Anglican bishop’s son denied asylum, deported back to El Salvador

From Christian Post-

The son of an Anglican bishop in El Salvador who fled his native country for the U.S. following death threats from a gang was recently deported, according to his father.

Josue Alvarado Guerra, the 34-year-old son of Bishop David Alvarado of the Diocese of El Salvador, was deported back home after being detained in Ohio by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement last November. He had been in the U.S. since October 2016 and worked as an undocumented day laborer. 

Bishop Alvarado sent a letter to Ohio Bishop Mark Hollingsworth Jr. confirming that his son was back home, according to Episcopal News Service.

“We thank the God of life for allowing us to have Josue back in our house and share with him the difficult experiences he lived in detention,” wrote Alvarado, according to ENS.

More here-

 https://www.christianpost.com/news/anglican-bishops-son-deported-back-to-el-salvador-us-denies-asylum.html

Interfaith Partnership For Refugee Resettlement: Finding New Homes, Building Safer Lives

From Connecticut-

While IPRR was born by members of Trinity Episcopal Church and Newtown Congregational Church, it has since gained representatives from Al Hedaya Islamic Center, Baha’i Community, Congregation Adath Israel, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, among other local houses of worship.

The project is open, however, Mr Chamiec-Case told The Newtown Bee in August 2016, to “anyone who wants to participate. While we have been organized by faith communities, we are not restrictive.”

The first family settled by IPRR, a family of six, arrived in November 2017 from Tanzania. The second family — a mother and her two sons, who had spent 22 years in a Rwandan refugee camp — arrived in mid-2018.

IPRR arranged for housing for each family, and helped furnish each apartment. Volunteers also drove family members to school, or work, or appointments, until at least one member obtained a driver’s license.

More here-

https://www.newtownbee.com/02022020/interfaith-partnership-for-refugee-resettlement-finding-new-homes-building-safer-lives/

The Trump Administration and Refugees

From South Carolina-

The Episcopal Church condemns the administration’s decision to reduce the number of refugees and further dismantle the refugee resettlement program. We also strongly condemn the decision to allow states and localities to reject refugees. The historic average for annual refugee admissions has been 95,000. The FY2020 determination of 18,000 refugees is the lowest in the forty year history of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ calls us to welcome the stranger and respect the dignity of every human being. Those fleeing persecution have a particular claim on our attention and concern as they seek a life of dignity and peace in the face of oppression.

“This decision will substantially hamper the vital work of Episcopal Migration Ministries to show the love of Christ to some of the most vulnerable people in the world” said The Rev. Dr. C.K. Robertson, canon to the presiding bishop for ministry beyond The Episcopal Church. “There are millions of displaced persons around the world. The United States has a solemn obligation to do its part to aid this problem by showing generosity to refugees. Security and compassion are not mutually exclusive.”

More here-

http://www.edgefieldadvertiser.com/2019/10/the-trump-administration-and-refugees/

NWA New Sanctuary Network provides physical sanctuaries for immigrants

From Arkansas-

The Northwest Arkansas New Sanctuary Network will provide a physical sanctuary for immigrants in need. 

The group is made up of four congregations: Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Rolling Hills Baptist and St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Fayetteville and All Saints' Episcopal Church in Bentonville. 

Rector Evan Garner with St. Paul's Episcopal Church said northwest Arkansas is in critical need of a group like this. 

"We have a lot of people in our community who live in fear, either as individuals whose status as immigrants is uncertain, or for loved ones in their family. When there's a knock at the door, there's worry," Garner said. 

The churches will welcome immigrants into their congregations, creating miniature sanctuary cities, providing shelter and safety for those in need. 

More here-

https://www.4029tv.com/article/nwa-new-sanctuary-network-provides-physical-sanctuaries-for-immigrants/28931474

Episcopalian congregation rejoices as asylum-seeker is freed

From The Church Times-

AN EPISCOPALIAN congregation in San Diego, in the United States, celebrated the release of an asylum-seeker, Constantin Bakala, last week, who had been separated from his wife and seven children on the Mexico-US border two years ago.

The family fled their home in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for fear of persecution and violence. Mr Bakala had been affiliated with an opposition political party that promoted democratic reforms. After journeying through South and Central America, the family arrived in Tijuana, Mexico, in November 2017, where they sought asylum in the US.

Mr Bakala was detained pending the outcome of their case. His wife, Annie Bwetu Kapongo, and the children were released on condition that she wore an ankle monitor. The family settled in San Diego, where they became involved with St Luke’s, North Street.

The children, who are now aged six to 17, serve as acolytes and sing in the choir, the Episcopal News Service (ENS) reports. The congregation has been raising funds to cover the legal costs to support the family and fight their case.

More here-

https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2019/30-august/news/world/episcopalian-congregation-rejoices-as-asylum-seeker-is-freed

New London church places Holy Family in cages to protest border conditions

From Connecticut-

Ahead of the city's big summer festival, Sailfest, members of the St. James Episcopal Church have placed the Holy Family inside two cages off Huntington Street to protest conditions migrants are facing at the southern border.

Per the Gospel of Matthew in the Bible, Joseph, Mary and Jesus were fleeing persecution in Bethlehem when they crossed into Egypt.

“If they were crossing over from Central American countries to the United States today, they would be put in these internment camps like the migrant children and families,” said the Rev. Ranjit Mathews, rector of St. James.

Recent reports from TIME, the New York Times and other national outlets have described deplorable conditions at U.S. migrant detention centers.

Adults and children have been held for weeks without access to soap, toothpaste or places to bathe. Some children have slept on concrete floors, while some adults have had to stand for days in cramped holding areas. Conditions including chicken pox and scabies have spread like wildfire.

More here-

https://www.theday.com/article/20190712/NWS01/190719818

Walk in Love border tour starts in San Antonio

From Texas-

The humanitarian crisis on the border has drawn Episcopal church leaders from across the country to San Antonio, where they’ve begun what they’re calling the Walk in Love border tour. 

The Rev. Ann Fraser, associate rector of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church downtown, said the tour is based on Ephesians 5:2, which reads, “Walk in love, as Christ loved us.” 

“Whether they’re asylum seekers, ranchers, Border Patrol agents, everybody is in a terrible struggle right now,” said Bishop Anne Hodges-Copple, who is with the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina but is originally from Texas. 

The bishop said they hope to find “the humanity in this humanitarian crisis.” 

More here-

https://www.ksat.com/news/walk-in-love-border-tour-starts-in-san-antonio

Ugandan LGBTQ refugees find a home in Long Beach’s ‘gayborhood’

From Los Angeles-

This story is the first in a two-part series looking at how St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Long Beach helps immigrants.

Up until a few years ago, life was good in Uganda for Lucy. She had just graduated from a local university in 2013 and was looking forward to what came next. Unfortunately, what came next, a year later, was Lucy being forced to flee to Kenya to seek asylum after someone exposed a secret she had been keeping for some time: she was bisexual.

“They told all the people around me, the community and family,” said the 27-year-old who asked that her real name not be used.

She was threatened but received no support from her family.

“They were coming up to me, the whole community was coming up to me, so I had to run,” Lucy said. “[They said] ‘You’re an outcast, that’s not allowed here, how can you do stuff like that?’ No one physically got me. They were threatening me, they were coming to my house where I grew up.”

More here-

https://lbpost.com/immigration/escaping-intolerance-ugandan-lgbtq-refugees-find-a-home-in-long-beachs-gayborhood/

Episcopal Migration Ministries, 8 other agencies awarded new contracts to resettle refugees

From ENS-

The State Department, despite the Trump administration’s decision to drastically reduce the number of refugees allowed to be resettled in the United States, has renewed contracts with all nine agencies that long have facilitated resettlements for the government, including Episcopal Migration Ministries, or EMM.

The decision, communicated to the agencies on Nov. 30, allows them to continue their resettlement activities for another year, though at a greatly diminished capacity than under the Obama administration.

“We are thankful we will continue to resettle refugees in the coming year,“ the Rev. Charles Robertson, canon to the presiding bishop for ministry beyond the Episcopal Church, said Dec. 3 in a press release announcing the State Department’s decision. “We still face the challenge of transitioning to a much smaller resettlement program. This at a time when there are more than 25.4 million refugees, over half of whom are children. With everyone’s support, we will continue to welcome refugees to a place of safety and welcome.”

More here-

https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2018/12/03/episcopal-migration-ministries-8-other-agencies-awarded-new-contracts-to-resettle-refugees/

LI Bishop To Travel To Border To Aid Migrant Caravan

From Long Island-

Bishop Lawrence Provenzano of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island plans to head to the border to help migrants in the caravan claim asylum.

Provenzano said he will travel to Tijuana, Mexico, in early December, along with at least a dozen other Episcopal bishops to help migrants arrive safely.

Provenzano said President Trump could be a hero if he would reverse course and help these people be processed through the normal channels.  

“He has over and over again enjoyed the endorsement of evangelical Christians. He calls himself a Christian. There is an opportunity for him here to embrace the gospel and act as a Christian.”

More here-

 http://www.wshu.org/post/li-bishop-travel-border-aid-migrant-caravan#stream/0

Church of England will send first refugee chaplain to Calais

From Premier UK-

A chaplain ministering to refugees is going to be stationed in Calais by the Church of England for the first time, amid concern over a rising number of migrants settling around ports in northern France.

Canon Kirrilee Reid will leave her current post as the rector of a rural church in Perth and Kinross to boost the presence of the Church's Pas-de-Calais Chaplaincy team.

The Bishop of Gibraltar in Europe, Rt Revd Dr Robert Innes: "I am delighted that we have been able to appoint Kirrilee to this strategic post at a crucially significant time for the Pas-de-Calais chaplaincy and the people it serves.

"Kirrilee brings extensive experience of the Church, a passion for social justice, and sustained involvement in working with migrants and refugees to her new ministry."

The post of chaplain and refugee projects officer is intended to boost co-ordination between both sides of the England Channel, to ensure migrants and their families receive the care and support they need.

More here-

https://www.premier.org.uk/News/UK/Church-of-England-will-send-first-refugee-chaplain-to-Calais

Presiding Bishop, church respond to further cuts to the US refugee resettlement program

From ENS-

The United States was a worldwide leader in refugee resettlement just two years ago, when more than 80,000 refugees were welcomed into the country with help from the nine agencies with federal contracts to do that work, including Episcopal Migration Ministries. That number has dwindled under the Trump administration, which announced Sept. 17 it would reduce resettlement further, to just 30,000 a year.

The Episcopal Church has a long history of standing with refugees, people who are fleeing violence, war and political and religious persecution, and on Sept. 18 the church expressed its disappointment at the reduced cap on the number of refugees.

“As followers of Jesus Christ, we are saddened by this decision,” Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry, said in a written statement. “Our hearts and our prayers are with those thousands of refugees who, due to this decision, will not be able to find new life in the United States. This decision by the government does not reflect the care and compassion of Americans who welcome refugees in their communities every day. Our faith calls us to love God and love our neighbor, so we stand ready to help all those we can in any way we can.”

More here-

https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2018/09/18/presiding-bishop-church-respond-to-further-cuts-to-the-us-refugee-resettlement-program/

People of faith urge Trump to admit more refugees

From Presbyterian Outlook-

With a decision looming on how many refugees to admit into the country, and rumors swirling that the number could drop dramatically from this year’s historic low, people of faith are coming together to ask the Trump administration to instead allow tens of thousands more to enter the United States.

Representatives of some of the largest Protestant denominations in the country — including the General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church, the United Church of Christ, the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Episcopal Church — were planning to gather outside the White House on Wednesday (Sept. 12) to press President Trump to raise the number of refugees admitted in the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1 to 75,000 people.

And the Evangelical Immigration Table — a coalition that includes the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, the country’s single largest Protestant denomination — hosted a call demanding the same.

More here-

https://pres-outlook.org/2018/09/people-of-faith-urge-trump-to-admit-more-refugees/

Anglicans worldwide are working to provide support and care for refugees

From Anglican Journal-

Today – June 20 – is World Refugee Day, when the world is called to remember the millions of individuals fleeing their countries as refugees; and the millions more internally displaced people stranded within their country with no home to go to. In the middle of this crisis, across the Communion, Anglicans are responding.

In a statement released today, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, called on the church to lift up these millions of people in their prayers, and reflected on ministry to refugees that he had seen on his travels.

“My heart continues to break for over 68 million men, women and children who have risked their lives to escape conflict, violence and oppression,” he said. “In my prayers, I also remember the extraordinary welcome and support for refugees that I have seen during visits to Sudan, Uganda, Jordan and other countries. In your prayers today, please take some time to remember what it means that God came to us in the vulnerability of a child whose life was in danger.”

More here-

https://www.anglicanjournal.com/articles/anglicans-worldwide-are-working-to-provide-support-and-care-for-refugees/

Bishop Curry on taking children from parents: 'This is not America'

From Seattle-

Separation of immigrant children from their parents goes against American ideals and the traditions of Christianity, Islam, Judaism and other faiths, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, the Very Rev. Michael Curry, said in Seattle on Friday.

Bishop Curry made his remarks minutes after national news reports that the Trump Administration, under its "Zero Tolerance" policy, has seized 1,995 children from their parents at the Southern border.

"This is not America," Curry said at a meeting with diocesan leaders. "We do not separate families. We do not separate families from children. It is not American to separate children from parents. The American people must say that.

"It is going to take people in the pews . . .This is not a Republican issue or a Democratic issue. It is a humanitarian issue. We need to be heard loud and clear on this one."

More here-

https://www.seattlepi.com/local/politics/article/Connelly-Bishop-Curry-on-taking-children-from-12998622.php

Mother's Day in sanctuary

From North Carolina- (with video)

Mother’s Day traditions are different for everyone, but it’s a day many families come together to honor moms for everything they do all year long. For immigrant mothers facing deportation, Mother’s Day will be a bit different this year.

Interpreter, Lori Fernald Khamala, mother of a ten-year-old daughter and director of American Friends Service Committee met us inside the St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Greenbsoro to sit down with Juana Ortega, a woman and mother who came here from Guatemala. Ortega has been living in the U.S. for 25 years; she’s been living in sanctuary since May 31, 2017.

"I’m remembering that a year ago I was celebrating in my home, in my church. And now I can't. Usually, we would have a Mother's Day celebration in church, and after church we would go home to continue the party, and this year we can't do that. That's not going to happen this year," said Ortega.

More here-

http://spectrumlocalnews.com/nc/triad/news/2018/05/13/mothers-living-in-sanctuary

Sudanese Community Rallies to Send Kids to Camp Rock Point

From Vermont-

This summer might bring a new experience for fourth graders Nyankoor Anyang and Rosa Kuku. Along with their teammates from Chittenden County's Nile Bright Stars Academy soccer team, the students hope to spend a week at Rock Point Camp in Burlington. The entire local Sudanese community is rallying behind them.

Last Saturday, the Sudanese Foundation of Vermont and the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Burlington  organized a fundraiser dinner so that kids from the Sudanese community can attend Rock Point Camp, which is run by the Episcopal Diocese.

"When the school is closed, the kids stay at home. That's not OK," said Chol Dhoor, executive director of the Sudanese foundation. His goal is to send all 21 members of the soccer team, who range from 5 to 16 years old, to camp so that they stay engaged and healthy over the summer. 

More here-

https://www.sevendaysvt.com/LiveCulture/archives/2018/04/16/sudanese-community-rallies-to-send-kids-to-camp-rock-point

Utah's Episcopalian bishop cites LDS donations as example of differing faiths working together

From Utah-

Saying Americans “are hungry” for disagreeing people who continue to maintain positive relationships, the Episcopal Diocese of Utah is citing recent humanitarian donations from the LDS Church and the latter’s hosting of Episcopal Migration Ministries officials as evidences of successful efforts shared by differing faiths.

“I believe that it is very important to demonstrate that people can work together, value each other, and have friendships with each other, even though there are points of profound differences between us,” wrote the Rt. Reve. Scott B. Hayashi on the Episcopal Diocese of Utah’s Facebook page in a Thursday evening post. “I believe that the people of this nation are hungry to see people disagree and still be in positive relationship.”

More here-

https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900007984/utahs-episcopalian-bishop-cites-lds-donations-as-example-of-differing-faiths-working-together.html

Here Are What Christian Leaders Are Saying About Trump’s Remarks About Haiti and Other Countries

From Relevant-

Yesterday, it was revealed that in a closed-door White House meeting, while discussing immigration and protections for immigrants from countries including Haiti, El Salvador and several African countries were being discussed, Trump reportedly said, “Why are we having all these people from sh**hole countries come here?”

After saying that the U.S. needed more people from countries like Norway (which is predominantly white), he then said, “Why do we need more Haitians? Take them out.” The comments were told to The Washington Post by people familiar with the meeting, and initially, were not denied by the White House (though Trump denied some of them this morning). 

The comments were met with disgust and shock from leaders around the world.

Haitian-American GOP congresswoman Mia Love took to Twitter and said that the president must apologize in a statement.

More here-

https://relevantmagazine.com/current/christian-leaders-saying-trumps-remarks-haiti-countries/

The Bishop who helps South Sudanese Refugees

From Africa News-

He became their vessel used to help at a very crucial season of their life.

Every week at Parolinya camp in northern Uganda, Bishop Emmanuel Murye’s congregation – made up mostly of South Sudanese refugees, meet under a tree for Sunday service.

They came at the start of 2017 from their homes in Kajo Keji, South Sudan – as the government and two rebel groups battled for control in a war sparked by a feud between President Salva Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar.

Bishop Murye had been installed as the new Anglican bishop of Kajo Keji county just days before the fighting broke out.

He sheltered dozens of families in his church compound until the fighting died down. Thousands of people fled to Uganda.

Murye stayed and organized trucks to carry over 100 people across the border.

Kajo Keji became a ghost town – almost everyone left and Bishop Murye decided to follow his church.

More here-

http://www.africanews.com/2018/01/09/the-bishop-who-helps-south-sudanese-refugees/