Two woman are leaning over and working on a bright and colorful quilt in a community room at Salem Arts Exchange, a ministry to immigrant women in Minneapolis.

Building friendships with immigrants through sewing
and crafting – for Christ’s sake.

GIVE TO SALEM ARTS EXCHANGE

Imagine arriving in a new country and trying to build a new life. So much that was once familiar has been left behind. You’re expected to navigate the bus line, find where to shop, and learn a new language. You may feel isolated in your own apartment.

For many immigrants these challenges can make life in a new culture overwhelming and lonely. Barriers of language, culture and religion often make it difficult to build genuine friendships or feel truly welcomed. Though Scripture calls God’s people to welcome the stranger, many struggle to know how to do this in practical, relational ways.

The Challenge

Friendship begins with a common interest and shared experiences. By sewing, crafting, or learning new skills, walls begin to come down and real relationships can grow. Through these friendships, we can reflect the love of Christ.

At Salem Arts Exchange, women from many nations gather to make beautiful things, share meals, and discover their creative potential. Arts and crafts become a universal language that connects hearts across cultures.

The Opportunity

Our Approach

About 35 weeks in the year, Salem Arts Exchange hosts sewing classes for women from diverse backgrounds. For those who do not have transportation volunteers provide rides to and from class. This is often where the best conversations happen and friendships are strengthened by being invited in for tea, fixing a sewing machine together or hemming curtains.

Salem Arts Exchange, a part of CityJoy’s Immigrant Ministries, also engages the wider church, inviting believers to use their artistic talents to glorify our Maker and to show our refugee and immigrant neighbors the love of Christ.

Support This Ministry

Your prayers and financial partnership help Salem Arts Exchange continue offering classes, transportation, and community for immigrant women. Your support helps create spaces where strangers become friends, faith is shared naturally, and the love of Christ is seen through both words and deeds.

To learn more about the work of Salem Arts Exchange or volunteer opportunities email: sae@cityjoy.org.

GIVE NOW
  • Jeannette Paulson, a CityJoy volunteer serving immigrant women, smiling in front of shelves filled with arts and crafts supplies, and colorful fabric at Salem Arts Exchange

    About Jeannette Paulson

    VOLUNTEER MINISTRY LEAD

    Salem Arts Exchange is led by Jeannette, who has been involved in sewing outreach for over nine years. Originally from Canada, Jeannette understands firsthand what it means to navigate life as part of an immigrant family. Her parents emigrated from the Netherlands, shaping her heart for those adjusting to a new culture.

    She and her husband have eight children and twelve grandchildren (with others on the way). For many years, her ministry focused on raising children and cooking meals – something she loves to do. Out of a heart for hospitality and creativity, Jeannette builds bridges of friendship and faith.

Woman sewing colorful fabric on a sewing machine, wearing a headscarf and face mask, sitting at a wooden table with scissors nearby.
Close-up of a person's hands holding a white fabric bowl with a Salem Arts Exchange tag.
Collection of leather accessories including wallets, keychains, hair clips, and earrings displayed on a wooden tray.
A leather bracelet with colorful embroidery hanging on the edge of a dark wooden bowl, placed on a white surface.
Two decorative leather trees with wood beads, one green and one red, hanging from a small Christmas-like tree with a beige fabric background.
Close-up of cloth bowls that are beige with a black squiggly design and have a black and orange tag that reads 'Salem Arts Exchange'.
Two fabric pot warmers, one with a red and white checked pattern and the other with a pink floral pattern labeled 'Salem Arts Exchange,' on a black tray. In the background, there is a bulletin board with various textile art pieces.
A woman wearing a headscarf and face mask, is sitting at a table in Salem Arts Exchange with sewing machines and supplies, holding a piece of fabric.
Two women sewing together at a table, one young and one older, with various sewing supplies around them in a craft room at Salem Arts Exchange.
Close up photo of a woman's hands sewing fabric with a sewing machine with other sewing supplies in the background.
Four women working on a sewing project at a table in a well-lit room with large windows at Salem Arts Exchange in Minneapolis.
Two pairs of hands, holding a fabric with a yellow, purple, and orange floral pattern that is being sewn into a wallet at Salem Arts Exchange.
Close-up of a colorful quilted pot holder at Salem Arts Exchange with various bright patterned fabric squares, including swirls, polka dots, and solid colors, with a tie on top.
Two pairs of hands holding a ruler and using a fabric cutter to cut fabric with a floral pattern at Salem Arts Exchange.
A person's hand with red finger nail polish resting on a textured beige surface with an orange label that reads 'Salem Arts Exchange' and features a white geometric logo. Part of a colorful fabric with floral and abstract patterns is visible in the b
A fabric pouch with a yellow, purple and green colorful floral pattern, secured with a green string and blue button.