Celebrating Community Impact: Fr. Luke Fodor Honored for Refugee Partnership Work
On October 23rd, at Rich’s Atrium in Buffalo, The Rev. Luke Fodor, Rector of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Jamestown and founder of the New Neighbors Coalition, received the Community Partnership Award from Journey’s End Refugee Services during the organization’s 40th Anniversary Celebration.
In his acceptance remarks, Fr. Fodor reflected on how one simple “yes” can grow into transformative community change: “No one thinks about awards or recognition when they first say ‘yes’ to a new prospect,” he said. “When then-Mayor Eddie Sundquist asked if St. Luke’s would host a community conversation about immigration, I had no idea it would lead to this moment. That single ‘yes’ created more opportunities to say ‘yes’—not just for individuals, but for a whole community. That’s how community impact happens: one ‘yes’ becomes a series of yeses, and the entire community is changed.”
The Story of the New Neighbors Coalition
The New Neighbors Coalition (NNC) was born out of that initial community conversation at St. Luke’s in December 2021. Inspired by other small cities that have welcomed refugees as part of community revitalization, Jamestown’s civic and faith leaders decided to explore similar possibilities. St. Luke’s convened the coalition to prepare the community for newcomers and to seek partnership with a refugee resettlement agency.
After months of organizing, NNC formed a partnership with Journey’s End Refugee Services (JERS) in Buffalo. By November 2022, JERS opened a temporary office at St. Luke’s and resettled its first family in February 2023. Since then, more than 125 individuals have made Jamestown their new home.
In 2023, NNC also expanded its outreach to include over 50 Colombian asylum-seekers living in the area, providing support through a grant from the New York State Department of State—now renewed through the Office of New Americans.
A Partnership Formalized
After nearly four years of collaboration, JERS and NNC officially signed aMemorandum of Understanding in June 2025, formalizing their shared commitment to refugee resettlement in Jamestown. This agreement sets the stage for coordinated fundraising, program development, and long-term sustainability.
To celebrate this milestone, JERS and NNC will host a press event on Tuesday, November 12 at 10:00 a.m. in the Undercroft of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church . The gathering will mark the journey from that first community conversation to a thriving partnership that continues to embody the Gospel call to “welcome the stranger.”