Old Lyme The Rev. Steven R. Jungkeit, senior minister at the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme, has helped turn the historic house of worship into a home for social justice.
The church itself provided physical sanctuary to a Pakistani couple facing deportation for 212 days in 2018. The year before, the congregation purchased a home in Old Lyme to welcome refugees in perpetuity, Jungkeit said. Guests have included refugees from Syria and Congo, as well as climate refugees from Puerto Rico in the months following Hurricane Maria. Members of the church community have also helped many more refugees find housing, jobs and, ultimately, the official go-ahead to remain in the United States.