Immigration meeting urges hospitality to 'strangers'
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Anthony Velazquez (left), a staff
member with the United Methodist Council on Finance and Administration,
participates in a small group discussion.
A UMNS photo by Kathy L. Gilbert.
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By Kathy L. Gilbert*
Feb. 8, 2007 | LAKE JUNALUSKA, N.C. (UMNS)
Participants at a conference in the cold Great Smoky Mountains were
reminded that God created hospitality - not borders and walls.
"God has concern for widows and orphans and marginalized outcasts,
and there is nothing you can do about it," said the Rev. A. Clark
Jenkins, pastor of St. Andrew-by-the-Sea United Methodist Church in
Hilton Head, S.C.
That message was sent home with more than 100 people attending the
United Methodist conference called "Our Call to Hospitality: A Biblical
Response to the Challenges of Immigration." Held Feb. 1-3 at the United
Methodist Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center, the event was
sponsored by the Southeastern Jurisdiction, which stretches from
Kentucky to Florida, and the United Methodist Board of Church and
Society, the social advocacy agency of the denomination.
Jenkins called hospitality one of God's greatest gifts. "It is
appalling to me that we celebrated when the wall in Berlin came down and
now we are seeking to build a wall in Mexico," he said.
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The Rev. Clayton Childers acts out an immigration issue during a workshop.
A UMNS photo by Kathy L. Gilbert.
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"We expect immigrants to flip our burgers and take out our trash," said
the Rev. Clayton Childers, the board's program director for annual
conference relations. "We expect them to be here and then blame them
when they are."
The purpose of the conference was to educate and spur United
Methodists to work for comprehensive immigration reform. Participants
shared ways churches and conferences are working with immigrants and
learned how to advocate for immigration reform in local congregations
and communities.
Workshops encouraging hospitality included immigration and racism;
causes and consequences of immigration; the effects of "English only"
declarations; and legal issues in immigration.
Bishop Hee-Soo Jung of the Northern Illinois Annual (regional)
Conference and Bishop Timothy W. Whitaker of the Florida Annual
Conference started and ended the conference with worship services.
Immigration laws
Immigration has been a hot topic in the United States during recent
years and, in December 2005, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a
strict immigration bill that stirred protests across the nation. Bill
Mefford, program director of civil and human rights with the board, said
the Senate passed "not a good but a better" piece of legislation in May
2006, and immigration became "a tool for politics" during the months
leading up to Election Day last November.
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Bill Mefford reports on pending immigration legislation before the
U.S. Congress. A UMNS photo
by Kathy L. Gilbert.
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In opposition to the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigration Resolution Act, the Book of Resolutions of The United Methodist Church states in paragraph 162 that "being an undocumented person is not a crime."
The original immigration bill "was a really bad piece of legislation
and we don't have it anymore; we are starting from scratch," Mefford
said. "But now it is a tougher hill to climb because there is a lot of
money behind the anti-immigration side."
Mefford urged Christians to make their voices heard. "One thing I
hear over and over again is that lawmakers have to hear from people in
favor of immigration reform," he said.
"This is not a Democrat or Republican issue. This is not a left or right issue. It is a faith issue."
Biblical hospitality
"I greet you in the name of the migrant refugee Christ," said the
Rev. Joan Maruskin in opening a session on Christian hospitality.
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"I greet you in the name of the
migrant refugee Christ," says the Rev. Joan Maruskin in opening a
session on Christian hospitality. A UMNS photo by Kathy L. Gilbert.
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An ordained United Methodist minister and an author, Maruskin led
participants on a journey through the Bible, highlighting Scriptures
that focus on God's care and concern for "the stranger."
She said the Hebrew Bible advises the people of God more than three
dozen times to care for strangers, and the New Testament is full of
stories about Jesus welcoming and healing strangers.
"Our salvation, according to the words of Jesus, is directly tied to
our welcoming the hungry, the thirsty, the strangers, the naked, the
sick and the prisoners. Jesus was one with the undocumented," said
Maruskin, who is director of the York County Council of Churches, an
ecumenical agency of 130 Christian congregations in York County, Pa.
Maruskin called on participants to "vow to increase your circle of true friends to include those different from you."
"The United States is a nation built by design through the blood,
sweat, tears and love of immigrant populations. Interestingly, the
indigenous people of this land are the Native Americans and the
Mexicans," she said.
Immigration reform
The Board of Church and Society is advocating for comprehensive
immigration reform that is not based on amnesty or open borders, but
aims to:
- Provide a path to citizenship
- Protect workers
- Reunite families
- Restore the rule of law and enhance security
Participants called the conference enlightening and expressed a
desire to work toward immigration reform in their own churches and
communities.
"This whole event has talked about raising awareness of our lack of
hospitality to people who are different from us in our churches," said
Charlotte Brendel, a member of St. Lukes United Methodist Church in
Hickory, N.C. "I am not sure where God is leading me but, when I go back
to my church, I will be open and a lot more emphatic to people."
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The Rev. A. Clark Jenkins addresses
a United Methodist conference on
the biblical response to the challenges
of immigration. A UMNS photo by
Kathy L. Gilbert.
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Niranjan Noronha works with the South Asian population in southern
Georgia and said the conference was a "very positive experience."
"One thing I learned is that the economic policies of the U.S. brings
more immigrants here rather than keeping them in their own countries,"
he said. "I learned about the realities about what causes immigration
and what immigrants face here, especially legal matters."
Lou McNutt, United Methodist Women's social action coordinator in the
Holston Conference, said, "The immigrant's view that they are always
the visitor, always the guest, was something I had never thought about
before."
Maruskin said Christians are living at a pivotal moment in time.
"God is standing on the shores in the form of our undocumented
sisters and brothers from Canada, Cambodia, England, Ireland, China,
Russia, Poland, Tibet, El Salvador, Haiti, Mexico and the list goes on,"
she said.
"God is waiting to be welcomed."
Video and audio recordings of the worship services, plenaries and
workshops can be ordered from the Southeastern Jurisdiction by calling
(828) 452-2881 or e-mailing Kenneth Ratcliffe at ratcliffe@sejumc.org.
*Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.
News media contact: Kathy L. Gilbert, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
Video Highlights
The Rev. Joan Maruskin: "God gave us the mandate."
The Rev. Clark Jenkins: "It's appalling we seek to build a wall."
Audio Interviews
Bishop Timothy W. Whitaker: "We need public conversation about immigration."
Bishop Hee-Soo Jung: "We need to go help the hurt."
Related Articles
Bishops: Church transcends national borders
Religious, political leaders speak on immigration reform
Clergy rally in protest of immigration reform bill
Two church-wide ethnic caucuses call for immigration reform
Resources
United Methodist Board of Church and Society
Immigration Articles
Southeastern Jurisdiction |