Mission Yearbook: Colorado Springs church ‘the little church that could’

In order to house its immigrant neighbors, Gateway Presbyterian Church in
Colorado Springs, Colo., has transformed a former manse into House Next
Door Ministry. (Contributed photo)

In 2022, Gateway Presbyterian Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, began offering its manse for use by refugees coming from Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. Named “The House Next Door,” the ministry started after Ruling Elder Paula Warrell was moved by news reports of Afghan refugees being resettled in Colorado. She proposed utilizing the church’s unused manse to accommodate the transitional housing needs of new arrivals to the United States.

Constructed before the church building, the manse’s basement was the first worship space along with housing the pastor’s family. In the early 2000s, the church’s pastor purchased a home in the community and the church began renting the manse. After a period of discernment, the church decided to change direction with the manse’s use.

“I asked [the session], ‘Do you feel called to be landlords?’” said the Rev. Dr. Victoria Isaacs, the church’s pastor since 2019. The response from church leadership was they wanted to use the manse for other ministries. A $30,000 remodeling effort and 1,500 volunteer hours transformed and updated the manse following the end of the rental agreement and the space was ready to receive refugees by 2022. Watch a video on that process here.

The church partnered with the Lutheran Family Services refugee and asylee program to offer a comprehensive welcome to families relocating the U.S. Lutheran Family Services provides legal services, educational and job assistance, financial guidance and support, translators and social services to the families. As per the guidelines of Lutheran Family Services, Gateway Presbyterian provides six months of transitional housing, an initial furniture and home goods setup, mentoring, day-to-day assistance and companionship.

Church member Scott Lyon leads the refugee mentorship program, saying, “We mentors certainly get as much out of the experience as the refugees.”

Now serving its fourth family, The House Next Door has helped two families from Afghanistan and a Syrian family and recently received an Iraqi family. With anywhere from five to seven active mentors at any time, Lyon said there is great enthusiasm at the church for participating in the ministry.

“I make periodic announcements during church services, and I’m sometimes surprised by the number of people that come up to me,” he said. “People are looking for ways to help. I mean, that’s why you join churches — to be a part of something good and meaningful.”

Lyon said mentors commit to an hour or two a week, helping with daily logistics, shopping and navigating a new cultural context. Refugee children are enrolled in local schools and working-age adults, depending on their language skills, find work in the community.

While communication is often a challenge, Lyon said he’s learned the pleasantries of Arabic and Dari, but adds, “a smile helps you communicate mostly what you need to know” in many situations. The father of one family and Lyon were able to communicate using basic Spanish — both calling on decades-old language acquisition to piece together simple conversations.

Isaacs recognizes how much members of the congregation have given to the mission of The House Next Door. From donations of food and furniture, to crossing cultural and religious boundaries, and learning the basics of food stamps and the immigration process, it has been a growing and learning experience.

“It’s like the old model of mission where you go to help somebody and instead you grow so much,” she said. “[The mentors] have poured themselves into these families. They learn so much about another faith and another culture, but they also learn that humanity is humanity — we’re all human and have a lot of similarities.”

Another positive byproduct of the ministry is how it has activated members of the church to see mission all around them and lets newcomers see the church is putting its faith into action.

“Many of the people who are involved are newer members,” she said. “This has been something that has been interesting, intriguing and attractive to our newer members — like we're actually doing something, getting our hands dirty.”

Gregg Brekke for the Presbyterian Foundation (Click here to read original PNS story)

Let us join in prayer for:

• Sherri Finke, Ministry Relations Officer, Presbyterian Foundation 
• Tina Finley, Accounting Clerk, Central Receiving Services, Administrative Services Group (A Corp) 

Let us pray:

Gracious God, we give thanks for moments when we can see the work we do in your name. We are grateful that new life can arise from loss and possibility of disaster. We give thanks for those who give of themselves so that others might have hope. Amen.