I Was a Stranger
Photo Courtesy of The Institute of Evangelism, Wycliffe College, University of Toronto, Canada
Jesus said, “When you welcome the stranger, you welcome me….” Matthew 25:35
At no time has the church in the US had a greater opportunity to welcome Jesus among us as he journeys with migrants, immigrants, and refugees than today. We your bishops are clear that the situation these beloved of God face as the Trump Administration comes to power threatens their humanity, livelihood, and basic human rights.
For decades, a broken immigration system in the U.S. has kept migrants, immigrants and refugees in this country living in the shadows of society in a state of perpetual fear. They have come to the U.S. under forced circumstances fleeing extreme poverty, hunger, political and religious persecution, war, cartel and gang violence, and the severe impact of climate change. Some are actively recruited by large U.S. companies who need their labor. Yet migrants, immigrants and refugees help to sustain the U.S. economy, serve our families caring for our children and our elderly, cleaning our homes, landscaping our properties, building our roads and the houses we live in, and cultivating and picking the crops that feed our families. They are our neighbors, our friends, and members and pastors of our churches.
Deplorably, racist, xenophobic, nationalistic, and anti-migrant hate speech has become standard rhetoric for many US politicians, including President-elect Donald Trump. He has stated that under his administration he will order the mass deportation of the 11 million undocumented migrants who live and work in the U.S. He has threatened to use military and law enforcement at all levels for this mass deportation. If allowed, this mass deportation of migrants will cause further racial profiling, the separation of families, the undermining of communities and congregations, the weakening of the economy of this country and its democratic systems of law and justice. President-elect Trump has also threatened to end birth-right citizenship, dismantle Refugee resettlement in this country and further strip away the possibility of the U.S. welcoming Asylum Seekers onto this land.
We are living in a dark time that more than ever calls us to be the light of Christ, people of faith who take our baptismal vow to “resist evil in all its forms,” with utmost seriousness.
As United Methodists we have firmly declared through our Social Principles that we are called to actively welcome the migrant, immigrant, and refugee among us.
- Affirming the dignity, worth and rights of migrants, immigrants and refugees.
- Recognizing that displaced people are particularly vulnerable as their in-between status often provides them with few protections and benefits, leaving them open to exploitation, violence and abuse.
- Urging one another to welcome migrants, refugees, and immigrants into our congregations, providing concrete support, to them including help with navigating restrictive and often lengthy immigration policies, and assistance with securing food, housing, education, employment and other kinds of support.
- Opposing all laws and policies that attempt to criminalize, dehumanize or punish displaced individuals and families based on their status as migrants, immigrants or refugees.
- Decrying attempts to detain displaced people and hold them in inhumane and unsanitary conditions.
- Challenging policies that call for the separation of families, especially parents and minor children.
- Opposing the existence of for-profit detention centers that are used for the purpose of detaining migrants, immigrants, and refugees including minor children.
(Social Principles of The United Methodist Church, The Political Community Basic Rights and Freedoms, Section G. Migrants, Immigrants and Refugees)
We your bishops call upon the people of The United Methodist Church to pray for migrants, immigrants, and refugees among us and to welcome them with the fullness of Christian love, remembering that as we welcome these, our brothers, and sisters, we welcome Jesus our Lord.
Bishop Tracy S. Malone
President - Council of Bishops
The United Methodist Church