First Covenant Church has been aiding refugees in Sacramento since 2009.
On Wednesday, July 15, the SALAM Islamic Center in Sacramento honored the First Covenant Church of Sacramento with the Distinguished Award for Exceptional Interfaith Community Service at an annual interfaith Iftar to acknowledge the Evangelical church's involvement in helping Middle Eastern refugees transition into their new lives in California. For the last four years, First Covenant Church has hosted an annual Iftar, a meal breaking the fast observed by Muslims during the holy month of Ramadan, for SALAM members.
This is the first time such an award has been given by an American mosque to an Evangelical Christian church. According to the Sacramento Bee, over 200 guests were present at the banquet, including community members and local, state, and federal officials, to recognize First Covenant church for sponsoring more than 100 Muslim refugees fleeing political unrest from countries like Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan with material goods and emotional support since 2009.
Partnering with World Relief, an agency that aids refugees in finding apartments, members of First Covenant Church bring in staple food items and help clean and furnish the apartments with furniture, explained First Covenant Executive Pastor Mark Shetler during his acceptance speech.
"Then we have volunteers take them to the Social Security office, the Department of Social Services, help them register their kids for school, take them for medical appointments and also the first trip to the supermarket," Shetler said.
First Covenant Church has also set a program on Sundays that offers ESL classes, tutoring sessions, teen soccer, driver's ed, and practical skills training for job development for the refugees.
Metwalli Amer, a nationally known Muslim leader and executive director of SALAM, commended First Covenant for their willingness to welcome Muslim newcomers into the community and reaching out to the refugees by fostering friendship and understanding between the mosque and church community, regardless of differences in their beliefs. SALAM has given back to First Covenant Church through toy drives for the church's children last Easter and by inviting members of the church to Middle Eastern feasts. "SALAM is their second home, and First Covenant is our second home," Amer said during the banquet.
