Refugees and Immigrants
city at peace
"The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt.” – Leviticus 19:34
Welcoming our Global Neighbors
Salem Alliance Church has a heart to extend the love of Jesus to refugees and immigrants. We believe that the Church is called to be at the forefront of welcoming global neighbors to our community, learning from them, and walking alongside them as they establish a new home. Our ministry to refugees & immigrants is called Baraka, which means “blessing” in a variety of languages. Through Baraka we seek to bless our global neighbors with God’s love through long-term practical, social & spiritual support. See below for a list of our programs and ways to get involved.
Salem Alliance has a speciality fund set-up to support Baraka's refugee ministry projects.
Our Pastors of Refugee Ministries, Doug and Anya Holcomb, are Global Workers in residence serving refugees in Salem, Oregon through Salem Alliance Church. Their ministry roles are support-funded through financial gifts to the Salem Alliance Holcomb Support Fund. Follow this link to learn more and give towards their support.
Baraka Ministries
The Airport Welcome Team greets new refugee families at the Portland Airport and provides transportation back to their new home in Salem. Airport arrivals are currently on pause. Please send us an email to join the team when they resume.
Baraka offers English classes for women. These classes provide a warm, relational environment for women to learn English and build community. Childcare is provided for kids from birth through age five.
Baraka English classes are currently full. Please complete the registration form below to be added to the waiting list.
Baraka Immigration Legal Services provides high-quality, low-cost immigration legal services to immigrants in the Willamette Valley. We are part of the Immigrant Connection National Network.
The Baraka Prayer Gathering is a place where refugees, immigrants, and friends gather every Sunday from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. to share a meal, worship, and pray in multiple languages.
Baraka Workforce Development empowers refugees to overcome employment barriers through paid job training and English education. Check out our information page to learn more!
Our Partners
We partner with All Nations Soccer to offer a soccer program for youth and young adults that provides weekly opportunities for community and character development around the most popular global sport. To learn more or get involved, contact Doug.
We partner with Ariana House to host youth discipleship activities, prayer retreats, and events for the refugee and immigrant community. To learn more or get involved, contact Jenny.
Questions?
Doug and Anya Holcomb, Pastors of Refugee Ministries, are here to help. Reach out to them and they'd be happy to
connect with you.
