A group of Crawfordsville churches is working to resettle an Afghan family in the Indianapolis area.
The group, called Crawfordsville ARC (Afghan Refugee Coalition), grew out of a local donation drive for the thousands of Afghans temporarily housed at Camp Atterbury following the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban in August.
More than a dozen people from six congregations — Wabash Avenue Presbyterian, First Christian, St. John’s Episcopal, St. Stephen the First Martyr Orthodox, First United Methodist and Christ Lutheran — banded together and contributed money to help cover permanent housing for one of the families. (Wabash Avenue Pastor Rev. Dr. John Van Nuys organized the donation drive.)
“We knew that this was a temporary thing and that all of these people were going to have to be welcomed and integrated into new communities and into our country, and we have just seen this as our responsibility — one small thing we could do to address the much larger issue,” said David Hadley, one of the facilitators of the effort.
“We need to do what we can, where we can, when we can,” Hadley added. “Resettling one of the families out of thousands was the place to begin.”
The group is working with Indianapolis-based nonprofit Exodus Refugee Immigration Inc. to connect with a family. As the refugees arrived in Indiana, Exodus was inundated with calls and emails from people wanting to help them resettle.
On its website, the agency says it acts as the “next step” for refugees who are processed at military bases across the country, including Camp Atterbury. Exodus sought rental housing in Marion County, ideally homes close to bus lines and grocery stores.
Once ARC is assigned to a family, which may come from one of the other military bases, the group will help set up the housing and welcome the family to their new home.
Individual churches are responsible for furnishing and supplying a room in the home.
“We’re all kind of gathering those things that will be needed as soon as people are able to move into the house,” Hadley said.
Local businesses interested in contributing to the effort can reach Hadley at davidhadley1944@gmail.com.
“We feel blessed to have the opportunity to help people who have been helpful to our country, who have been forced to leave the country that they have loved,” Hadley said, “and it’s a part of our Christian responsibility … to welcome the stranger.”
