Briggs Center for Faith & Action

06/17/2025

So thankful for MCAEL for continuing to support our ESOL program.

MCAEL is excited to announce that $1,505,853 in grants have been awarded to support local adult English language learning programs across Montgomery County!

The MCAEL Grants Program increases the availability and quality of adult ESOL services in Montgomery County. MCAEL supports both longstanding and new programs, ensuring that learners have high-standard instruction with reduced barriers to access. We prioritize the expansion of services in areas where adult ESOL learning opportunities are scarce.

Grant priorities are identified through an annual analysis of data collected from programs. In addition to the larger Program and Access Grant categories, MCAEL offers Access Small Grants to encourage more community and faith-based organizations to provide adult English classes to their communities.

MCAEL thanks the panel of community members who donated extensive time and energy to review and evaluate the grant applications. MCAEL also thanks the Montgomery County, MD Government for increasing funding for program grants this year, as well as for their ongoing support of English language learning opportunities in Montgomery County.

Find out more and see which organizations and programs received grant awards this year. www.mcael.org/grants/grant-recipients

05/06/2024

Wow! What an incredible evening! The Briggs Center's fundraiser reception last month was a tremendous success. Eighty-plus people. Warm, engaging conversation. Beautiful music from Grace Cho at New Orchestra of Washington. Powerful words from Briggs Center colleagues. Gracious hospitality from the Rev. Patty Alexander and St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church (Bethesda, MD). Tasty food from Sheger Spring Cafe. And incredibly generous gifts to support the legal clinic, ESOL classes, and hospitality house. Thank you to everyone who made a financial contribution.
➡️ It's not too late to show your support: briggscenter.org/donate

04/17/2024

🎉TONIGHT🎉 Join us for a special reception from 6:30-8:00 pm at St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church (Bethesda, MD) with great food and beautiful music ... a special piano performance by Grace Cho, Executive Director of New Orchestra of Washington. We hope to see you there!

04/16/2024

Friendly reminder to join us TOMORROW NIGHT for a special reception from 6:30-8:00 pm at St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church (Bethesda, MD). Don't miss yummy Ethiopian cuisine catered by Sheger Spring Cafe!
➡️ RSVP before it's too late: www.briggscenter.org/rsvp

04/11/2024

🎉 This Wednesday, April 17, the Briggs Center is hosting a special event to honor the incredible efforts of our immigration legal clinic volunteers, ESOL teachers, students, donors, and supporters like you. Join us at St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church (Bethesda, MD). RSVP here: www.BriggsCenter.org/rsvp

03/28/2024

🎉On April 17, the Briggs Center is hosting a special event to honor the incredible efforts of our immigration legal clinic volunteers, ESOL teachers, students, donors, and supporters like you — and we'll also celebrate a new partnership with the New Orchestra of Washington. Join us: www.BriggsCenter.org/rsvp

01/15/2024

As we celebrate the life of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., today, these three quotes from Dr. King inspire our work at the Briggs Center for Faith & Action…

"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'"

“An individual has not started living until [they] can rise above the narrow confines of [their] individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”

"I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear."

May these words inspire you today.

11/02/2023

Please pardon our dust. The Briggs Center is doing some important building renovations to support our hospitality work. We look forward to hosting another refugee family soon!!

09/25/2023

Curious what we've been up to recently? Read the Briggs Center's mid-year report here: https://www.briggscenter.org/mission

05/25/2023

We are pleased to offer free ESOL* classes for all levels of English speaker and learners. Learn more here: https://www.briggscenter.org/esol

*ESOL stands for English for Speakers of Other Languages

ESOL ProgramThe Briggs Center offers free ESOL classes for adults. In collaboration with MCAEL, the Briggs Center ESOL (English to Speakers of Other Languages) Program offers ESOL classes to adults with limited English proficiency currently living in the United States. All classes are free and taugh...

05/25/2023

We’re just taking a moment to celebrate our marvelous planet and all the people on it.

05/15/2023

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Immigrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers often experience unique and complicated stresses that add to mental health worries. That’s why we seek to welcome, support, advocate for, and welcome new neighbors. And we celebrate social service providers and healthcare professionals who work with immigrants.

Problems and stressors facing migrants and refugees Migrants and refugees often face various problems and stressors which can take place at various stages of the migration process: Pre-migration: lack of livelihoods and opportunities for education and development, exposure to armed conflict, viole.....