It Took a Village

A consortium of churches in the picturesque New England village of Lenox, Massachusetts, joined forces this past year in an ecumenical mission project to help Afghans rebuild their homes in the Shomali Valley, north of Kabul.

It all began in January 2001 with the Church on the Hill (UCC) Outreach Committee. “We wanted to do something that mattered,” said Penelope Carey, project chair. “Afghanistan was in the news, and we were very concerned, especially at the condition of women.” The group at first thought they would like to build a school, but further research convinced them of the dire need for housing.

In order to have a maximum impact, the “Outreach” Committee decided to do just that: reach out to the other churches in town to see if they wanted to help rebuild a village. The response was very enthusiastic. Gordon Clem of Trinity Church-Episcopal, said his church agreed to help for two reasons: “It was the plight of the people in Afghanistan, and that we could do something about it that would see results. Also the possibility of seven parishes working together on a project.”

Working with Church World Service’s Northern New England office, the “Afghanistan Project” set a goal of $20,000 to rebuild one village in the Shomali Valley, north of Kabul. The money was to purchase kits costing $935 each, using local materials and local labor, with which 21 extended families could build their own homes.

The project’s planning committee, composed of volunteers from all of the participating churches (Church on the Hill, Friends Meeting of Lenox, St. Ann’s, St. Vincent de Paul, St. Helena’s Chapel-Episcopal, Trinity Church, and the United Methodist Church of Lenox), next put together a series of fundraising events. In order to allow the most participants, the fundraisers were kept at under $20, and family friendly.

The series kicked off with a very successful “Afghan Experience,” which included an authentic Afghan dinner, and a multi-media presentation of Afghan folk tales by a local storyteller. “People who didn’t belong to any of the churches came, got excited, and supported it,” said Clem.

Other events included a play performance, three different concerts (Clem is the retired headmaster of St. Thomas Choir School in New York and was able to involve alumni from the school as well as other professional musicians living in the area), a special showing of the movie Kandahar, and a gala celebration dinner and auction. The committee also made a model of the village and kept adding houses to it as their funds increased. “Everyone involved volunteered their time. We didn’t pay for anything!” Carey said.

The final event was an ecumenical Thanksgiving Eve service. By the end of 2002, the Afghanistan Project had met its goal.

To Carey and the Church on the Hill, the experience proved that a small church can make a difference. “We’re just a tiny little church of 100 members. But we’re noisy,” she added.