“Three Florida fruit-pickers, held captive and brutalized [sic] by their employer for more than a year, finally broke free of their bonds by punching their way through the ventilator hatch of the van in which they were imprisoned. Once outside, they dashed for freedom” (The Independent, 2007).Continue Reading →
“God has chosen the people who are scorned and without importance in this world, that is to say, those who aren’t anything…” (My English translation of 1 Corinthian 1:28 from the Spanish translation Dios Habla Hoy).
This verse leapt off the page at me this morning. A recent community conversation about the make-up of our church echoed in my mind. It is a bilingual church-plant with both English and Spanish speaking groups of adults, and a horde of children from many continents. The topic was immigration reform, and its relevance to our church. Continue Reading →
Dear Immigrant Community,
I’m sorry.
I know it’s not every day you hear those words from me.
But I wanted to start there.
I’m sorry.
I have forgotten so much. I’ve forgotten that Scripture is full of stories of immigrants.
I’ve forgotten the repeated commands to extend hospitality to the stranger, show mercy to the foreigner, and ensure justice for the alien.Continue Reading →
The United States is changing at an unprecedented pace. According to current predictions by the US Census Bureau, by 2050 the United States will have a majority of ethnic minorities, and as soon as 2031 white, non-Hispanic children will become a minority. Continue Reading →
Today, we’re bringing you the second part of an interview between Bill Hybels and Heather Larson of Willow Creek Community Church with Matthew Soerens, co-author of Welcoming the Stranger: Justice, Compassion & Truth in the Immigration Debate and a co-creator of g92.org. (The first part of the interview ran yesterday).
My work with World Relief is primarily focused on helping churches to think through the issue of immigration, putting together a biblical framework with the realities of immigration that the United States is currently facing. One of my favorite churches to work with in this regard has been Willow Creek Community […]Continue Reading →
Though just a small simulation, my “undocumented” day has helped me to be a bit more compassionate. As I went to sleep that night, I prayed for the undocumented young people I know—and the many others like them—whose lives are so challenging.
My challenge to you would be to “become the stranger” for a day, as well, ideally with a small (or large) group from your church, college campus, or youth group. We can provide you with the hand stamps and all that you need to get started. Putting yourselves in the shoes of an undocumented immigrant does not answer the policy questions of how we respond to our nation’s immigrations problems—but it might just expand our hearts.Continue Reading →
Guest Blog by Adam Gustine There are days when, if you were walking around my neighborhood and you didn’t know better, you couldn’t be sure that you were still in America. I live in the hub of three major ethnic communities in south Brooklyn. I’m a pastor at a church that is literally the […]Continue Reading →
In 1960, a few college students started a sit-in movement that swept the nation. In 2010, a few college students set out on a mission to get their rooms in the Inn. It wasn’t until 1964 that Civil Rights legislation finally made it through Congress and became the law of the land. But the change began in 1960. And it may be a few more years until just and fair immigration reform becomes the law of the land, but the change has already begun. The Movement has started.Continue Reading →
In the world of policy it is easy to forget that policy affects people.
It’s certainly not that I don’t interact with undocumented immigrants. I’m sure I brush their shoulders everyday on the train as they’re riding to work. I’m sure I consume food they cook, purchase products they make, and lived in homes they’ve built. My everyday existence is deeply connected to a group of people that is more of a number to me than a face.Continue Reading →
