Kenilworth Union’s Adult Education program is offering a two-part speaker series on refugees. On Tuesday, October 12, Bill Evertsberg will discuss scriptural background on how to receive refugees, and some history on the American welcome of refugees and immigrants.
On Monday, October 25, Sara Spoonheim Amit, Director of Development and Jims Porter Communications and Advocacy Manager both from the non-profit Outreach agency RefugeeOne, will discuss how to get involved in service to refugee families. As the largest resettlement agency in Chicago, RefugeeOne partners with the federal government to welcome refugees who have been fleeing war and persecution.
Both sessions will be in the Culbertson Room and will also be livestreamed to the church’s YouTube channel. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and interact with the speakers, either in person, or through the chat feature in YouTube.
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William A. Evertsberg
Kenilworth Union Senior Minister
Bill has been the Senior Minister at the Kenilworth Union Church since 2014. He was educated at Calvin College (B.A.) and Princeton Theological Seminary (M.Div. & D. Min.), and ordained to the Ministry of the Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA) in 1985. In addition to the weekly Sunday sermon, Bill is an active member of a myriad of committees at Kenilworth Union and has given many diverse public lectures for the Adult Education and the Racial Justice Committee programs. View past program here.
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Sara Spoonheim Amit
RefugeeOne Director of Development
Sara has helped build a strong community of support for refugees since 2013, engaging more than 850 volunteers annually and thousands of new donors.
She has focused for 25+ years on helping individuals and communities get out of poverty. Previously, Sara developed award-winning affordable housing in Montana, and worked locally at Bethel New Life, Interfaith Worker Justice, and Faith in Place to expand their communities of support.
Sara has Masters degrees in Christian ministry and community development from North Park Theological Seminary and a B. A. in Economics from Connecticut College. She is grateful to Kenilworth Union Church for supporting her as Centennial Scholar nearly 20 years ago.
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Jims Porter
RefugeeOne Communications and Advocacy Manager
Jims uses the power of stories to help create welcoming communities and legislation that value refugees and empower them to lead fulfilling lives of safety and dignity.
Prior to joining RefugeeOne in 2016, Jims worked at the Jewish Heritage Fund, where he developed government and community partnerships to identify and collectively address public health barriers, and The Boone Group, a non-profit consulting firm specializing in non-profit and community development.
He is fluent in Spanish and holds degrees in Political Science and Communications from Indiana University.