“People Helping People”: Faith groups respond to “Stop Work” order, Donate $10,000 to IRIS
Five congregations around the Southern Connecticut area donated $10,000 to Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services amidst a federal “Stop Work” order.

Joshua Baehring
Last Friday, the U.S. State Department issued a “stop work” order causing federal agencies like Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services, or IRIS, to immediately end their spending on helping refugees and immigrants. Following this, the Trump administration announced an executive order suspending U.S. refugee resettlement.
In response, five local faith groups — Christ Episcopal Church, St. George Catholic Church, First Congregational Church, Temple Beth Tikvah and North Madison Congregational Church — donated $10,000 to support IRIS as they face threats to their funding.
Rev. Gini King DIV ’84 of First Congregational Church emphasized that this donation was inspired by her faith.
“We want the public to know that the values of kindness and compassion and helping others is a value we hold high in contrast to what our government is doing, with all of the executive orders taking place,” King said.
King explained that the funds had been left over from a previous effort the five congregations made to co-sponsor a family of 11 refugees from Afghanistan in 2011.
“When we learned about this recent mess, we suggested we give IRIS the $10,000 to help them with their immediate needs, because their funds were cut off. So that’s what we did,” Jennifer Hubner, a member of Christ Episcopal Church of Guilford, said.
She spoke of hearing her priest this past weekend about calling for mercy. When she heard this call, Hubner stood up and applauded in tears.
“Your soul just can’t bear what’s happening, never mind your mind,” Hubner added. “My faith as a creature on the planet, not to mention a Christian, is outraged. It’s just inhumane.”
Claudia Buzzi, who is involved with First Congregational Church, said that supporting immigrants and refugees is not only done out of faith, but also because her grandparents were immigrants.
“It’s a feeling of doing the right thing, doing the moral thing, and then looking around and seeing all these people that came from other countries who are here now and settled and being great neighbors and friends. And why not? Why not expand that? We want to welcome people to our communities. We don’t want to turn them away,” Buzzi said.
Robin Baslaw, who serves on the social justice committee at Temple Beth Tikvah, echoed Buzzi’s sentiment. She as well as many at her synagogue are sons and daughters of refugees. She mentioned the commandment to welcome the stranger that echoes throughout the Hebrew Bible.
“It’s just people helping people,” Baslaw said.
IRIS’s New Haven Office is located at 235 Nicoll St.
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