10th Annual Benefit Gala for the LGBT Asylum Task Force
{ Ellie Murphy }
Saturday, October 10, 2026 5:30-11:00p.m.
Worcester’s Mechanics Hall
Become a sponsor, volunteer, donate and purchase tickets at www.lgbtasylum.org/gala. Gala ticket prices start at $225 per individual; donations of any amount are appreciated. An evening of fundraising, community and meaningful resistance alongside asylum seekers, volunteers and supporters.
The 2026 Gala’s theme, We Persist, could not better describe the culture surrounding Hadwen Park Congregational Church, UCC, in Worcester, Massachusetts. For nearly 20 years, the church has pioneered efforts to provide a safe haven and holistic support network for LGBTQ+ asylum seekers from countries all over the world.
The Hadwen Park Congregational Church stands out as an Open and Affirming Christian community since Senior Pastor Rev. Judith Hanlon became involved in the marriage equality movement in Massachusetts in 2004. Around this time, the church went through a process in which it became an Open and Affirming congregation, a community which fully accepts and celebrates LGBTQ+ people. The church’s mission is to welcome all and heal divisions. They fiercely oppose “discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin, religion, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, immigration status, or disability.”
In 2008, a gay asylum seeker from Jamaica was struggling to take care of his basic needs. His lawyer recalled a local church that embraced LGBTQ+ people and helped connect him with the congregation. So began the congregation’s first experience helping an asylum seeker. They had no idea what the process entailed, how long it could take, or that many asylum seekers did not have access to basic resources. They walked that journey with him, providing housing and support. After that, word of their assistance spread. The church found itself being called to action and created a church ministry called the LGBT Asylum Task Force. Since 2008, the congregation has directly housed and supported over 400 asylum seekers from 36 different countries. The church currently houses 30 people on average at various locations in Worcester.
An individual who experiences anti-LGBTQ+ violence abroad and seeks asylum in the U.S. faces a daunting timeline in which they must navigate a new system with little support. They face the immense challenge of being barred from working for up to two years after arriving in the US. The LGBT Asylum Task Force is one of the only U.S.-based organizations that provides comprehensive support throughout those two years.
Ministry Director Al Green describes how the Task Force tries to “meet asylum seekers where they’re at and help them take the next step,” whether it’s someone who has had a decades-long career in their country of origin or someone who wasn’t allowed to finish formal education. For some folks, that means the Task Force helps them enroll in language classes, earn their GED and find employment. Most folks receive direct support for a year and a half, during which the Task Force provides housing and financial assistance until folks receive their work authorization.
The Task Force has proven successful—100% of the folks they’ve assisted have been granted asylum. Green notes that the nation’s overall asylum approval rate is under 10% at the moment. That is not to say the other 90% don’t have legitimate cases, but are likely lacking the resources and support that enables them to meet their basic needs and focus on their cases.
Green goes on to say that, under the current administration, the past year and a half have proven particularly difficult for folks in their community. This has sparked an outpouring of support—people wanting to volunteer and donate. Green adds, “We can always use more volunteers and financial support because the need is so great, but it’s been heartening to see the number of people who’ve stepped forward.” Speaking to what’s been happening on a national level, the administration is in the process of changing the eligibility requirements to access work authorizations for asylum seekers. Green says, “What is being proposed would effectively deny new asylum seekers a work permit for decades.” This year, the Task Force organized against the work permit changes. They hosted a community forum that was attended by almost 100 people, including U.S. Representative Jim McGovern and the Worcester Human Rights Commission chair and immigration attorney, Randy Feldman. In the public comment period for the Department of Homeland Security’s proposed rule on asylum work permits, over 7,000 individuals and groups responded. The government is required to review these comments before publishing a final rule.
Overall, the biggest ongoing challenge for the Task Force is funding—their work costs over $55,000 per month. The ministry is constantly fundraising: writing grants, hosting fundraisers, encouraging partners to fundraise on their behalf. Yet, the annual Gala is their most important fundraising event of the year. Its proceeds fund roughly 20% of their yearly budget. In 2025, the Gala raised about $120,000. The ministry’s goal this year is $150,000. They’d last raised that amount pre-COVID in 2019. Green says they’d also love to see a return to around 400 attendees. This would “signal a return” Green notes, since during COVID, the amount of funds raised and people attending were halved.
“The Gala is a labor of love,” Green says. The ministry has a planning committee, made up of volunteers and supporters from different churches and the wider community, that begins planning each gala a year in advance. “It’s not a boring, stuffy gala,” Green says. They try to make it as fun as possible. The asylum seekers are a part of the process in terms of the entertainment and song selections. A choir made up of asylum seekers performs each year, along with a live-auction where asylum seekers’ services and artwork can be bid on. It’s an all-encompassing endeavor to make sure that folks are having fun and aware of the plight of asylum seekers in the LGBTQ+ community.