Immigration

The nation’s largest Hispanic faith-based network launched a nationwide grassroots campaign on Tuesday to push lawmakers to pass comprehensive immigration reform this year.

Esperanza, which includes more than 12,000 Hispanic churches and community non-profits, is seeking to mobilize Hispanic communities across the country to contact their elected officials in support of comprehensive immigration reform.

Participants will tell their representative in Congress that 65 percent of Americans support reform. more >>

Faith leaders ranging from evangelical to Jewish came together Wednesday to launch a nationwide mobilization of people of faith to call for immigration reform that does not tear families apart.

Already the “Together, Not Torn: Families Can’t Wait for Immigration Reform” campaign has collected over 100,000 pro-reform postcards that will be delivered to members of Congress next week. Organizers anticipate they will collect more than a million postcards within the next month.

"People of faith are calling for immigration reform because every day they witness the human consequences of the broken immigration system – families separated, workers exploited and communities in fear,” said Jen Smyers, associate for immigration and refugee policy at Church World Service. “We pray that Congress will have the moral courage to enact humane immigration reform immediately, because our families and communities can no longer wait.” more >>

Evangelical leaders across the nation on Tuesday participated in prayer vigil events to call for comprehensive immigration reform.

The vigils took place in six cities where immigration policy is especially contentious: Phoenix; Denver; Santa Ana, Calif.; Chicago; Memphis, Tenn.; and Miami. The largest event occurred in Phoenix where more than 120 evangelical leaders from across the country gathered for a “Day of Education, Witness and Action” on immigration reform.

"The broken immigration system has taken a heavy local toll, and many call Phoenix ‘ground zero’ for immigration issues," said Kit Danley, president of Neighborhood Ministries, the host group in Phoenix. "Our brothers and sisters in Christ from around the country are standing in solidarity with us to call for something better, something more fair, something more compassionate." more >>

The Baptist World Alliance, which claims more than 37 million members, is celebrating Human Rights Day this weekend by encouraging its churches to emphasize human rights in their worship services.

Though the official U.N.-designated International Human Rights Day was Dec. 10, the BWA decided to observe the day during the weekend so churches could incorporate the theme into their liturgies.

BWA says human rights has been “at the heart” of the Baptist fellowship in its 104-year history, pointing to its opposition to racism, concern about wars, and defense of religious freedom. Moreover, the organization has a history of supporting the rights of the disabled, women’s and children’s rights, and the right of the sick to receive adequate medical care. more >>

Urbana 09, one of the country’s largest student missions conferences, expects more than 20,000 people from every state and many nations next month at its 22nd triennial event in St. Louis.

Organized by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, the Dec. 27-31 conference will focus on the most pressing global issues currently faced by those active in missions around the world. The four main focuses at Urbana 09 are: movement of peoples, money in terms of missions funding, environmental stewardship, and divisions between peoples.

“God is at work in the midst of all kinds of unique challenges,” said Urbana director Jim Tebbe. “Attendees will hear speakers from a variety of cultural contexts discuss how God is at work and will also learn about the needs that still remain. They will also experience worship with thousands of others in one of the most diverse worship gatherings in North America.” more >>