The Deportation Defense Response Team provides the following update on the numbers of Church of the Brethren immigrant members and attenders affected by detention or deportation. For the most part, we cannot provide names, but we can share the data we have as of Aug. 12.
Intercultural Ministries
Webinar to inform on ‘Importance and Process of Applying for Asylum’
The Deportation Defense Response Team is inviting pastors, church leaders, allies, and brother and sister immigrants to participate in a webinar on the “Importance and Process of Applying for Asylum” led by attorney Margaret Blot.
Sharing their story: Immigrant church members are deported or detained
While some of us were at the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference, on Saturday, July 5, our church member Armando Leonel Reyes Rodriguez was deported. Armando has given me permission to share his story.
‘Lawyer Call-Out Meeting’ is scheduled
Calling all lawyers! The Deportation Defense Response Team, a new ministry initiated by four Church of the Brethren districts, is working to defend our Brethren family against the increasingly escalated risk of detention and deportation in the US.
‘…For you were foreigners…’; A call to support, defend, and advocate for our immigrant neighbors
Across the nation, immigrants in our communities are under attack. Our own congregations have experienced firsthand the devastating injustices committed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Many members have been unjustly detained and deported, and many more are living in fear—afraid to attend church services, work, or go to necessary medical appointments.
Jesus Lounge Ministry supports immigrant members and their families
This summer, Jesus Lounge Ministry, an Atlantic Southeast District church in Delray Beach, Fla., has been very active in supporting members and their families with their paperwork and immigration documentation.
Standing with People of Color Coordinating Committee brings its final report
The delegate body received the final report of the Standing with People of Color Coordinating Committee, following a study/action process begun by the 2022 Annual Conference.
UNESCO Story Circle workshop shares resources for developing intercultural relationships
A pre-Annual Conference workshop to gain skills in developing intercultural relationships was led by Darla Deardorff, founding president of the World Council on Intercultural and Global Competence and UNESCO Chair on Intercultural Competence.
Revelation 7:9 Awards are presented by Intercultural Ministries
The annual Revelation 7:9 Awards were presented to eight individuals this year, in an event held during the Mission and Ministry Board’s pre-Conference meeting on July 2 in Greensboro, N.C. Intercultural Ministries director Founa A. Badet presented the awards.
Deportation defense team requests prayer for Church of the Brethren members
Members of two congregations in the Church of the Brethren’s Southern Ohio and Kentucky District and one congregation in Pacific Southwest District were deported in the last two weeks, to Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador. Please pray for their families left behind in the United States and the church communities that continue to support them.