View the Full Report

Census data shows that 63% of Ambia residents speak Spanish at home and the real number is probably higher here, too. According to census data, only 5% of residents in Benton County speak Spanish at home, so this corner of the county is very different. For comparison, about 12% of Indianapolis residents speak Spanish at home. The percentage is slightly under 6% in Indiana as a whole.

These numbers should make it clear why we wanted to revisit Boswell to talk with pastors about immigration. There are many new immigrants in these small towns, and the white pastors of local congregations encounter them every day. Although new immigrants do not tend to be members of their congregations, the pastors said they see many of them at the food pantries their churches host.

Immigrants are drawn to the area for jobs on hog and dairy farms. Pastors spoke warmly about welcoming immigrants in their churches and communities. They talked about trying to learn Spanish, using Google translate to communicate with their neighbors, and having individuals available to translate when they host food pantries. But pastors also lamented the difficulties they faced in building bonds with immigrants. Two different pastors described it as “like hitting a wall.”

Certainly, the language barrier is one reason why most pastors find it difficult to connect with immigrants in their communities. There are also cultural differences that may make it difficult to connect on a deeper level. For one thing, the new migrants are Catholics and none of these pastors are. However, two pastors provided insightful explanations for why they have trouble connecting with recent immigrants.

One pastor said, “People want to move here, make as much money as possible, and move back to where they came from.” The other said something similar: “They’re sending the money home.” In short, immigrants did not move to the area to live long-term, and so they may not be looking to build community. They are only in town temporarily to work and then they want to leave, go back to the communities that they call home, where they have friends and family members, perhaps a home parish and a pastor they already know and trust. Again, language differences are compounded by religious differences.

But one area where pastors have found they can serve is in filling important gaps in services. Not only did pastors tell us about ways in which their congregations provide food assistance, but they also talked about providing other assistance when people are sick or facing economic challenges other than food access. They said there were very few services like this offered from local government or nonprofit entities in the area.

Pastors elsewhere who are having trouble reaching out to new immigrants can learn from the Boswell story. New arrivals in their communities may not be looking for a faith community because they already have one back home, and they plan to return to it when the time comes. Emergency services are usually welcome, but the limits to further hospitality or inclusion are significant.

View the Full Report