(Mennonite Church USA) — Mennonite Church USA encourages people and congregations to “Learn, Pray, Join” together for immigration justice in August and September.
“The Bible is a story of God on the move,” said Sue Park-Hur, MC USA denominational minister for Leadership Development. “The God who gathers and scatters people continues to move amongst us and calls us to join in God’s reconciling mission with our brothers and sisters in Christ regardless of our legal status. Now is the time to stand with our brothers and sisters and take courageous steps to respectfully extend radical hospitality.”
Congregations and others are encouraged to join in global prayer for immigration justice on Peace Sunday, which takes place September 23, 2018. Mennonite World Conference has created Peace Sunday worship resources with the theme “A renewed peace church welcomes the stranger,” available for widespread use.
MC USA will provide an opportunity to learn more through a webinar panelist discussion about the experiences of immigrant families, how local Mennonite churches and organizations have been responding and strategic ways that people can join efforts to bring change. Webinar panelists include Sarah Jackson, founder of Casa de Paz in Denver, Colorado; Anton Flores, co-founder and resident of Casa Alterna; Tina Schlabach, co-pastor of Shalom Mennonite Fellowship in Tucson, Arizona; Rosio Calderon, co-coordinator of the Casa Mariposa Detention Visitation Program; and Sandra Montes-Martinez, pastor of Monte Horeb Mennonite Church in Dallas, Texas and moderator of Iglesia Menonita Hispana.
The webinar will take place on August 13, at 6-7:15 p.m. EDT / 5-6:15 p.m. Central / 3-4:15 p.m. Pacific, and all are invited to attend. Email SuePH@MennoniteUSA.org to register. A recording of the discussion will be available to watch on YouTube.
The Menno Snapshots blog will feature a series of stories from people across MC USA about immigration justice in August and September, and all are encouraged to subscribe to Menno Snapshots to receive new posts.
Find actions you can take to support immigration justice at MC USA’s Learn Pray Join: Immigration Justice website. Donate to MC USA to support congregations and projects working with immigration justice initiatives addressing family separation, detention centers, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and legal assistance.
“We invite you to join in God’s restorative work regarding immigration, trusting that God goes before us and desires wholeness and well-being for all people,” said Park-Hur. “As our Churchwide Statement on Immigration urges, now is the time for us ‘to comprehend the root causes of immigration and how U.S. immigration operates so that we can better understand each other’s stories.’ Now is the time for us to repent that we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.”
MC USA’s Learn, Pray, Join initiatives seek to create opportunities across the church for deepening understanding around a common topic and joining together in prayer and support.
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Learn more at the Learn Pray Join: Immigration Justice website.