This translation is not completely accurate as it was automatically generated by a computer.
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By Emily Snell*
7:00 A.M. EST June 27, 2011
Participants from many faith communities march June 25 in Birmingham
against Alabama’s new immigration law. At right is the Rev. Marcus
Singleton, pastor of St. Paul United Methodist Church downtown. The
orange armband identifies him as a peacekeeper. UMNS photos courtesy of
Lyn Cosby.
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The North Alabama (regional) Conference has scheduled discussions in
three cities in the state beginning June 28 to talk about the state’s
recent immigration law.
“I had seen no issue on which more religious groups were joined than
this one, with the lead given by the Catholics and the rest of us
joining in,” wrote Bishop Will Willimon on the conference’s website.
“It's quite remarkable. A wide array of Alabama Christians have come
together to challenge this new immigration law."
According to Bishop Willimon, clergy and church members have
expressed concern about Alabama’s new immigration law, HB 56, one of
the toughest immigration policies in the nation. He said some of those
concerned individuals mentioned encountering immigrants who were
hesitant to seek aid from churches after severe storms because they
feared reprisals from the government.
The new law would require schools and businesses to use the federal
government’s E-Verify system to check the legal status of students and
employees, allow police to arrest people suspected of being in the
country illegally if they are stopped for another reason and make it
illegal to shelter or transport illegal immigrants.
Willimon posted “An Open Letter”
on June 13, criticizing the law and encouraging other United Methodist
clergy to sign a letter to the governor and other officials.
The Rev. Reagin Brown, a retired pastor from Fort Payne First United Methodist Church, talks during the march in Birmingham.
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“The bill is an embarrassment to our state and does not represent
the spirit of hospitality of our churches,” wrote Willimon. “While I'm
confident that the bill will be overturned, I am proud that a number of
our Methodists - those committed to evangelism and mission - are
speaking up in the name of Christ to oppose this ill-conceived bill that
does nothing to help our state and does great harm to our sisters and
brothers.”
The Rev. Matt Lacey, director of mission and advocacy for the
North Alabama Conference, also posted an article about immigration
called “In the World, But Not of the World.” On his blog, Lacey invited people with all viewpoints to attend the discussions, which will be led by a moderator.
“This will be a time of worship, discussion and prayer as we seek
to discern how we can respond to this law in light of our faith and
denomination,” Lacey said. “We hope this will be a civil, prayerful and
respectful exploration of the law among those gathered.”
The June 28 discussion will be at 6:30 p.m., at Highlands United
Methodist Church in Birmingham. Other discussions will be Monday, July
18, in Huntsville and Monday, Aug. 22, at Holt United Methodist Church
in Tuscaloosa. There also are plans for a location in the Southeast
District.
*Snell is a United Methodist Communications intern and a senior at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn.
News media contact: Maggie Hillery, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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