New free resource offers churches guidance in supporting immigrants
The six-part series offers scripture, PC(USA) policy context, discussion questions, prayer, and suggested action steps
How can congregations serve their immigrant members and neighbors at such a precarious time?
This is the question facing many Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) churches today as they seek to walk alongside immigrants in their communities amidst heightened immigration crackdowns, arrests, and deportations. A new resource guide from Presbyterian Life & Witness, an agency of the PC(USA), offers some answers.
In 2022, the 225th General Assembly declared the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to be a “Sanctuary and Accompaniment Church” that "supports and encourages its congregations, mid councils, and members to support immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, and their children, and to resist efforts by the government to separate families.”
However, shortly after President Donald Trump took office last year, the administration revoked a Sensitive Locations memo that had previously prevented law enforcement from pursuing unauthorized immigrants at churches, hospitals, schools and other places deemed to provide “essential services.”
This shift has had devastating and far-reaching impacts on the sanctuary movement, in which churches have historically provided shelter to migrants, asylum seekers, and others as they have sought protection and contended with the challenges of the U.S. immigration system. Even beyond disrupting full-time sanctuary efforts, the administration’s immigration policies and actions have made many migrants and immigrants — including those with legal authorization — afraid to participate in church and community life or even leave their homes.
In light of these realities, the Immigration Advocacy Office within Presbyterian Life & Witness has produced a new prayer and resource guide called "Practicing Welcome, Standing with Immigrants." The six-part resource “weaves the journeys told in Luke 2:1–7 and Matthew 2:11–15 with the lived realities of immigrants and refugees residing in or seeking protection in the United States.”
The new guide is designed to be used in a variety of church settings, including by committees, mid councils, whole congregations, small groups, and even at advocacy events. Each session includes a scriptural grounding, clear connection to PC(USA) social witness policy, discussion questions, suggested action steps for individuals and communities, and a prayer. The six parts of the series can function as a standalone or as part of the larger series. Its digital format allows for easy linking to scripture and social witness policy.
The resource emphasizes up front the importance of centering those who are directly impacted and vulnerable. It urges resource-users to assess the level of inclusion of and connection to immigrant communities, their own risk exposure, and the gifts and limitations affecting their efforts.
Amanda Craft, the manager of Immigration Advocacy, says she hopes the guide will help congregations and mid councils who are committed to immigration justice find tangible ways to engage in their own contexts.
“The realities of the federal legislative landscape are making the call to care for one another more complex — especially within mixed-status communities, where policies can deepen vulnerability and fear. Legislative decisions carry lasting consequences for the dignity, safety and flourishing of all neighbors. Across all bodies of the church, people are discerning how to come alongside one another — not only to meet growing needs, but to advocate for justice, uphold human dignity, and be in solidarity.”
The guide will not address all needs or risks, Craft says, and yet, it is a starting place to ground the work.
The guide was originally designed to be used at Advent, but Craft worked with colleagues within Presbyterian Life & Witness to broaden the scope so it could be used year-round. As she reminds readers, “This is holy work: to listen, to accompany, and to act together in love, trusting that care rooted in justice can help build communities where all are truly able to belong and thrive.”
As the new resource makes clear, the PC(USA) has a long history of General Assembly policies and social witness efforts in support of migrants, immigrants, and asylum-seekers. Most recently, the Rev. Jihyun Oh, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly and Executive Director of Presbyterian Life & Witness, signed on to an amicus brief in the case of Department of Homeland Security v. Al Otra Lado, which went before the Supreme Court of the United States earlier this year.
That case — which was originally filed nearly a decade ago — concerns the constitutionality of the “turn back” policy enacted by the first Trump administration, in which U.S. agents turned away those seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. PC(USA) leaders also participated in a faith vigil outside the Supreme Court while arguments were being heard.
The new resource is available for free on the PC(USA) website.
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