Church World Service Immigration and Refugee Program - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

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Church World Service of Lancaster serves the refugee and immigrant communities of Central Pennsylvania. Through hard work and a long-term commitment of support, people who once had no hope are discovering the means of transforming their lives. We work hand-in-hand with caring churches, organizations and individuals to provide help and homes to refugees, and work to build a hospitable community in the United States for uprooted people so that they can fashion a better future.

Our Cultural Support program needs you! 

The CWS/Lancaster Cultural Support (CS) program serves those refugees who have the greatest need for guidance and support by providing them with a network of resources. We have found the CS program to be essential in helping newly-arrived refugees become self-sufficient. Through September 2012, our goal is to raise $10,000 to support this vital work! Read more...

Sheila McGeehan: resettling refugees in Lancaster, Pa., for 25 years

Sheila McGeehan Photo: Jackie Sahd, CWS-Lancaster

Not many people can claim to have resettled thousands upon thousands of refugees to their hometown – but Sheila McGeehan can.

Since she began her work with the Church World Service Immigration and Refugee Program (CWS/IRP) 25 years ago, she has introduced refugees from all around the world to Lancaster, Pa. – the “tranquil, prosperous, safe, pretty” city she loves. Read more...

Church World Service resettles 5,318 refugees in FY 2011 toward 56,424 U.S. refugee program total

Delays resulting from the introduction of new U.S. Homeland Security checks in February contributed to a significant drop in U.S. refugee admissions in FY 2011 (Oct. 1, 2010 - Sept. 30, 2011), with Church World Service resettling 5,318 (down from 7,055 in FY 2010) toward a U.S. Refugee Admissions Program total of 56,424 (down from 74,654 in FY 2010).  Read more...

Chrisna Delasin employment success

Chrisna Delasin and her son Miguelson were "medevaced" to a Miami hospital after the devastating earthquake in Haiti. Miguelson had been trapped under a pile of rubble for three days.  After receiving treatment, they were given a long term temporary legal status and were resettled in Lancaster, Pa.  Despite ongoing hardships, they have embraced their new lives in Lancaster.  Read more...

Moving furniture and drinking tea

In this documentary video, twin brothers Maxwell and Richard Brooke capture the excitement of welcoming a refugee family (in this case, Bhutanese) to Lancaster, Pa.  As United Church of Christ volunteers, the brothers are spending a year filming and blogging UCC-sponsored volunteer service ministries across the United States.  Click here to read their Lancaster blogpost, and here to read the CWS news feature about their Lancaster stop.

A Future with Hope: Welcoming Refugees Video (DVD)

The new CWS DVD “A Future with Hope: Welcoming Refugees” (running time: 15:25) inspires and challenges viewers to extend friendship and practical assistance to refugees resettling in the United States.

Order online » | Watch a trailer on YouTube

To request a bibliography of recent news articles about the work of the CWS Lancaster office, email jsahd@churchworldservice.org.