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The United Church of Christ (UCC), based in Cleveland, Ohio, is participating as a Bronze Sponsor in Global Cleveland's Welcoming Week events. Global Cleveland, established in 2011, aims to foster unity and community among international newcomers in Northeast Ohio by connecting them to opportunities and promoting an inviting environment for those seeking a new home. More about the organization’s mission can be found at https://globalcleveland.org/about/.
Gwendolyn Kochur, marketing director for Global Cleveland, highlighted the significance of the weeklong celebration: “Welcoming Week is a chance to gather and celebrate international newcomers who call Northeast Ohio their home. It’s a time to show our international-born neighbors that we appreciate them and value the contributions they make to our lives, whether those contributions be cultural, social, or economic. Immigrants and refugees are essential to our community, and we want them to build their lives here. Welcoming Week is the chance to make that known with a week of events that bring different communities together.”
Kochur also commented on UCC’s involvement: “The UCC has always understood our mission and goal to strengthen Northeast Ohio by welcoming our world. But they’ve done more than just understand our work, they’ve embodied it by putting values into practice. We’re proud to call UCC a Welcoming Week partner and look forward to future collaborations.”
Welcoming Week began on September 12 with an International Job and Resource Fair where Lakewood Congregational UCC shared information about its free conversational English classes held twice weekly.
Andrew Long-Higgins of the UCC’s Global HOPE ministry will join a panel discussion titled “From Neighborhoods to Nations: The Power of Sub-National Diplomacy” on September 18.
Long-Higgins explained the importance of this participation: “Within the UCC, many of our local churches, associations and conferences have long-standing bilateral relationships with local congregations around the world and we maintain a wide network of global partnerships via Global Ministries,” he said.
“We continue to engage in the development and maintenance of these relationships because we know the power of shared experience, the enrichment of different perspectives, and the joy of our shared humanity. At a time when the world’s divisions seem to grow deeper each hour, we know that in order to love our neighbor, we must actively seek to be neighbors of extravagant welcome.”
The week features several family-oriented events such as an Indian Cultural Festival on September 13 and celebrations for Hispanic-Latino Heritage Month on September 14.
On Monday night at Music Box Supper Club, members from UCC—including Megan Bergert (minister for refugee and migration services), her husband David Lin, Craig Hoffman (Global HOPE program assistant), and his husband Rev. Allen V. Harris—competed in a trivia competition during Global Trivia night.
Bergert reflected on their experience: “It was a great community event, and Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne attended, and shared remarks affirming his support for newcomers in the Greater Cleveland area. He encouraged a widespread welcome for immigrants to the community, which was energizing!”
A naturalization ceremony took place on Tuesday morning. Other scheduled activities include an evening at Slovenian National Home beer garden planned for Friday.
Details about all Welcoming Week activities are available at https://globalcleveland.org/events/welcoming-week-2025/.
