Presbyterians Issue Statement on AZ Immigration Law
Strangely, the immigration issue has floated off my radar after my move to Grand Forks. Whereas I used to encounter immigrants often in my aspects of my daily life, I don’t anymore (well, not counting the 3rd & 4th generation Scandinavian immigrants that makeup 80% of our congregation). Fargo has a growing new immigrant community, and is making a name for itself as a welcoming place for immigrants, especially those (often refugees) from Africa. And even on our side of Kittson County, I am not aware of too many immigrant issues — I think things may be a bit different on the east side of the county, though I confess I don’t know enough on this yet.
Anyways, I thought I’d post the recent statement from PC(USA) leaders in response to the AZ immigration law, SB 1070. I’ll post the text here, though there’s some good discussion (so far, at least) going on at Bruce’s blog here. As always, statements such as these beg two questions: (1) what of the folks in the PC(USA) who disagree with our denominational position statements on immigration and (2) who really cares about a statement from the PC(USA) these days? I’ll be addressing more of these types of questions this summer when I’ll be blogging our General Assembly for The Presbyterian Outlook, but if folks would like to get the discussion going now I’m game. Without further ado, here it is:
April 29, 2010
Dear Members of Congress,
We write to express our conviction that you must enact comprehensive immigration reform this year. As people of faith and the leaders of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), we are keenly aware of the devastating effects our broken immigration system has on the lives of individuals, immigrant and non-immigrant families, and our communities. The bigotry, trauma, and fear that will result from the recent new law enacted in Arizona, SB 1070, which criminalizes those who are found “with” undocumented persons and requires law enforcement officers to identify and detain such persons, serves to underscore the necessity of action at the federal level.
Churches are on the front lines of caring for families being ripped apart by our broken immigration system. Traumatized citizen children left behind when parents are deported are but one example of the ways the current system destroys the fabric of community life, the integrity of healthy families, and the safety of individual persons. Church workers are also at the forefront of offering relief and services to immigrants, regardless of documentation status. Arizona’s new law will put at risk those workers and others who are called simply to offer the most basic of humanitarian assistance. As Christians, we cannot stand by idly while our brothers and sisters die on our borders from exposure and thirst or languish in poorly equipped detention facilities, nor should we be required to do so by any law.
The new Arizona law also puts in jeopardy the public safety of immigrant communities, already wary of law enforcement for fear of deportation. Instead of new laws that induce fear and distrust, immigrants should be encouraged to participate with law enforcement, reporting crimes when they are victims and offering testimony when they are witnesses. Such trust and participation is impossible if local law enforcement is tasked with enforcement of federal immigration laws. SB 1070 will only foster more fear among immigrant communities, regardless of documentation status. Comprehensive immigration reform at the federal level is essential to override and counteract the damage done in Arizona by this new law.
In the Scriptures of Christians and Jews, we are commanded, “When an immigrant resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the immigrant. The immigrant who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the immigrant as yourself for you were immigrants in the land of Egypt” (Lev. 19:33-34). The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) therefore supports congressional action in 2010 on comprehensive immigration reform that creates a process for undocumented immigrants in the U.S. to earn their legal status; reduces waiting periods and upholds family unity; protects workers from exploitation; and provides efficient channels of entry for new migrant workers.
Sincerely,
Bruce Reyes-Chow
Moderator, 218th General Assembly (2008)Gradye Parsons
Stated Clerk of the General AssemblyLinda Bryant Valentine
Executive Director, General Assembly Mission Council
Flu Ministry
What might congregations do in response to H1N1? Take precautions, perhaps. Serve the community, of course. But, practically speaking, what might we do?
County health officials sent our congregation — and presumably all in the region — a letter a few weeks ago regarding H1N1. They suggested that communion from a common cup be stopped, and that the passing of the peace be altered so that it did not necessitate hand shakes or hugs. Now you could read that two ways: 1) what in the world is the government doing telling us how to practice our religion or, 2) isn’t that wonderful that the county cares so much for its citizens it suggests ways to stay healthy, even in church.
Before I arrived in Hallock, the congregation made a few announcements in worship to suggest that people might want to welcome their neighbor with a friendly “hello” and a smile rather than a hand shake. A few weeks later, I’m not sure the message stuck as every person shook my hand heading out the door last Sunday — or my leadership was so bad that they wanted to infect me and get rid of me quick!
Perhaps all this H1N1 worry gets into culture of fear issues — homeland security threat level raised to burnt orange — or, perhaps it is a real health concern that we should take completely seriously. Since, in my lifetime I do not remember any flu scare such as this, I’m willing to take things quite seriously. Even more so, I’m willing to spread the word.
I’m all for action, but with H1N1, it seems the best I can do is sneeze into my elbow and wash my hands often. I’m even willing to use that goopy hand sanitizer from time to time. And yes, I can help spread the word (and shutdown folks overreacting). But, other than that, it seems there’s nothing to do. Which is frustrating. So I just wrote a blog post about it. Now I’m off to serve my country and…. wash my hands.
image by Marcos Santos
Marathon Mission
A now-retired religious history professor of mine used to open a lecture with this story. One Sunday, many years ago now, he was driving his wife to church when he saw what he thought was a very strange site: a woman running quickly down the street. He panicked for a moment ready to do something, until he realized that she was running by her own volition. So he shook his head, remembered the good times past, and said in his South Carolina drawl, “Ma’am, what are you running from and why aren’t you going to church?”
This week on her blog, One Hand Clapping, Julie Clawson reports on some downtown Austin churches requesting the city to do something about the number of races downtown on Sunday mornings. Julie’s post is very timely, as I was planning a post on similar things this week.
Last Sunday morning I ran the ING Half Marathon in downtown Atlanta (the perks of not having a regular Sundaysunday morning gig this year). Though only in its third year, the race has quickly become an Atlanta tradition and registration was filled a few weeks before the race. 15,000 folks competed.
Last year I rode my bike to church the morning of the race because I knew I couldn’t get to downtown Decatur during the marathon. If you’re trying to go to church with an early service in downtown Atlanta on the race morning, you’re pretty much stuck. The race, its fans, and the cordoned off streets are certainly a big bother to area churches. There’s nothing a like a good bother to complain about, but a few other ponderings come to mind.
First, it strikes me wonderfully ironic that the runners are using their bodies and mass transport for the race, while church members tend to be driving into downtown from suburbs. When these great downtown churches were built, folks walked to church. Now they can’t get to church because of walkers and runners.
Second, at least in Atlanta, the race organizers promise they’re not out to get the churches, Rather, Sunday morning is the only time it’s safe and legal to shut down streets for 6 hours. You can’t do that on Saturday mornings in Atlanta — the only other big races are on Thanksgiving and July 4th.
Third, though I can’t speak to the frequency of races in Austin, I think the Atlanta one, at least, is here to stay. And let’s face it, it’s a great community event — one that emphasizes bodies and health. I’ll be honest: nothing last Sunday from any of the churches we passed made me want to attend that church. On the other hand, there were stores of all kinds giving out water, Georgia Tech had a huge crowd out, Race for the Cure people were everywhere, and local neighborhoods were out with bands and cheering squads and bull horns. I might want to live in Decatur because of their fantastic cheering section, or support Agnes Scott College who let the marathoners run through their campus, but last Sunday morning I saw no church welcoming the stranger.
I was in my favorite Decatur running store this week when I mentioned the church complaint thing. And the guy at the counter said, “You know what I don’t understand is why the churches don’t bring folks out and cheer. Why don’t they sign-up to give out water? Isn’t it like a mission opportunity or something?”
His words, not mine, but I think he’s on to something.
Transcendentalism Meditation
Mark Twain is supposed to have said, “If history doesn’t repeat itself, it at least rhymes.” Though we didn’t quite put it that way in my American religion history presentation this week, there sure are lots of rhymes between Transcendentalism and contemporary American spirituality.
So to refresh your memory, Transcendentalism was lived-out and interpreted in many different ways by the thinkers of its day, but we can describe it at least as a uniquely American response to Romanticism influenced by the religion of Boston (particularly Harvard Unitarians) in the early 19th century.
You’ll probably remember the big names are part of Transcendentalism — Emerson and Thoreau — but there were also plenty of smaller folks we don’t remember today but who influenced thoughts of the day.
So what what was Transcendentalism? Briefly: A group of religious freethinkers who embrace a religious liberalism.
And according to Horatio Dresser, a later fan of spiritualism, it included broadly speaking
- individual aspiration after mystical experience or religious feeling
- the valuing of silence, solitude, and serene mediation
- the immanence of the transcendent–in each person and nature
- the cosmopolitan appreciation of religious variety as well as unity in diversity
- ethical earnestness in pursuit of justice-producing reforms
- an emphasis on creative self-expression and adventure-some seeking
I’ve not taken any courses myself, but I’m going to posit that my seminary’s certificate programs in spiritual formation do all the same things as Dresser’s description of transcendentalism.
Through Columbia’s courses on spiritual formation students go on meditation retreats, walk labyrinths, take classes on creation, seek to understand “neighbor” in the broadest form, consider how to act justly, and emphasize self-expression beyond papers for the classroom.
And, to put it awkwardly, Columbia is by no means the most transcendentalist of seminaries.
So go read some Twain — and maybe some Thoreau — and consider if you have a Transcendentalist within.
image by win john
Caring for Creation: Light from Light
My home congregation, First Presbyterian Church Tallahassee, undertook at Capital Campaign in 2007. In part, the campaign was to fix perennial but unexciting problems around the church such as drainage and water intrusion. Also, though, the campaign included installing some whopping-big solar panels on the education building (the official speak is “solar voltaic panels” and/or “11kW solar generator”, I think). Well, the campaign ain’t totally complete yet — keep giving folks — but the panels are up and running. I got to seem them in person last weekend: pretty darn awesome.
The word is that these are the second largest panels on a non-public building in Florida. And boy do they generate some electricity. Get this: on a sunny day the church can make more energy than it uses. We actually sell power back to the electric grid.
When the session announced the campaign it said,
“The phrase “Light from Light” is one of our core affirmations of faith every Sunday in the words of the Nicene Creed: “. . . God from God, light from light, true God from true God . . ..” With the saints of all the ages, we affirm our faith in the Triune God with our good stewardship of the gifts of creation and the gifts of our forerunners in the faith. The Session of First Presbyterian Church is pleased to announce an opportunity in a new century for our congregation to remain faithful stewards of the light.
As my old internship supervisor would say, “They’ve got it in one” (meaning, “they hit the nail on the head” but in a Scottish accent.)
A few years ago, the PC(USA) General Assembly passed a resolution urging all congregations to go carbon neutral. The session at First Church Tallahassee is heeding that plea, and urging all members and friends of the congregation to do the same.
The PC(USA) website has the text to that resolution, and some helpful resources here.
As that guide says, “the Christian mandate to care for creation and the biblical promise of the restoration of right relationships between God, human beings, and the rest of creation impels and inspires us to act to reduce our energy usage.”
May we all be so impelled and inspired to honor God, the true light of the world.
Connect Online
