An offer of dignity, open arms to our immigrant population

“For I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”

Matthew 25:35

Greetings, Friends!

At the beginning of each week I wonder what I will write about in the blog. Sometimes I do have a few weeks planned out in my mind beforehand but, all too often, I’m unsure of the direction the blog will take until I sit down to write. Needless to say, it’s a delight when a topic manages to fall into my lap. Such was my good fortune this week!

Our Presiding Bishop, the Most Rev Katharine Jefferts Schori, issued a statement on Monday offering support for President Obama’s decision to offer relief from deportation to millions of undocumented community members and to put an end to harmful immigration policies. This statement was signed by 100 Episcopal bishops from the United States, Europe and Haiti. I’ve printed the text below with the entire list of signatories. When I first read through the long list, I was so impressed by the feeling of solidarity and unity on this issue that it presented; I want you to be able to experience that, as well.

Together with families and communities across the United States, I give thanks for President Obama’s announcement that nearly five million undocumented immigrants will soon be eligible for relief from the threat of deportation. Too many families have lived for too long continually worried about parents being separated from children, wage-earners and caregivers from those who depend on them, and unable to participate fully in their communities and the nation’s economy. Permanent and comprehensive reform of our broken immigration system through congressional action is still urgently needed, but the President’s action is a constructive step toward a system that honors the dignity and intrinsic value of every human being. It will immediately strengthen our nation’s communities by allowing immigrant families much fuller participation in American civic and economic life. 

The Episcopal Church will work with Congressional leaders and the White House to press for implementation of the President’s plan as quickly, fairly, and inclusively as possible. The President’s plan is not perfect. Some deserving persons and families are excluded, meaning that additional work lies ahead. All persons equally deserve the ability to pursue their dreams and contribute to their communities and families with liberty, dignity, and freedom. I pray that the President’s action will lead our nation toward a future in which those sacred possibilities are open to all.

The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
Presiding Bishop and Primate
The Episcopal Church

The Right Rev. Stacy F. Sauls
Chief Operating Officer, The Episcopal Church

The Right Rev. James B. Magness
Bishop Suffragan for Armed Forces and Federal Ministries

Arizona
The Right Rev. Kirk Stevan Smith, Ph.D, D. D. Bishop of Arizona

Arkansas
The Right Rev. Larry Benfield, Bishop of Arkansas

California
The Right Rev. Marc Andrus, Bishop of California
The Right Rev. J. Jon Bruno, D.D., Bishop of Los Angeles
The Right Rev. Diane M. Jardine Bruce, Bishop Suffragan of Los Angeles
The Right Rev. Mary D. Glasspool, Bishop Suffragan of Los Angeles
The Right Rev. Frederick H. Borsch, V Bishop of Los Angeles
The Right Rev. Barry L. Beisner, Bishop of Northern California
The Right Rev. James R. Mathes, Bishop of San Diego
The Right Rev. David C. Rice, Bishop of San Joaquin

Colorado
The Right Rev. Robert O’Neill, Bishop of Colorado

Connecticut
The Right Rev. Andrew D. Smith, XIV Bishop of Connecticut
The Right Rev. James E. Curry, Bishop Suffragan of Connecticut (Ret)

Delaware
The Right Rev. Wayne P. Wright, Bishop of Delaware

District of Columbia
The Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, Bishop of Washington
The Right Rev. John Bryson Chane, VIII Bishop of Washington

Florida
The Right Rev. William H. Folwell, II Bishop of Central Florida
The Right Rev. Philip M. Duncan II, D.Min., Bishop of the Central Gulf Coast
The Right Rev. Leo Frade, Bishop of Southeast Florida
The Right Rev. John L. Said, Bishop Suffragan of Southeast Florida (Ret)
The Right Rev. Rogers S. Harris , III Bishop of Southwest Florida
The Right Rev. J. Michael Garrison, Assisting Bishop of Southwest Florida
(X Bishop of Western New York)
The Right Rev. Barry R. Howe, Assisting Bishop of Southwest Florida
(VII Bishop of West Missouri)

Georgia
The Right Rev. Robert Christopher Wright, Bishop of Atlanta

Hawaii
The Right Rev. Robert L. Fitzpatrick, Bishop of Hawaii and the Episcopal Church in                   Micronesia
The Right Rev. Richard S.O. Chang, X Bishop of Hawaii

Idaho
The Right Rev. Brian Thom, Bishop of Idaho

Illinois
The Right Rev. C. Christopher Epting, Assisting Bishop of Chicago
(VII Bishop of Iowa)
The Right Rev. Jeffrey Lee, Bishop of Chicago

Indiana
The Right Rev. Catherine Waynick, Bishop of Indianapolis

Kansas
The Right Rev. Dean E. Wolfe, Vice President of the House of Bishops, Bishop of Kansas
The Right Rev. William E. Smalley, VIII Bishop of Kansas

Kentucky
The Right Rev. David B. Reed, VI Bishop of Kentucky
The Right Rev. Douglas Hahn, D. Min., Bishop of Lexington

Maine
The Right Rev. Stephen T. Lane, Bishop of Maine

Maryland
The Right Rev. Martin G. Townsend, IX Bishop of Easton
The Right Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton, Bishop of Maryland

Massachusetts
The Right Rev. Bud Cederholm, Bishop Suffragan of Massachusetts (Ret)
The Right Rev. Douglas Fisher, Bishop of Western Massachusetts
The Right Rev. Gordon P. Scruton, VIII Bishop of Western Massachusetts

Michigan
The Right Rev. Todd Ousley, Bishop of Eastern Michigan
The Right Rev. Dr. Edwin M. Leidel, Jr., I Bishop of Eastern Michigan
The Right Rev. Wendell N. Gibbs, Jr., Bishop of Michigan
The Right Rev. R Stewart Wood, Jr., IX Bishop of Michigan
The Right Rev. Rayford Ray, Bishop of Northern Michigan

Minnesota
The Right Rev. Brian N. Prior, Bishop of Minnesota

Missouri
The Right Rev. Hays Rockwell, IX Bishop of Missouri
The Right Rev. Martin S. Field, Bishop of West Missouri

Montana
The Right Rev. Charles I. Jones, DD, VIII Bishop of Montana

Navajoland Area Mission
The Right Rev. David E. Bailey, Bishop of Navajoland Area Mission

Nebraska
The Right Rev. Joe Goodwin Burnett, X Bishop of Nebraska

New Hampshire
The Right Rev. A. Robert Hirschfeld, Bishop of New Hampshire
The Right Rev. V. Gene Robinson, IX Bishop of New Hampshire

New Jersey
The Right Rev. Mark M. Beckwith, Bishop of Newark

New Mexico
The Right Rev. Dr. Michael Louis Vono, Bishop of the Rio Grande

New York
The Right Rev. Gladstone B. Adams III, Bishop of Central New York
The Right Rev. Lawrence C. Provenzano, Bishop of Long Island
The Right Rev. Chilton Knudsen, Assisting Bishop of Long Island

(VII Bishop of Maine)
The Right Rev. Prince G. Singh, Bishop of Rochester
The Right Rev. Jack M. McKelvey, VII Bishop of Rochester

 North Carolina
The Right Rev. Michael Bruce Curry, Bishop of North Carolina
The Right Rev. Anne Hodges-Copple, Bishop Suffragan of North Carolina
The Right Rev. J. Gary Gloster, Bishop Suffragan of North Carolina (Ret)
The Right Rev. G. Porter Taylor, Bishop of Western North Carolina
The Right Rev. Robert Johnson, V Bishop of Western North Carolina

North Dakota
The Right Rev. Harold A. Hopkins, Jr., IX Bishop of North Dakota

Ohio
The Right Rev. Mark Hollingsworth, Jr., Bishop of Ohio
The Right Rev. David C. Bowman, Assisting Bishop of Ohio
(IX Bishop of Western New York)
The Right Rev. William D. Persell, Assisting Bishop of Ohio
(XI Bishop of Chicago)
The Right Rev. Arthur B. Williams, Jr., Bishop Suffragan of Ohio (Ret)
The Right Rev. Thomas E. Breidenthal, Bishop of Southern Ohio

Oregon
The Right Rev. Bavi Edna Rivera, Provisional Bishop of Eastern Oregon
The Right Rev. William O. Gregg, Ph.D., VI Bishop of Eastern Oregon
The Right Rev. Michael J. Hanley, Bishop of Oregon

Pennsylvania
The Right Rev. Robert R. Gepert, Provisional Bishop of Central Pennsylvania
The Right Rev. Nathan D. Baxter, X Bishop of Central Pennsylvania
The Right Rev. Charlie F. McNutt, Jr., VIII Bishop of Central Pennsylvania
The Right Rev. Clifton Daniel, Bishop of Pennsylvania
(VII Bishop of East Carolina)
The Right Rev. Charles E. Bennison, Jr., XV Bishop of Pennsylvania
The Right Rev. Allen Bartlett, XIV Bishop of Pennsylvania
The Right Rev. Rodney R. Michel, Assisting Bishop of Pennsylvania
(Bishop Suffragan of Long Island (Ret))
The Right Rev. Edward L. Lee, Jr., Assisting Bishop of Pennsylvania
(VII Bishop of Western Michigan)

Rhode Island
The Right Rev. W. Nicholas Knisely, Bishop of Rhode Island

South Carolina
The Right Rev. W. Andrew Waldo, Bishop of Upper South Carolina

Tennessee
The Right Rev. George D. Young, III, Bishop of East Tennessee
The Right Rev. Don E. Johnson, Bishop of West Tennessee
The Right Rev. James M. Coleman, II Bishop of West Tennessee

Texas
The Right Rev. Rayford B. High, Jr., Provisional Bishop of Fort Worth
The Right Rev. J. Scott Mayer, Bishop of Northwest Texas
The Right Rev. C. Andrew Doyle, Bishop of Texas

Vermont
The Right Rev. Thomas C. Ely, Bishop of Vermont

Virginia
The Right Rev. Frank Neff Powell, V Bishop of Southwestern Virginia
The Right Rev. Susan E. Goff, Bishop Suffragan of Virginia

Washington
The Right Rev. Gregory H. Rickel, Bishop of Olympia
The Right Rev. Sanford Z. K. Hampton, Assisting Bishop of Olympia
The Right Rev. James E. Waggoner, Jr., Bishop of Spokane

West Virginia
The Right Rev. William Klusmeyer, Bishop of West Virginia

Wyoming
The Right Rev. Bob G. Jones, VII Bishop of Wyoming

Europe
The Right Rev. Pierre W. Whalon, Bishop of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe

Haiti
The Right Rev. Jean Zache Duracin, Bishop of Haiti

I recognize that this is yet one more hot-button issue in our society. I know that there are many people who feel our president has overstepped his authority. For me, that’s not the most important issue. As I’ve said so many times before, our first commitment is to the promises we make every time we reaffirm our Baptismal Covenant just as we did this last Sunday. Are we willing to “strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being?” Do we see Jesus in all people, even those that don’t look like us, speak like us, or believe like us? Sometimes these words are too easy to repeat in church but when faced with opinions and actions which differ from ours, we can forget what we’ve promised.

There are many verses in Scripture that instruct us about how we are to respond to the stranger and alien in our midst. Galatians 3:28 & 29 reminds us: “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise”(italics mine). Let us, therefore, join with our Bishops in affirming that “All persons equally deserve the ability to pursue their dreams and contribute to their communities and families with liberty, dignity, and freedom.”

Let us pray –

God, you who always journey with us,
and especially with our most vulnerable sisters and brothers,
we pray for those who have come to our land
in search of security and work,
in search of a better life for themselves and their families:
Grant them acceptance, respect, and a path to citizenship.
Spirit of Wisdom, give our leaders the courage to act with compassion.
We ask this in the name of our loving Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Amen

~ Judith Schellhammer, chair, Resolution Review Committee, Diocesan Council