From demolition to welcome

DAVENPORT, Iowa — In March 2025, two century-old houses owned by the Foundation of First Presbyterian Church of Davenport were marked for demolition. Vacant and badly neglected, the homes had significant water damage and years of deferred maintenance. One had also been damaged by a fire.

Four days later, a ministry of the church helped change their future.

First Presbyterian Church’s Justice Choir of the Midwest held a concert benefiting Tapestry Farms, a Quad Cities nonprofit that walks alongside refugees as they build new lives in the community. During the concert, church members heard about one of the greatest challenges facing refugee families in the Quad Cities: finding safe, affordable housing.

Church member Nancy Chapman immediately thought about the two houses next door.

“As we heard about the need for affordable housing, Nancy realized we had two houses next door that were about to be demolished,” said the Rev. Dr. Kristopher D. Schondelmeyer, pastor and head of staff of First Presbyterian Church and Co-Moderator of the 227th General Assembly (2026) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). “In that moment, what had looked like a liability became an opportunity to welcome our neighbors.”

The demolition was stopped.

Eighteen months later, the houses have been completely rehabilitated and are ready to welcome two refugee families — one from Afghanistan and one from Sudan. Both families arrived in the United States in 2024 and have worked with Tapestry Farms as they learned English, found employment and established lives in the Quad Cities. The families will pay rent and utilities for their new homes.

First Presbyterian Church and Tapestry Farms secured approximately $180,000 for the renovations through donations, grants from the Quad Cities Housing Council and an insurance payment following the 2023 fire.

They partnered with Falcon Home Improvement of Davenport to restore the houses, while volunteers from First Presbyterian Church also contributed to the work.

For Ann McGlynn, executive director of Tapestry Farms, the project demonstrates what partnerships can accomplish in a region where affordable, safe housing remains a significant challenge. Rather than simply needing more houses, she said, the Quad Cities also has many vacant and boarded-up houses unlikely to be restored.

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“We want more of these two homes coming back to life,” McGlynn said.

On Monday, members of First Presbyterian Church, Tapestry Farms, volunteers and community partners gathered inside one of the restored houses for a dedication and open house. Schondelmeyer led the group in an inclusive prayer:

“Holy One, giver of life and source of love, you have given us this Earth to share, and you have made us one human family. Today we gather to dedicate these houses as places of welcome, places of safety, places of peace, places to call home.” He concluded the prayer by saying: “Holy One, bless these houses. Bless those who will call them home. Bless those who will become their neighbors. And may there always be room at the table, light in the window, welcome at the door, and peace within these walls.”

“One of our guiding principles is to walk alongside refugees as they find home again,” McGlynn said. “This day will always stand out in that regard, especially for two families who are indeed finding home again in the Quad Cities.”

For Schondelmeyer, the project is also a story about stewardship.

“Stewardship is about more than money. It is about everything God has entrusted to us — our buildings, our land, our relationships and our imagination,” he said. “Sometimes the question is not simply, ‘What is this property worth?’ but ‘How might what has been entrusted to us become a blessing to our neighbors?’” 

The partnership also reflects First Presbyterian Church’s commitment to welcoming refugees not as recipients of charity, but as neighbors building lives of their own.

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“These are families working, raising children and contributing to our community,” Schondelmeyer said. “Our calling, rooted in Matthew 25, is to walk alongside them and use what we have to help remove barriers to finding a safe and affordable home.”

The transformation carries particular meaning for Schondelmeyer, whose service as Co-Moderator has been shaped by Revelation 22 and its vision of the tree of life whose leaves are “for the healing of the nations.”

“Sometimes the healing of the nations begins right in our own backyard,” Schondelmeyer said. “It happens when strangers become neighbors and when we discover that what is already in our hands can become part of someone else’s flourishing. This is what it means to be the leaves — to be a healing and hope-filled presence in the world.”

Eighteen months ago, the two houses were going to be torn down.

Now, two refugee families will call them home.