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In this issue: New England’s Newcomers

Introduced by Brian Corcoran
Research Associate, Emmanuel Gospel Center
Managing Editor, Emmanuel Research Review

Perhaps because of their size or media exposure, it’s easy to hyper-focus on the City of Boston or even the Commonwealth of Massachusetts when considering immigration and population changes in New England. When doing this, both our vision and understanding can become blurred and we fail to see the smaller, yet sometimes just as significant, demographic changes currently impacting churches and communities in less populated states like Maine, Vermont, or New Hampshire.

In this issue, Rudy Mitchell, Senior Researcher at the Emmanuel Gospel Center, provides some eye-opening summary tables and surprising statistics that demonstrate the diversity and distribution of immigrants across the six New England states. Through the process of immigration, people from around the world are streaming into New England, starting new lives as well as new churches, and rapidly reshaping the popular image of the region.

Your feedback is more than welcome! To get in touch with us, follow the contact links at the bottom of this issue.

New England’s Newcomers

by Rudy Mitchell, Senior Researcher, EGC

While some people have an image of New England as picturesque Yankee villages nestled in the hills, and not much changed from Colonial days, the region is increasingly being enriched by newcomers from around the world. The variety and impact of newcomers is surprising even in rural Vermont, the New Hampshire seacoast, and Downeast Maine. In many places, new Christian vitality has sprung up when immigrants have planted new churches. There are increasing opportunities to learn from newcomers of various cultures, and also opportunities to serve as Christians. Existing churches can also benefit from interaction with newly arrived Christians who may bring a vital and fire-tested faith from other countries.

Here are a few examples of how the presence of newcomers is being felt, even in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.

Vermont may not have a large number of immigrants from other countries, but its Mexican farm workers are helping the traditional dairy farms to survive. As many as one third of fulltime farm workers in Vermont are Hispanic.¹ According to a 2005 study, “75% of the milk produced in Vermont comes from farms that employ Mexican workers.”² The several thousand Mexican workers are doing jobs which others do not want because of the long hours and hard labor. These workers have health care needs, problems with social isolation and lack of transportation, and educational needs. “According to state agricultural officials, they are critical to the viability of the dairy industry.”³ These workers are making a unique and important contribution to New England. However, they have some unmet needs that are an opportunity for Christian service and friendship.

In southern New Hampshire and especially near the seacoast, many Indonesians have been putting down roots in neighborhoods where one might least expect to find an Indonesian food market and restaurant. Although the 2000 U. S. Census counted only 268 Indonesians in New Hampshire, it is now estimated that there are 2,000-2,500.⁴ Indonesians have also started 13 new churches in New Hampshire with a combined membership of 1000.⁵ Many of these Indonesian Christians have faced persecution in their homeland. The Indonesian Christian churches are meeting spiritual needs, but also assisting people in applying for asylum status.

In Portland and Lewiston, Maine, a surprising new influx of immigrants has caused longtime residents to consider how to bridge the cultural divides. Maine has been one of the least ethnically diverse states in the country. However, in the last several years, Portland has received thousands of immigrants from a variety of countries. In the last six years, the small city of Lewiston (population, 36,000) has become the chosen home of about 3,000 Somalians. This unlikely secondary migration caused some tensions and negative reactions by the mayor and residents. Nevertheless, when a small group of outside, white supremacists held a meeting, 4,500 people rallied in support of the Somalians. The city has responded to the influx with bilingual teachers, ESL (English as a Second Language) classes, job training, and programs for youth. Torli Krua, an African Christian leader in Boston, has also worked with the Somalians in Lewiston. The challenges faced by the small city of Lewiston suggest the question, “How would you respond positively, if your community suddenly became the home of a large group of newcomers from a very different culture, religion and language?”

In southern New England, new immigrants from Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia, and Africa have been coming in large numbers for more than 25 years. This has led to the planting of hundreds of Hispanic and Brazilian churches as well as significant numbers of churches by other groups.

The Massachusetts Association of Portuguese Speakers (MAPS) estimates that there are 200,000 Portuguese speakers in Greater Boston and up to 1 million in Massachusetts. Others have estimated there are 150,000 to 250,000 or more Brazilians in Massachusetts.⁶ This state has become the primary destination for Brazilian immigrants to the U.S.⁷ Although some Brazilians are now returning to Brazil, they are only a small percentage of the total population. In 2002, pastors estimated there were 300 Brazilian churches in Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. In a scholarly study, Ana Martes said, “Churches are the institutions that provide the greatest amount of support to Brazilians.”⁸ One of the most meaningful events for the Brazilian churches was a great celebration of unity held at the Fleet Center, Boston. At this meeting 14,000 Brazilian and Hispanic Christians gathered from all denominations and independent churches. “Since this event, it has been easier to bring together pastors of different churches for times of prayer, communion and fellowship.”⁹

Lowell, Massachusetts, has the second largest Cambodian community in the United States.¹⁰ During the 1980s, Lowell’s Asian Pacific population increased by 450%.¹¹ Since the late 1980s, the Cambodian population of Lowell has continued to grow through births, internal secondary migration, and other immigration. Many Lowell Cambodians settled first in other parts of the U.S. and later migrated there to join relatives and friends, or to find better jobs. The census significantly undercounted the number of Cambodians, but estimates suggest there are 25,000 -35,000 or more.¹² A number of churches started in Lowell, Lynn, and Revere during the 1980s and 1990s. Now there are more than fifteen Cambodian churches in New England. With Emmanuel Gospel Center and Grace Chapel serving as catalysts, the Christian Cambodian American Fellowship was started in 2000. This interchurch organization has helped to encourage cooperative efforts such as the annual outreach at Lowell’s Asian Water Festival, family retreats, training efforts, and Good Friday services. The Cambodian churches have worked for a number of years to develop 24 acres of land they own into the Camp Promise Land retreat center. Now with the addition of some buildings, the property will be even more useful for their family retreats and other events. A resource website has been developed at www.cambodianchristian.com.

While many people are aware of the Cambodians and Brazilians, the Bengali immigrants are less well known. Rev. Paul S. Biswas reports that there are 14,000 Bengalis in New England, more than 7,000 in Greater Boston and 4,000 in Cambridge. Most of them are coming from Bangladesh, West Bengal, and the northeastern states of India. Those from Bangladesh are mostly Muslim, while the Bengalis from India are mostly Hindu. There are very few Bengali Christians in the United States, and in New England there are only about 200.¹³ Christian outreach to Bengalis began at the end of 2002, and by January 2005, the Boston Bangla Church was started in Cambridge. This is the first and only Bengali church in New England. An outreach Bible study has also been started in Lynn, and another leader is being equipped to lead a Bible study group in the Manchester and Hartford, Connecticut area. Rev. Biswas has found that the most effective forms of ministry are intercultural gatherings with interfaith dialogue, one-to-one interactions, and house groups in areas where Bengali people live.

In the past, Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts have been known for the largest concentration of Portuguese and Cape Verdean immigrants. In recent decades, Rhode Island has also attracted immigrants from Latin America, Africa and Asia. Rhode Island now has one of the largest Liberian communities in the United States. Over the last 25 years the largest groups of foreign born residents have shifted from Portuguese, Italian, Canadian and British to Portuguese, Dominican, Guatemalan, and Colombian. The Cambodian, Laotian and Chinese populations have also grown. The number of Dominicans in 2000 was 2.5 times the number in 1990. Over the same period, the number of Guatemalans nearly tripled. This has led to the growth of many Hispanic churches in the state. Liberians have also started new churches and joined existing churches. St. Matthew-Trinity Lutheran Church in Pawtucket is just one example of a church which has welcomed Liberians, assisted in reuniting their families, and provided practical assistance.¹⁴ The Liberian Community Association of Rhode Island assists Liberians with adjustments to life in the U.S., promotes African culture, and ensures that immigrants learn about available legal, social, and educational opportunities. The president, Mator Kpangbai, estimated that more than 15,000 Liberians live in Rhode Island.¹⁵

The presence of immigrant newcomers in New England is an opportunity to exercise hospitality, work for justice, and show Christian love. As Christians from Indonesia, Brazil, Africa, and other countries become our neighbors, we also have the opportunity to learn from their life experiences, and their faith—which has often been tested by adversity—, and to benefit from their gifts and spiritual vitality.

Data Tables:

Statistics based on the 2000 U.S. Census may be much lower than current estimates because some groups have migrated or immigrated in large numbers to an area since the year 2000. The census numbers may also be low because of undercounts, and because some international students, immigrants, and undocumented residents were missed in the census count.

To explore the detailed tables of diversity from which these summary tables were derived, as well as some detailed studies of New England cities, follow the links in our resources section below.

Notes for this article:

¹John Dillon, “Mexican Labor on the Farm,” Vermont Public Radio, 18 January 2006, http://www.vpr.net/ (21Aug. 2007).

²Sam Hemingway, “Mexican Farm Workers Lack Adequate Health Care,” Burlington Free Press, 14 August 2007. (Quoting the 2005 Agency of Agriculture, Food and Marketing Study).

³Ibid.

⁴Larry Clow, “ Indonesians, Fleeing Persecution and Turmoil, Build a New Life on the Seacoast,” The Wire, 9 August 2005, http://www.wirenh.com/News ( 20 August 2007). Also, from Indonesian Christian Leader’s Gathering, Dover, NH, 28 October 2006.

⁵Harold M. C. Lapian, “Indonesian Churches Report,” Boston, Mass., 28 Aug. 2007. Unpublished paper.

⁶Ana Cristina Braga Martes, Brazilians in the United States: A Study of Immigrants in Massachusetts (Sao Paulo:Editora Paz e Terra, 1999). Brief English summary of Brasileiros nos Estados Unidos: Um Estudo Sobre Imigrantes em Massachusetts. To date there are no detailed English studies on Brazilian immigrants in Massachusetts. See also Michelle Chihara, “The Rio World,” Boston Phoenix.

⁷“Brazilian Immigrants in Boston,” Boston Redevelopment Authority, City of Boston, April 2007, http://www.cityofboston.gov/bra/PDF/ResearchPublications//IAP%20Brazilian%20Profile.pdf (22 August 2007).

⁸Martes, Summary page 4.

⁹Cairo Marques, “The Story of the Brazilian Church in Greater Boston,” in Boston’s Book of Acts (Boston: Emmanuel Gospel Center, 2002), 36.

¹⁰Long Beach, California has the highest concentration of Cambodians.

¹¹Institute for Asian American Studies, Univ. of Massachusetts, Boston, “Asian Pacific Americans in Lowell,” 1995, 1.

¹²Suzanne Presto, “Cambodian Immigrants Make an Impact on City in U.S. Northeast,” Voice of American News, 4 May 2005, http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2005-05/2005-05-04-voa72.cfm (24 August 2007).

¹³Paul S. Biswas, Bengali Report for the Intercultural Leadership Consultation, 2007. Unpublished paper.

¹⁴Sharon Kahn Luttrell, “We Can Do That,” The Lutheran, May 1999. Available online.

¹⁵John E. Mulligan, “Bill Extends Liberian Legal Status,” Providence Journal, 9 August 2007.

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Resources: Statistics and Tables on the Diversity and Distribution of Immigrants in New England

State Ethnic Ancestry Tables

• Connecticut (b)
• Maine (c)
• Massachusetts (d)
• New Hampshire (e)
• Rhode Island (f)
• Vermont (g)

Sample City Close-Up Tables

• Bangor, ME (h)
• Barnstable-Yarmouth, MA (i)
• Boston, Worcester, Lawrence, MA (j)
• Burlington, VT (k)
• Hartford, CT (l)
• Lewiston-Auburn, ME (m)
• New London-Norwich, CT (n)
• Pittsfield, MA (o)
• Portland, ME (p)
• Providence-Fall River-Warwick (MA, RI) (q)
• Springfield, MA (r)

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Emmanuel Gospel Center
2 San Juan Street
PO Box 180245
Boston MA 02118-0994

Send your ideas and comments to:
Rudy Mitchell, Senior Researcher, 617.262.4567 x133
Brian Corcoran, Managing Editor, 617.262.4567 x217
Steve Daman, Production Editor

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