Why Tea?

A Taste of Home
For many cultures, tea is more than a beverage—it’s a tradition. Sharing tea offers a sense of continuity in an unfamiliar place. But it’s more than that. It’s an invitation to create new community.

Trust and Friendship
Sitting together over a warm drink encourages conversation, laughter, and listening. It allows relationships to grow naturally, which is especially important for women who may have experienced isolation or trauma. This provides a relational foundation to share the love of Christ and connect deeper.

Education in Community
Tea is a metaphor for community building. Throughout all of our programming, we have intentional space for relationship building. Whether this is through culture sharing, English practice or bonding over a literal cup of tea, we’ve discovered that supportive friendships heal trauma and promote deeper learning.

“Personal piety and formal worship are essential to the Christian life, but they must lead to lives that “act justly and love mercy” (Mic. 6:8).”

Steve Corbett, When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor . . . and Yourself

Charity isn’t just about free stuff.

Jesus called us to love our neighbors as ourselves. There’s a time and a place for giving stuff. But true charity means coming alongside our immigrant sisters to provide opportunity through education.

Children are welcome.
Many refugee and immigrant mothers are the primary caregivers for young children. Affordable childcare is scarce, and without it, attending classes or trainings becomes nearly impossible. Too many organizations in Charlotte shut their doors to mothers with children. We don’t. We welcome mothers with young children to our classes!

Learning English takes Time.
Most vocational programs in Charlotte only allow participants to enroll if their English is at a certain level. We recognize that these women are talented, smart, and eager to learn. Studies show that language lessons taught in the context of a job training program provide better retention and increase students’ motivation to learn.

Calling the Church into Mission
We’re working with Charlotte area churches to provide real, meaningful change in our community. Don’t just settle for offering a food bank – help women learn so they can get jobs that will provide for their family! In the process church members will come to understand in a hands-on way what it means to live out Jesus’ commands to let their light truly shine.

Helping CAN Hurt. We show you a different way.
Too often, churches engage in toxic charity that hurt both givers and receivers. Following the principles of When Helping Hurts, we provide volunteer opportunities that focus on mutual growth.

There is SO much to be done. Join us in west Charlotte (28208 area code) or east Charlotte (Mint Hill area) to be the hands and feet of Jesus to immigrant families in our community.

Our Team

Wynn C.

Shay M.

Ashe A.

Programs Launching in Summer of 2026