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.
Intercultural Ministries
‘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.
Intercultural Ministries seeks volunteer ‘frontliners’ (in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole)
Intercultural Ministries Frontliners: A volunteer opportunity for Church of the Brethren members as liaisons in their districts, working alongside the Intercultural Ministries office to help carry out the vision of togetherness as described in the compelling vision
New ministry addresses concerns around detention and deportation of Church of the Brethren members
In response to concerns raised by congregations in their districts related to potential detention and deportation among members of the Church of the Brethren, a group of church districts is working cooperatively to provide resourcing and support to affected congregations and to the whole church.