In this episode of HomeTown, we speak with members of Neighbor to Neighbor’s own Tri-Parish Sponsor Circle team. This Sponsor Circle consists of three Episcopal parishes who have teamed up together with EMM’s Neighbor to Neighbor program to do the critical work of welcome with individuals arriving in their communities. I speak with Embry Howell and Rev. Julianne Buenting from All Souls Episcopal Church in Washington D.C., Jess Sanchez and Lacy Broemel from St. John’s Episcopal Church in Lafayette Square, Washington D.C., and Dana Martin from St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Arlington, VA about their process, experience, and call to this critical work of welcome.

Our Neighbor to Neighbor program is an official Sponsor Circle Umbrella under the Sponsor Circle Program for Afghans! **We are in urgent need of sponsor circles to support the move of Afghan newcomers into welcoming communities. You can play a critical role. To learn how you can be a community sponsor, visit: https://dfms.formstack.com/forms/initial_congregation_interest_form

Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram where we are @emmrefugees. To stay up to date on all new episodes, make sure to follow us wherever you get your podcasts on Spotify, iTunes, stitcher, Google play, or SoundCloud.

To support the ministry of welcome, make a gift to Episcopal Migration Ministries. With your help, we will continue to welcome and resettle refugees in communities across the country, offer support to asylum seekers, and create beloved community for all of our immigrant siblings. Visit episcopalmigrationministries.org/give or text HOMETOWN to 91999.

Our theme song composer is Abraham Mwinda Ikando. Find his music at abrahammwinda.bandcamp.com

About our Guests

Embry Howell is a member of All Souls Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C.  She heads up the parish efforts to sponsor an Afghan refugee family.  Previously, All Souls sponsored two other Afghan refugee families, and she was involved in those efforts as well.

Jess Sanchez is a lifelong Episcopalian and native Floridian, who moved to DC and joined St. John’s Church at Lafayette Square in 2010. She leads St. John’s Refugee Committee and believes passionately that radical and compassionate welcome is central to our mission as people of faith. She is a government attorney by day, and spends the rest of her waking hours with her toddler, Beau, husband, Alex, and boston terrier, Charlie.

Lacy Broemel is originally from Nashville, TN and now lives in Washington, DC. Lacy is a member of St. John’s Church, Lafayette Square.

The Rev. Julianne Buenting, PhD, is Interim Rector at All Souls Episcopal Church, D.C.  She specializes in transition ministry, and especially enjoying its community building and congregational development dimensions. She is committed to Christ’s radical inclusivity, peace and justice, and the joyful pursuit of deeper relationship with God and neighbor.  

Dana Martin is a retired attorney who lives in Arlington, VA. Dana holds his Juris Doctor degree from the Washington College of Law of American University in Washington, DC and his bachelor’s degree in Latin American Studies and Spanish from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He is a member of the District of Columbia Bar and has been admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court.

He spent his legal career with the Inter-American Development Bank (“IDB”) structuring complex sovereign financing operations for development with countries throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, including the project to create the first electricity market and regional transmission grid for Central America, Panama and Mexico.

Since retiring, Dana and his wife, Leyda Fajardo, have kept busy with a variety of volunteer activities, primarily through St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Arlington, VA where they are engaged in a number of community outreach activities especially with the Latin American community. He is one of St. Mary’s representatives on the Steering Committee for the Tri-parish Sponsor Circle for Afghan refugees, a ministry carried out jointly with St. John’s Episcopal Lafayette Square and All Souls Episcopal Washington DC. Dana is currently serving as Senior Warden at St. Mary’s. He also serves on the Superintendent of Arlington Public Schools Advisory Committee for Immigrant and Refugee Student concerns. Dana and Leyda have four children and seven grandchildren.

EMM’s Neighbor to Neighbor Program
Our Neighbor to Neighbor program is an official Sponsor Circle Umbrella under the Sponsor Circle Program for Afghans! **We are in urgent need of sponsor circles to support the move of Afghan newcomers into welcoming communities. You can play a critical role. To learn how you can be a community sponsor, visit https://dfms.formstack.com/forms/initial_congregation_interest_form

Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram where we are @emmrefugees. To stay up to date on all new episodes, make sure to follow us wherever you get your podcasts on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or SoundCloud.

To support the ministry of welcome, you can make a gift to Episcopal Migration Ministries. With your help, we will continue to welcome and resettle refugees in communities across the country, offer support to asylum seekers, and create beloved community for all of our immigrant siblings. Visit episcopalmigrationministries.org/give or text HOMETOWN to 91999.

Our theme song composer is Abraham Mwinda Ikando. Find his music at abrahammwinda.bandcamp.com