About Us

Welcome to the Episcopal Farmworker Ministry (EFWM)!

EFWM is a joint project of the Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina and the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina, based in Dunn, NC. We work with agricultural workers (farmworkers, meat processing plant workers, and workers from nurseries, packing houses and poultry, swine, or livestock farms) and immigrant families in Eastern rural NC. Our ministry coordinates direct services, leadership programs, community education programs, and advocacy in support of the community. The majority of the people that we serve live in Duplin, Harnett, Johnston, Lenoir, and Sampson counties. Since 1982, we have worked with farmworkers and their families to create a better world for the future generations. At EFWM you will find a place that welcomes immigrants, a place for fellowship, and a place to serve others.  Join us!

Mission

Episcopal Farmworker Ministry responds to the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of farmworkers and actively supports opportunities for them to become self-directive.

We seek to minister to farmworkers in three principal ways:

• through direct services;
• through the development and support of programs that work towards the empowerment of farmworkers;
• by encouraging leadership development, advocacy, and education aimed toward a systemic change of agricultural policy.

Vision

We envision a world with dignity and justice for all human beings, including agricultural workers and their families.

Our History

EFWM started in 1982 with just one outreach worker who provided transportation to service agencies, translation, English classes, and recreational activities to mostly Haitian migrant workers. In 1986 we started providing immigration services, which began in response to the Immigration Reform and Control Act.

In the early 1990’s, we built a daycare facility that would eventually become Saint Martin’s Migrant Head Start. In 1996 we welcomed our first Sacramental Minister to develop a religious congregation of migrant workers. In 1998 we opened our permanent facility, which has allowed us to expand our programs and services even further.

Throughout the 2000s and 2010s EFWM grew a strong community of agricultural workers and others who passionately defended agricultural workers to support their needs. We have consistently provided quality services to community members while expanding our efforts to assist every need and ensure a safe and inviting community.

Today, EFWM offers many services and programs to the community. In addition to working with Latino migrant workers (from other states and abroad), we also work with Latino agricultural workers who live in NC year-round, including workers from meat processing plants, nurseries, packing houses, animal farms, and field workers.

Icon farmworker festival

Our Approach and Values:

Spiritual

We believe God calls us to respect the dignity of and advocate for the justice of all human beings, so we work to ensure a better future for farmworkers and their families. We respect the worth, dignity, and rights of all people.

Educational

Our programs recognize that all voices are equally important and that we all need to learn from each other. We share information and skills that will allow us to create an impact in the world.

Leadership Development

We lift each other’s voices, and support each other in order to improve our lives. We celebrate and support leaders in the community.

Advocacy

We support and join our voices with community members who want to raise their voices for justice.

Cultural

We value the importance of the community’s ethnic and cultural heritage. We acknowledge and celebrate our differences.

Icon About English Classes

About the Episcopal Church

 

The Episcopal Church and the other churches in the worldwide Anglican community are committed to follow the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, who served the poor, the needy, and the outcast.

The Episcopal Church is organized into dioceses, of which there are three in North Carolina. EFWM is jointly sponsored by the Diocese of North Carolina and the Diocese of East Carolina.

If you would like to learn more about the Episcopal Church, click on the links below:

The Episcopal Church
Diocese of North Carolina
Diocese of East Carolina