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Allisonville Christian Church in Indianapolis has a passion for refugee resettlement
Marko Matic welcomes his wife, Sandra Skrebic-Matic, to the United States.
Photo: Exodus Refugee/Immigration, Inc.
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"Follow your passion," Rev. Robert Riester of Allisonville Christian Church tells his parishioners, and several members' passion is refugee resettlement. As a result, the Indianapolis, Indiana, congregation has co-sponsored refugees over and over since 1982.
Cambodians, Vietnamese, Eritreans, Bosnians, and Liberians all have made a fresh start in life with the church's assistance. "It's one of our sparkling congregations," confirmed Sylvia Robles, who just retired as church involvement developer with Exodus Refugee/Immigration, Inc., in Indianapolis.
In mid-March, Allisonville Christian Church celebrated the six-month mark of its most recent arrival, a Liberian man in his early 20s, and already is beginning to explore its next refugee cosponsorship.
"It has become a passion for me," confirmed Marylinda McCollister, a tutor, homemaker and former elementary school teacher who with her husband, Curtis, a retired computer programmer, has led the congregation's refugee resettlement ministry since 1985. "I think it is very important," she said. "It has broadened our church's horizons and increased its awareness of other cultures and political situations.
"You are hearing firsthand and not just on the news what people have had to deal with. It makes it more real when you meet someone who's actually lived the situation."
The McCollisters joined Allisonville Christian Church in 1981, "but we weren"t that involved with the first family, the Cambodians, who were resettled in 1982. They are still in the area and doing very well," Marylinda reported. "The baby son they came with is now 23, and they have two other children. In 1998, they visited Cambodia for two weeks."
Moved by the plight of the Vietnamese "boat people," the congregation joined nearby Crestview Christian Church in co-sponsoring the second half of a Vietnamese family of eight in 1985. The family had become separated leaving Vietnam and the two halves arrived in the United States a year apart. Next came the Kidanes, a young Eritrean couple, in 1990, with their son, who became a playmate of the McCollisters' son.
"The church helped us with everything," said Gebremicael Kidane. He added, "I like them, and we respect each other. I'm glad if other churches help refugees like Allisonville Church helped us."
"We still see them at church," the McCollisters reported. "Both parents are working. The father has a taxicab. They have four children now. They have made it."
Three Bosnian families followed, between 1995 and 2003. The Cucuzes and their sons came first. They quickly became independent and moved out of town. They were followed by the Skulic family, who arrived with a five-year-old daughter in 2001. The Matics' arrival with their two adult sons in 2003 was featured on the "Across Indiana" show on the local PBS-TV affiliate.
Just last September, the Matics were joined by their son Marko's wife, Sandra. "They had married just before the family moved here," Marylinda said. "We welcomed her with a big celebration." The young couple are studying engineering at Indiana University/Purdue University Indianapolis.
The Skulics, who are Muslims, have become friends with the Matics, who are Christians. Remarked Marylinda, "The Matics have helped care for the Skulics' young daughter, Emina. It's amazing the friendship that has formed, despite religious differences."
In May 2004, Liberians Kpanah (pronounced "Pah-Nah") Teah and five of her six children arrived. Kpanah's oldest daughter, then 20, was pregnant and gave birth in August. Her sixth child, a son, now 23, arrived in September 2004 within two days of the arrival of the Matics' daughter-in-law.
Carmel Christian Church joined Allisonville Christian Church in co-sponsoring the Teahs.
Kpanah's parents couldn't afford to send her to school, and she arrived unable to read or write, Marylinda said. Before fleeing Liberia's civil war, she had her own restaurant in Liberia. The family spent 12 years in refugee camps before coming to the United States.
"It has been a big culture shock for them," the McCollisters said. "They didn't expect the cold, or leaves falling from the trees in autumn, or eight inches of drifting snow, not to mention bills!"
While it took the Teah family members a little longer than some to settle in, they are now self-supporting. The mother learned numbers and got a full-time job sorting mail by Zip Code. She is in an adult literacy class. Two of the older children also are working full time and are studying toward their high school equivalency.
Allisonville Christian Church's refugee resettlement ministry is at home among the congregation's many local and international ministries. On Earth Day a couple of years ago, the church planted a tree in the Matics' honor, and Kidane family members were advocates for refugee resettlement at a recent mission fair.
With between 400 and 500 members, the congregation's youth and adults alike also help feed and shelter area homeless people, participate in Habitat for Humanity home builds and arrange Christmas food baskets for economically distressed families and take them shopping for family Christmas gifts.
"We are big supporters of Church World Service," said Linda Williamson, a member, who is Program Assistant in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Refugee and Immigration Ministries. "We participate in the CROP WALK, and made "Gift of the Heart" Health Kits for survivors of the Dec. 26 tsunami."
In fact, Williamson said, it was the breadth of the congregation's ministries that attracted her to it several years ago. She exclaimed, "They are always doing something!"
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