By Mary Ann Grossnickle and Stan Dueck
The Intercultural Ministries of the Church of the Brethren has launched a venture called the Xenos Project. The word Xenos is a Greek word meaning stranger or alien. The purpose of Xenos is to build a community of congregations feeling called to speak up, stand up, and take action supporting immigrants within our nation.
The 1982 Church of the Brethren Annual Conference statement on “Undocumented Persons and Refugees in the United States” ( www.brethren.org/ac/statements/1982refugees ) reaffirms the longstanding position of the church on immigration and the biblical basis to extend welcome to immigrants and refugees. “We need to affirm that everything belongs to God and that we are an immigrant people…. Our brother and sister immigrants are reminders of who we are and whom we serve.”
Intercultural Ministries has created a Xenos website where congregations that are involved and working on immigration can communicate with each other and with other congregations interested in becoming involved, connecting congregations that are passionate and want to be the hands and feet of Jesus in this area.
The Xenos website will be a place for a respectful, biblically centered conversation and response to family separations occurring at the nation’s borders, the plight of immigrants, and sanctuary churches in the United States, building a network of those concerned about brothers and sisters in need and about immigration, refugee, and asylum issues and justice.
Learn more about the Xenos Project by visiting www.brethren.org/xenos . Begin by taking a survey on concerns and actions about immigrant, refugee, and asylum issues. Ir a la encuesta en español. Pran sondaj nou an an Kreyol.
For additional information or to become involved in the project contact Mary Ann Grossnickle at xenos@brethren.org .
— Mary Ann Grossnickle is coordinator of the Xenos Project, working with Stan Dueck, co-coordinator of Discipleship Ministries.