What started as an effort to serve one Ukrainian refugee family and then another has grown to serve 18 refugees that have come to Warren County.

It’s been over two years since Russia invaded Ukraine and the war continues to rage.

That means the need to serve refugees continues to grow.

In response, a new non-profit – the Warren Area Refugee Resettlement Network (WARRN) – has been founded to continue that good work.

The Rev. Jeff Ewing, pastor at First Lutheran Church, said the organization “was created to provide a ‘soft landing’ for people from other countries who are experiencing displacement due to war and violence.”

The group was co-founded by Ewing and Father Rick Tomasone, Ewing and Tom Pierotti, who have both sponsored refugee families that have come to Warren. Other members of the initial board include Gladys Archer, Dan Glotz, Linda Kemick and Jonie Smitley.

Some of the families have stayed. May have moved to other places in the U.S. once they get settled.

And there’s more work to do.

“Many other individuals have stepped up to sponsor people fleeing their country,” Ewing said,

Other volunteers have helped people work through paperwork and with employment, housing, transportation to appointments, childcare, schooling and housing.

“The people who make up Warren County are very generous,” Ewing said. “Establishing this non-profit was a way to bring people together under one umbrella when it comes to legally resettling refugees.”

“We are looking back with joy on what the people in Warren have already accomplished and are looking forward to a future where we can welcome more international neighbors to our town,” Pierotti said.

“We have already established free English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes which meet on Monday and Wednesday nights at First Lutheran. But there are several areas that need to be addressed to make WARRN a success.”

The formalization under WARRN will open fundraising doors – both personal via tax-deductible gifts and distributions from IRAs and foundations that may be more willing to give to a non-profit rather than a church.

The two greatest areas of need in the coming months appear to be housing and volunteers.

“Housing is still probably the biggest need,” Ewing said. “We need volunteers.”

To date, much of the refugee work, as well as the English as a second language classes, have been centered at First Lutheran Church.

The second family that came was involved at the church and it’s impacted how the church views this work.

“We got to know them. We learned to love them,”Ewing said. “There were tears when they left. It’s kind of like seeing your kids grow up and letting them go. We’re putting faces to what we would only know on the news…. When we can put a face on what people are going through (and) actually get to know them, it just opens up your heart so much more. From a faith point of view,” he added, “God’s out in front of this. We’re just kind of hanging on for the ride…. It’s real exciting to see… how God’s working through everybody in Warren whether they’re faith-filled or not. Warren is just a welcoming, generous community.”

While the focus so far has been on refugees from Ukraine, organizers see that broadening in the future.

“One of the things that we want to make sure people know, the resettlement work isn’t just about Ukraine,” he said. “Right now that’s what the focus is because that’s where the war is. At some point, we will be bringing in refugees from other areas around the world that are suffering violence or war. We want to be able to be here, to be able to provide a soft landing.”