Sulik (the education staff of RIS at that time), Reverend Rob Burns, Kathy Davenport and others rounded up a corps of volunteer teachers and began to organize classes. RIS provided placement testing and initial orientation. Fortunately, some of the volunteers were experienced teachers, moved by the presence of refugee students at Crestwood Elementary School, and willing to extend their teaching days into the evening. Others made the leap of faith into unexplored territory.

The initial response of the newcomers seemed disappointing. No students arrived on the church's doorstep for the first class. Crestwood and RIS worked together to reach out and get the students to classes, and things changed dramatically. Attendance eventually peaked at about 70 adult students. RIS staff visited the class site almost weekly for the first year of the program for support and coordination. Participation among those registered for classes remains high, in part because the church has provided transportation to and from the church.

Now under the guidance of Diane Dallmyer, the program takes over the entire Crestwood facility, with the exception of the choir room and sanctuary, but including the VERITAS school building. At least four adult class levels are being taught at a given time, sometimes expanding to five. These comprise beginner, high beginner, intermediate, advanced and computer lab for beginners. The program is blessed to have a couple of dedicated teachers who are certified in ESOL.

Over time, word has gotten round among friends of the Crestwood crew, drawing in other interested volunteers. Classes for adults and programming for children and youth rely on the efforts of 20-25 volunteers each week. Recently, Deborah Lyle and Ellen Cross have provided leadership for an additional weekly tutoring session focusing on the African children.

Meanwhile, as Ellen Cross understatedly expressed, "It's not just the ESL classes; we have gotten more involved in the lives of the people." The church took on the sponsorship of one of the Burundian families and has remained involved. To Diane Dallmyer the program has produced multiple fruits. Members have taken the opportunity to welcome the stranger through teaching them an essential skill to rebuild their lives. She also sees the fulfillment of Crestwood's concept of itself as an international church as a number of participants of the same faith have joined the congregation. Also in that spirit, the church was pleased to provide space for large gatherings of African and Bhutanese communities at different times.

Once more, the resettlement locations of refugee arrivals are shifting, and Crestwood is again seeing itself at a crossroads. Soon they will be meeting to discern their next steps in responding to the needs of newcomers.

Carol McElhinney is
Richmond Office Director of
Refugee and Immigration Services