It began for more than 200 Presbyterians last Friday with Compassion, Peace and Justice Training Day at New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. It ended with a visit to Capitol Hill on Monday to lobby Congress for changes in the approach to immigration and refugees.
More than 220 Presbyterians have gathered at New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C., for Compassion, Peace & Justice Training Day, which kicks off Ecumenical Advocacy Days. The annual gathering brings Presbyterians together to engage in issues of national and international interest. The theme for this year’s event is “A World Uprooted: Responding to Migrants, Refugees and Displaced People.”
Without a pastor’s love for fly-fishing, Monica Carrillo — who crossed the Arizona-Mexico border when she was 13 — might still be living in the shadows. And the Rev. Karlin Bilcher might still be unhealthy and depressed, after a terrible first experience in ministry that nearly cost him his family.
A group of American religious leaders consisting of priests, rabbis, imams and other clergy, have joined forces to seek a preliminary injunction to stop the deportation of immigrants currently residing in the U.S. The so-called Amici, which include the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and eight Presbyterian pastors, argue that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is trying to silence freedom of speech by targeting immigrants who speak out publicly against U.S. policy on the issue.
As the U.S. government continues to debate the future of migrants, refugees and displaced people living in this country, the upcoming Compassion, Peace and Justice Training Day will address the issue head-on. The daylong event, part of Ecumenical Advocacy Training Weekend, will provide Presbyterians an opportunity to learn more about the people most impacted.
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and other faith leaders recently gathered at the Guilford Park Presbyterian Church in Greensboro, North Carolina to urge their senators to support immigrant families facing deportation.
Speaking to attendees at the 2018 gathering of the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators (APCE), the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), assumed the role of cheerleader for educators during today’s opening worship service.
First Presbyterian Church of Metuchen, New Jersey is seeking the release of an Indonesian Christian member, picked up last week by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Roby Sanger was dropping his daughter off at middle school when the agents approached and took him into custody. He now faces deportation.
No one likes to lose a church member. Now imagine the prospect of losing 70 percent of a congregation. Marturia Presbyterian Church in Rochester, New Hampshire, is facing such a reality as its Indonesian members have fallen under the focus of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The immigration conversation is nowhere close to being done. The political discourse around immigration continues to affect communities and the church — in both its witness and its membership. It’s a conversation that should compel leaders (including sessions and mid councils) to continue discerning the call of the church, especially when it comes to welcoming people who come to the United States in pursuit of a better life.
