Welcome Network

Welcome Network

Welcome Network is the new name for the Welcome House Community Network, which was established in 2020 as a signature missions ministry of CBFNC to link churches across North Carolina and beyond who have Welcome Houses and other expressions of Christian hospitality ministries.

Welcome Network is a collaborative ministry that provides a tangible expression of every disciple’s call to love the stranger and to invite them into God’s beloved community as neighbor (Matt.25: 35-36). The Welcome Network empowers, connects and inspires local congregations to engage in ministries of welcome in their communities.

The goal of the network is to provide temporary housing and Christian hospitality to those in need in a variety of circumstances—from refugees to the homeless to victims of abuse and more. In just three short years, the ministry has grown to over 40 Welcome House expressions throughout North Carolina and beyond with about 60 churches engaging in this ministry of welcome in the name of Jesus.

 

Welcome Network Grants

Through funding from CBFNC, grants are available to churches seeking to establish a Welcome House ministry that addresses the needs of the vulnerable and housing insecure in their communities . Learn more here.

 

Welcome House

Welcome Network comprises local churches, community organizations, and individuals with resources to provide temporary housing for vulnerable neighbors. The “Welcome House” ministry emphasizes temporary housing for vetted refugees in partnership with local resettlement agencies. The need and opportunity to welcome others includes persons and families experiencing homelessness, abuse, justice involvement, and other challenges related to safe housing.

 

Welcome House Raleigh

Begun in 2015 by CBF Field Personnel Kim and Marc Wyatt, the initial Welcome House ministry was established in the Raleigh area as a partnership between CBFNC, local churches and refugee agencies in the Triangle.

Recognizing that the model of Welcome House Raleigh could be replicated and expanded across the entire state, CBFNC leaders began to see that God had bigger plans for this ministry. In August of 2020, the CBFNC Coordinating Council voted to adopt the Welcome Network as a signature missions program of CBFNC. Since then, the ministry has grown to over 40 expressions of Welcome Houses across North Carolina.

Visit Welcome House Raleigh Website

Stories of Welcome

 

Greenville Churches Collaborate to Establish New Welcome House

In the two years since the CBFNC Welcome Ride made a stop at the apartment complex owned by Oakmont Baptist Church in Greenville, the newest and easternmost Welcome House is just opening there. The dream that began then is now a reality.

Read more.

 

 

 

Welcome Network is About More Than Housing

The CBFNC Welcome House Community Network is about more than providing housing. It’s about prioritizing relational ministry that invites people to face challenges together, to work in ways that allow neighbors to form lasting relationships and to provide support to vulnerable neighbors that does not dismiss material needs but moves beyond them. One of the ways the network supports new neighbors is through English as a Second Language classes (ESL).

Read more.

 

 

 

In addition to the Welcome Network, CBFNC partners with many churches and individuals with ministries to immigrant populations.  To access resources on immigration, click here.