First Congregational Church
of Ashfield
Creating Community, Welcoming All
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COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD Hilltown Churches Food Pantry Distributions: Tuesdays, 3-5 June 24, July 8 & 22 American Civil LIberties Union (ACLU) Benefit Concert Ashfield Town Hall, Sunday, June 15, 6-8 pm Sunday, June 15 at Ashfield’s Town Hall there will be 6 musical acts, all for the benefit of the American Civil LIberties Union (ACLU). The event goes from 6-8 p.m. and includes Jay Mankita (songwriter, guitarist); Bob Markey and Jim Matus (Indian Classical Music); Peter Siegel (songwriter and founder of the Gaslight Tinkers); Sisters of the Circle (folk duo Sarah Pirtle and Christy Grescek); Mica Farias Gomez and Manuel Uriona (NU-FOLK Argentina); and Windborne (international, vocal harmonies). This is going to be a fabulous show and we hope to raise lots of money for a great cause! Suggested donation is from $15-$1,500. You are invited (and encouraged) to give Generously! Due to space limitations it is recommended that you reserve your tickets in advance. Call 617-417-3777 (up to June 14) or donate / get your tickets to the folks at the Ashfield Hardware Store. Checks may be made out to ACLU Foundation of Western MA and note Ashfield Benefit Concert in the memo. Donations are greatly appreciated, even if you can’t make it to the concert. The address for the MA ACLU is: 1 Center Plaza, Suite 850, Boston, MA 02108. 
Ahmadi Family Update
From Ashfield Churches Together UPDATE - 5/29/25: Because of the recent announcement about the removal of Temporary Protection Status for Afghans in the US, we asked Jafar to clarify their situation. We will keep you posted as their situation evolves. And please share this with anyone you know who might want to support this particular family of refugees. From Jafar: Thank you so much for your message and your care — it truly means a lot to us, especially during these uncertain times. We feel so fortunate to have your support and the kindness of the Ashfield community behind us. Yes, your understanding is mostly correct. We are not in the TPS program. I’m currently in the U.S. on a J-1 visa, and Zeinab is here on a J-2 as my spouse. I’ve applied for an EB2 visa, and our family has also filed for asylum. We will be moving to another location in Red Hook at the end of June, but we haven’t finalized the new address yet. As soon as we do, I’ll send it along so you can kindly share it with anyone who wants to reach out. Your messages and gestures of support mean more than words can express — they give us strength and hope. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Like so many innocent people, the Ahmadi family has been caught up in the USAID and immigration turmoil in DC. Today the family is still in Red Hook, NY, where Jafar is a psychologist and research scholar at Bard College. Zeinab was working remotely with Afghan girls and women who escaped to Pakistan, but one of President Trump’s Executive Orders canceled funding for that program, so now she has no income. Work Situation Jafar’s position at Bard ends in July, so he must find work elsewhere, or remote work. He has applied for positions at academic and research institutions but has not received any responses. Jackie Baillargeon, the Deputy Director of the Threatened Scholars Initiative at Bard, sent us this message, “Jafar needs a job because he has to leave Bard in July. He is an amazing researcher so I imagine he could do research on many issues. A remote job would be great so the family can stay in Red Hook, and it is also possible he could travel for a hybrid position 3 days a week. Zeinab is also a good researcher and teacher, and she’s good at administrative tasks. She would really like to get into a psychology PhD program. If folks in your community have ideas, please reach out. July is not that far away.” Immigration Status Jafar said this about their immigration status: The new administration will affect our status. It will make the case processing very slow and rejections will increase. However, I have submitted two applications to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The first form for asylum was submitted in May 2023. The fingerprinting was completed, and we are waiting for the interview appointment. Additionally, I submitted the I-140 EB-2 NIW form to USCIS in May 2024. If we receive approval for that, we can obtain a green card or residency without having to go through the asylum process. So far, the attorney fees and filing costs have amounted to approximately $5,800. If this application is approved, medical expenses [$200-300 per family member] and the green card application [$2,000-3,000 for family] will be necessary. With new White House announcements, we expect the process to be delayed, but we trust God. How you can help this family 1. Send notes of support to 32 Old Rt. 199, Red Hook, NY 12571. Or email greetings. Jafar’s email is sjahmadi2002 at gmail.com. Zeinab’s email is zm.musavi2020 at gmail.com 2. Help them defray immigration costs. Send a check to St. John’s Episcopal Church with “For the Ahmadi Family” written on the Memo line (PO Box 253, Ashfield, MA 01330). Your donation will be tax deductible, and we will forward all of the funds to the family. 3. Make inquiries about PhD programs and research positions in your networks. On behalf of Jafar, Zeinab, and their children, thank you for your support over the past three years. Annie Cheatham and Sue Craft for Ashfield Churches Together |
People who ask for the Holy Spirit to come to us–into our hearts, into the community we live in, and to our earth–don’t want to flee into heaven or to be snatched away into the next world. They have hope for their hearts, their community and this earth. The petition for the coming of the divine Spirit to us frail earthly people implies a great, unbroken affirmation of life. — Jurgen Moltmann
OF NOTE:
IN PERSON & ZOOM WORSHIP First Congregational Church continues in-person Sunday services at 10AM, masks optional. Join the Sunday Zoom service here.
Meeting ID: 878 8863 1016 
Find previous recordings here.
♫ Happy Summer! ♫ Ashtones and Coffee Hour 6/1, 7/6 (Lakeside), 8/3, 9/7 
"It’s in that convergence of spiritual people becoming active and active people becoming spiritual that the hope of humanity now rests."
VAN JONES 
Recording of Sherrill Hogen’s talk about her most recent trip to Palestine From Traprock Center for Peace and Justice and Sherrill: Here is a link to the talk by Sherrill on July 24th: “Let’s Talk About Palestine."We are delighted to be able to offer it to you here, in full, courtesy of Greenfield Community TV: https://youtu.be/jBjQDSp2hmM
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Creating Community, Welcoming All
Welcome
“Creating Community, Welcoming All” -- Those words sum up our aspirations for our Ashfield church. For over 250 years, we have been group of people who strive to know God — in each other, in our life together, in the wider community, and in ourselves. Read more. |
Worship
First Congregational Church of Ashfield is offering both in-person worship services and on-line access for those who wish to connect virtually. To receive information about online services, contact [email protected]. Read more. |
Spiritual Resources
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