June 2026

In support of Pride Celebration this month, and in recognition of the struggles of gender diverse youth, the Missions Board has chosen to support Camp Lilac and the LGBT Asylum Task Force with your donations in June.

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Camp Lilac is a weeklong summer camp in Ohio for 13 to 17year old trans and gender diverse youth. Campers come from 22 different states, including Rhode Island. Your donations help fund scholar-ships to help campers that travel from a distance.

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Trans youth often face stressful, unwelcoming, and even hostile environments in their day to day lives, and experience higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide. Since 2017, Camp Lilac has been creating a safe, welcoming, and confidential space in which gender diversity is the norm. Their program is designed so that campers emerge with an increased sense of confidence in their identities and a strong community of peers and supporters.

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As a small nonprofit, Camp Lilac relies on camper tuition and individual donations to fund every aspect of camp, from space rental to food, supplies, and activities. In addition to building a general scholarship fund for low-income campers, they’re also fundraising to be able to purchase a larger permanent space to provide a unique camp experience all summer and programming all year for trans and gender diverse teens.

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The mission of Camp Lilac is to provide a safe, welcoming space for transgender and gender diverse youth to be themselves in a positive, supportive, youth-focused environment. “We believe our camp fills a crucial gap in their lives, setting them on a path to success.” More information can be found at camplilac.org.

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The LGBT Asylum Task Force is a ministry of the Hadwen Park Congregational Church in Worcester, MA, formed in 2008. LGBTQ people of all faith traditions are welcomed and provided with shared housing, food, and connection to legal, medical, and mental health resources at other local agencies.

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Asylum seekers are a class of refugees who seek protection from torture and abuse in their home countries. They must have faced persecution or have a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. “Particular social group” has been interpreted to include the LGBTQ community. A petition for asylum may be submitted at a port of entry or at a US Citizenship and Immigration Service’s service center.

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Asylum seekers have not been allowed to work for up to 2 years after arriving in the US. The LGBT Asylum Task Force ministry provides comprehensive support for the entire duration of that 2-year period in which it is needed. They are given housing, food, and a small monthly stipend to cover their most basic of needs. The task force also provides connections to existing pro bono legal services. Studies have shown asylum seekers who have an attorney stand a much greater chance of being granted asylum than those who do not.

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In the past year however, new laws have been imposed to significantly target the LGBTQ+ immigrant and asylum seeker communities. And during the same time that the Task Force has experienced a doubling of LGBTQ+ asylum seekers contacting them for help, there has been a reduction in the total number of individual donors and donations. Despite strained finances, they are working to connect each asylum seeker to needed resources and maintain 100% asylum grant, stable housing, and employment rates. Much more is needed in order to have the capacity to support the continued increase in requests for support.

 

For additional information, see the UCC website at A Place to Call Home - Southern New England Conference of the UCC  and the LGBT Asylum Task Force website. 

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​Thank you for your generosity!
The Missions Board 

www.peacedalechurch.org/missions

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Peace Dale Congregational Church supports Shower to Empower as our Mission of the Month. You may donate funds by:

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1. Placing your gift in the Missions basket during Sunday service,

2. Sending a check to the church office @ 261 Columbia Street, Peace Dale, RI 02879 (checks should be made out to PDCC with “Camp Lilac/LGBT" in the memo line), or

3. Clicking the Give now button on this page to donate online (peacedalechurch.org/ways-to-give).

Thank you,
The Missions Board