United Religious Community:
More Than 50 Years of Interfaith Action in St. Joseph County
The United Religious Community of St. Joseph County (URC) started in December, 1942, as the St. Joseph County Church Trust. The organization was started with a gift from the founder, Louis Hammerschmidt, to establish an equivalent of the National Council of Churches in the area. It grew to include a wide variety of Christian traditions and re-founded in 1972 as an interfaith organization.
Around that time, the Advocacy Center, a program of the URC, also came into existence. The Advocacy Center was intended to provide a referral source for people seeking aid from houses of worship and has provided many families with basic financial needs. During the worst days of the pandemic, URC used its capacity to serve people remotely and wound up providing over $1 million in aid.
In 2016, the URC launched Welcoming Michiana. Welcoming Michiana is part of the Welcoming America network of 300+ cities/counties and non-profits working to help New Americans reach their full potential in local communities.
More recently, URC joined the Church World Service network to receive and place refugees, and has helped over 30 clients from Afghanistan, over 100 from Ukraine, and has placed over 40 refugees in the greater South Bend/Mishawaka community since January 1, 2024.
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