National
Council of Churches
Arizona Ecumenical
Council
Atlanta, Regional
Council of Churches
Colorado Council
of Churches
Ecumenical
Ministries of Oregon
Interchurch
Ministries of Nebraska
Kentucky Council
of Churches
Minnesota Council
of Churches
New York State
Council of Churches
North Carolina
Council of Churches
Pennsylvania Council of Churches
Churches United of the Quad Cities, Iowa
Virginia Council
of Churches
 National
Council of Churches
In addition to hosting the NCC
Task Force on Immigration -- the producer of
this web resource -- the National Council of Churches
has a long history of contributing to the
national conversation on immigration by
fostering the development of detailed,
collaborative policy statements on immigration,
beginning more than a half century ago:
United States Immigration
and Naturalization Policy,
adopted by the Governing Board May 21, 1952
The Churches and
Immigration, adopted by the
Governing Board February 27, 1962
Immigrants, Refugees and
Migrants, adopted by the
Governing Board May 14, 1981
Joint NCC-CWS
Resolution on Immigration and a Call to Action
(adopted at the
General Assembly, November 12, 2008)
SPECIAL WORSHIP RESOURCE
--
Hymn text: "Abraham
Journeyed to a New Country," by
Carolyn Winfrey Gillette
Arizona Ecumenical Council
The Ecumenical Council of Arizona is promoting
passage of the Federal DREAM Act, a bill
introduced in Congress in 2001 to give non-U.S.
citizens a temporary legal status to finish
school.
 Under
provisions of the bill, non-citizen
students need to have been in the US five years
prior to the passage of the legislature
and under the age of 16 at the time of entry.
Upon completion of an associates degree or two
years of military service, if the applicant
demonstrates good moral character, he or she can
apply for permanent residency. This is the
golden opportunity many students hope for.
Approximately 2.8 million students will graduate
from United States High Schools this year. Some
of them will go on to college, join the
military, or take another path in life,
eventually becoming active members of society,
all equally American. However, in this sea of
individuals, a group of approximately 60,000
will not have this opportunity, not because they
lack motivation, but because of the status
passed on to them by their parents. These often
highly achieved individuals cannot attend
college, enlist in the armed forces, or
otherwise live a full life. Children that grew
up on American soil, respect the laws of this
country, and want nothing more than to be
recognized for what they are, Americans, bear an
inherited title of an “illegal immigrant”.
The DREAM Act is a bill introduced in the United
States Senate in November of 2005 by Senator
Richard Durbin that will solve this growing
problem. Now boasting 20 cosponsors, this
legislature is a carefully constructed document
with strict requirements and eligibility
limitations. Under the provisions of this bill,
those who entered the United States five years
prior to the passage of the legislature and were
under the age of 16 at the time of entry are
eligible for a six year conditional residency
status upon completion of an associates degree
or two years of military service. If the
applicant demonstrates good moral character, at
the end of the six year conditional residency,
the applicant can apply for United States
citizenship. This is the opportunity that
eligible students hope for. For more information
on the DREAM Act, including downloadable
brochures on the rights of immigrants, go
here.
Atlanta
 The
Regional Council of Churches of Atlanta
encourages members to get the facts about
immigration and to act on them "in the light of
love." The Council's message:
We encourage your
congregation/organization to participate
in on-going events and programs to
initiate dialogue and education around
immigration
reform that can occur in respectful
ways. Here are some suggestions:
- Attend a showing of the film,
The Invisible Chapel, that follows
the story of a chapel started by
undocumented workers in California
that was forced to be demolished.
See
http://www.invisiblechapel.com
for more information. Contact
worldpilgrims@bellsouth.net,
404-622-3399.
- Invite representatives from any
of the In the Light of Love
participating organizations to your
congregation for an educational
forum. Contact
srose@adl.org.
- Speak and pray about the need
for civility and respect around the
immigration
reform discussion at your
weekly services.
- Sign on to the Declaration on
Immigration
Reform. Contact
srose@adl.org.
- Partner with another
congregation that serves the
immigrant community and allow
immigrants to share their personal
stories.
Colorado Council of
Churches
  The
Colorado Council of Churches is connecting
congregations with local elementary and high
schools to provide mentors for immigrant
children and to work with their families. The
Council is also developing a four-week DVD
Sunday School curriculum entitled, Who Is My
Neighbor? A Faith Discussion on Immigration,
with the goal of marketing it nationally. It is
now being edited and will be mailed to Colorado
congregations.
The Council has also created a
faith pledge on
immigration.
Ecumenical Ministries of
Oregon
The Ecumenical
Ministries of Oregon (EMO) has been supporting
refugees and immigrants since the 1970's.
Ministries have been established to welcome new
neighbors, give them temporary homes with
household items and food, and offer assistance
as they learn a new language, complete their
education and look for a job. EMO's ministries
include:
Portland International
Community School,
Russian Oregon Social
Services and
Sponsors Organized to
Assist Refugees. For more
information, see EMO's attractive
Web page. In a
special section on Volunteer Ministries, the
site provides information and contacts for key
ministries:
Minister to
Refugees
In addition to sharing your wisdom with
immigrants and refugees, EMO’s Refugee and
Immigration programs need volunteers to help
newcomers with the challenge of learning a new
way of life in the United States.
 Other
volunteer opportunities at
Sponsors Organized to
Assist Refugees (SOAR) include:
helping newly arrived refugees with
transportation to appointments, office
assistance, picking up donations and helping
preparing apartments for a refugee family’s
arrival. To learn more about volunteering at
SOAR, contact
Yin Nwe Liu
at (503) 284-3002.
Russian Oregon Social
Services (ROSS) volunteer opportunities
include classroom English instructors,
citizenship class instructors, in-home tutors,
mentors, breast health educators and pro-bono
legal providers. To learn more about
volunteering at ROSS, contact
Selena Hickman
at (503) 777-3437.
Volunteer opportunities at
Portland International
Community School (PICS)
include positions as teaching assistants,
tutors and mentors for high school students. For
more information, contact
Cecilia McCoy
at (503) 232-5334.
Interchurch Ministries of
Nebraska
 Interchurch
Ministries of Nebraska offers many services to
immigrants, including adult forums that connect
rural and urban constituents in the state, free
legal services through a rural response hotline,
access to a domestic violence counselor, and
state campus ministries to work with students.
The Ministries also provide training for
employers and employees on how to respond to
government immigration raids on work places. In
addition, judicatory executives will be taking
their concerns to Nebraska Governor Dave
Heineman in Lincoln.
Kentucky Council of
Churches
In 2006, the Kentucky Council of Churches
enacted a policy statement on immigration reform
that included the following key points:
 T he
Kentucky Council of Churches encourages all our
member communions and congregations to strive
for legislative and other solutions that
accomplish:
a) a broad-based legalization of the
undocumented;
b) a temporary worker program with appropriate
protections for both U.S. and foreign workers;
c) changes to the immigration system to address
the grounds of admissibility, petition
processing, caps on visas, and admission bars
and waivers;
d) restoration of due process for immigrants,
e) wages and benefits in compliance with US
labor laws,
f) greater understanding, education about, and
actions that will address the local, national,
and international causes of the conditions that
create illegal immigration,
g) informed, collaborative ministries in our
churches that meet the needs of new immigrants
to our communities, and
h) a comprehensive network of social services
and advocacy for migrant families.
The full text of the policy statement is
here.
Minnesota Council of
Churches
 The
Minnesota Council of Churches approved a
policy statement on
immigration
that will guide its own work, with immigrants
and refugees, as well as encouraging its member
churches to be more engaged in immigration.
In
addition, Refugee Services became a program of
the MCC in 1984 and is a part of the
network for two national resettlement agencies,
Church World Service
and
Episcopal Migration
Ministries.
Refugee Services is supported through contracts
and grants from local, state and federal
funders. The program provides a range of
services to refugees and asylees in Minnesota.
For details, see
Case Management;
Employment Services;
Immigration Services;
Education.
The Council
is doing refugee resettlement in conjunction
with Church World Service and EMM. The Council
has been working on a green card project and
supporting families who have been the victims of
Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) raids.
New York State Council of
Churches
 Since
2001, the New York State Council of Churches has
taken bishops and judicatory executives on
annual trips to Washington, often to witness to
government officials on the topic of
immigration. In addition, state staff and board
are beginning to make contact with the New York
leaders of the
New Sanctuary Movement, a coalition of
interfaith religious leaders and participating
congregations, called by our faith to respond
actively and publicly to the suffering of
immigrant brothers and sisters residing in the
United States.
North Carolina Council of
Churches
The North Carolina Religious
Coalition for Justice for Immigrants has issued
a statement that could be used as a model in
other states:
 As
people of faith and conscience from across North
Carolina, we believe that our calling is to
welcome immigrants, offering them hospitality
and justice. While we recognize that immigration
policy is a complex issue that divides people of
goodwill, our faiths compel us to stand with
immigrants in their struggle for justice. We
confess that, all too often, we have remained
silent.
We remember the words of
Moses when he said, “ Do
not mistreat foreigners living in your land, but
treat them just as you treat your own citizens.
Love foreigners as you love yourselves, because
you were foreigners one time in Egypt”
(Leviticus 19:33-34).
We remember the words of
Jesus when he said, “I was a stranger and you
welcomed me” (Matthew 25:35).
We remember the words of the
Qur’an when it says, “ Do
good unto your parents, and near of kin, and
unto orphans, and the needy, and the neighbor
from among your own people, and the neighbor who
is a stranger, and the friend by your side, and
the wayfarer…”
(An-Nisa 4:36).
As people of faith, we stand
today in a long tradition of those who have been
faithful in providing hospitality for those in
need and in seeking justice for the oppressed.
It is crucial that people of
faith respond to the immigration crisis by
offering advocacy and welcome in the face of
rising anti-immigrant sentiment. Religious
communities find in our scriptures traditions
which call us to welcome the stranger, promote
hospitality, and seek justice. People of faith
should call for legislative reforms which are
fair, humane, and address the root causes of why
people migrate. Since nearly all citizens in the
United States today are descended from people
from other nations, we are called to offer
support to newer immigrants who contribute to
our economy and culture but who suffer
discrimination, abuse, and hardship as a result
of their status as immigrants.
We deplore any governmental
action which unduly emphasizes enforcement as
the primary response to immigrants entering this
country or which criminalizes persons providing
humanitarian assistance to migrants. We
encourage the state and local governments of
North Carolina to provide for fair treatment and
protection of our state’s immigrant population,
including access to education and mobility. In
addition, we are troubled and grieved by the
separation of families and other forms of
suffering that continue to take place as a
result of immigration raids.
We recognize that immigration
policy is complex and multi-faceted, but we
agree that all immigrants are made in God’s
image and that our religious traditions demand
that we care especially for the stranger. We
call on all people of faith to stand with
immigrants as a matter of religious
responsibility, to advocate for their well-being
and protection, and to educate our local
communities about issues affecting immigrant
peoples.
The North Carolina Council of
Churches has also developed an
excellent curriculum
on the issue of immigration.
Pennsylvania Council of
Churches
 The
Pennsylvania Council of Churches has direct
ministries to guide immigrants through the
process of living and working in the United
States. Mushroom workers in Pennsylvania's
Chester County, most of whom are immigrants,
have been directly served by these ministries.
The Council also organizes trips to Washington
and Harrisburg to meet with legislators and
government officials to offer their witness on
behalf of immigrations law reform, but these
groups have encountered resistance from citizens
and politicians who do not favor opening the
doors to immigrants.
Quad Cities, Iowa
 In
May 2008, more than
300 individuals were arrested for administrative
immigration violations at a meat-packing plant
in Iowa in the largest raid of its kind in state
history. Churches United of the Quad City Area,
principally Roman Catholics and Lutherans,
called immediately for comprehensive immigration
reform. Archbishop Jerome Hanus, archbishop of
the Archdiocese of Dubuque, said, “This state of
terror for families is evidence that our
political system has not adequately addressed
the demand for labor, the inadequacies of our
present immigration policies and practices, and
the broader economic challenges. Some of
the weakest members among us are bearing the
brunt of the suffering, while legislators and
other leaders, as well as many of us in the
general public, have failed to give this issue
the priority that it deserves.”
Archbishop Hanus said leaders in the Roman
Catholic community as well as many other
religious leaders have called for immigration
reform that, among other things, creates legal
avenues for workers and their families who wish
to enter the United States and work in a safe,
legal and orderly manner with their rights fully
protected.
Virginia Council of
Churches
 The
Mission of Rural Family Development (RFD), an
agency of the Virginia Council of Churches, is
to enable children and adults of farmworker and
other rural households to achieve their
potential. RFD will use staff, church and
community partners to establish relationships of
trust with family members as a basis for
providing comprehensive family and child
development services. RFD operates four Migrant
Head Start Centers between May and November,
serving the approximately 400 children of
migrant farmworkers from birth to 5 years of age
who travel to the counties of Accomack,
Northampton, Clark, Frederick and the City of
Winchester to pick Crops. Services are also
provided to adult family members.
The
VCC Staff Directory
lists contacts for each Head Start Center,
showing their location and dates of operation.
Rural Family Development is a Delegate Agency of
the East Coast Migrant Head Start Project based
in Arlington, VA.
The Council is also active in placing refugees
in Virginia Communities, stressing that without
sponsors, the work cannot go forward. Volunteers
also help by educating their congregations about
the reality of refugees worldwide, welcoming new
arrivals at the airport, providing time to help
tutor new arrivals in English, helping them to
find housing or providing contacts to find a
job. Donations of furniture to new families, as
well as offering to show them the basics of life
in your community, are also invaluable services.
Whether you feel your church or organization can
pledge to sponsor a family or you wish to
volunteer your time for the above-mentioned
roles, please contact us to today. The Virginia
Council of Churches Refugee Resettlement program
provides volunteers with the information and
support you need to welcome a refugee family
into your community and help them achieve
self-reliance in their new home. Caseworkers are
in constant contact with congregations and the
family itself, ensuring everything is taken care
of.
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