History of Friends of L'Arche Atlanta, Inc.

The Mission of Friends of L’Arche Atlanta is to be a sign of hope to the greater Atlanta community by choosing to embrace the Mission of L’Arche and open a home here in Atlanta that will live out these core values. We believe that entire communities and the world can be transformed through the relationships that are built in L’Arche.

Friends of L’Arche Atlanta started as a Local Planning Group with a group of 15 people that met once a month from November 2003 until November 2004. The Planning Group was initiated after excitement that came out of a retreat led by Jean Vanier, founder of L'Arche, in Atlanta in June 2003. The Planning Group read and studied the principles of L’Arche, visited L’Arche communities in the United States, and shared in monthly worship and fellowship together. This process helped us to build a firm foundation of commitment to the core values of L’Arche.

After meeting together for a year and a half, the Local Planning Group discerned that there was both a need and the resources necessary to support opening a L’Arche community in Atlanta and submitted an application to the L'Arche U.S. Zone Board. In December 2004, the U.S. Zone Board officially approved the Local Planning Group as a Friends of L’Arche Pre-Project group. A board of directors was formed and in December 2005 Friends of L'Arche Atlanta, Inc. secured the non-profit 501 © 3 status. We are now in the process of announcing our vision to the larger Atlanta community, raising the funds necessary to support a house, and completing the requirements we have to become a Project of L’Arche and open a house. We are excited to share this vision with the larger Atlanta community.

Maria Zeimen, Regional Coordinator, leads the discussion
during a recent  Friends of L'Arche Atlanta board and committee retreat