Community Resources

Written By Jenn Collins

Resources for Care of Immigrants and Vulnerable Populations

Dear synod,

The places our congregations and ministries call “home” are important centers of civic and public life for our members; our communities; the schools, groups, people who meet within them; and the people who have come to trust that when they go into a church they will be safe.

Because churches, since ancient times, have been safe havens for vulnerable people, we are directly impacted by laws and executive actions that target vulnerable groups such as immigrants, refugees, LGBTQIA+ persons, the aged, ill, and persons with disabilities.

We know that many of you are actively trying to keep up with the news and legal changes so that people, particularly immigrants and refugees, can continue to access basic resources of life through your congregations.

We encourage you to review the following resources and to share them in conversation with your leaders to form a plan for ministry based on your mission and your policies and in collaboration with your partners in ministry to care for the populations you serve. This resource list is not comprehensive, so please utilize other community resources and share those among colleagues and neighboring congregations.

We know this situation is developing and legal challenges or other actions may shift conversations in new directions. We will do our best to keep this list updated on www.ecsw.org/community-resources (to be published soon) as new information comes our way. We hold you steadfast in our prayers and lean into the promises of our baptism as we continue to be curious, courageous, and Christ together.

You have made public profession of your faith.  
Do you intend to continue in the covenant God made with you in holy baptism:
to live among God’s faithful people,
to hear the word of God and share in the Lord’s supper,
to proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed,
to serve all people, following the example of Jesus,  
and to strive for justice and peace in all the earth?

Your sister in Christ,

Bishop Anne Edison-Albright

Joint Statement on Immigration from ELCA Bishops in Wisconsin and Upper Michigan

But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.

              –Ephesians 4:15-16

Friends in Christ:

We, the six bishops who oversee the work of congregations in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, have come together to speak with one voice in this extraordinary time. With the words from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians in mind, calling us to speak the truth in love and work together to build up the body in love, we are particularly concerned with recent actions by the president’s administration in Washington regarding immigration and the suspension of the policy that previously restricted actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in “sensitive locations, ”including schools, hospitals, and houses of worship.

We reject the lies that these policy changes are based on: lies that seek to demonize all immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers as dangerous criminals who need to be removed from the country; and we call upon our elected leaders to base their policy decisions on the facts and on truth.

We reject the fear that these lies create, and we recognize that, while fear maybe an effective organizing strategy in the short term, it is morally bankrupt and will lead to continued division and conflict; we call upon our elected leaders to find ways to work together to create an immigration system that builds people up and welcomes the contributions of those who seek to live here. Specifically, we call for the immediate restoration of the sensitive locations policy, allowing children and families the ability to engage in the basic functions of civic life.

We also reject the recent action that put an immediate end to all work related to refugee resettlement, recognizing that this action causes direct harm to countless families, many of whom are already living and working in this country; and we call for the immediate restoration of funding for refugee resettlement.

Finally, we reject the notion that our nation is so divided that we will never be able to find common ground, and we call upon all our leaders, all those who work in the public and the private sector, all our congregations, pastors, deacons and leaders, to learn how to become effective allies for our immigrant, refugee, and asylum-seeking neighbors so that we can live in a world that respects the human dignity of all and builds one another up in love.

In Christ,

Bishop Paul Erickson, Greater Milwaukee Synod
Bishop Anne Edison-Albright, East Central Synod of Wisconsin
Bishop Felix Malpica, La Crosse Area Synod
Bishop Martin Halom, Northwest Synod of Wisconsin
Bishop Katherine Finegan, Northern Great Lakes Synod
Bishop Joy Mortensen-Wiebe, South-Central Synod of Wisconsin

Statements and Press Releases

Resources for Creating a Congregation Statement or Plan

On Friday, Global Refuge (formerly Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service) received a stop-work order from the government calling for them to immediately stop serving the nearly 6,000 newly arrived refugees in their care. This stop-work order means that government funding that provides food, housing, education, job placement, healthcare, and basic needs – has come to an immediate halt. These children and families fled war, violence, or persecution and came to the United States lawfully through the official U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. They arrived with little more than the clothes on their backs and now the support they rely on -the support they’d been promised- is being pulled out from under them.

With this abrupt and unprecedented cutoff of federal funding, we must now rely solely on the generosity of private donors and supporters to fill in the gaps. Join us in standing with these families to let them know that when promised protections for them fail, communities like ours rise.

  • Join us for a Webinar – Global Refuge and ELCA AMMPARO will host a webinar Jan 30, 2025 03:00 PM CT to share about recent executive orders that impact the lives of refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants. Resources will be shared and opportunities for engagement and action will be covered.

  • Support Refugees with a gift – If you or communities you’re connected with are willing to support financially, please use/share this link.

  • Write your Representative – Ask representatives pull back on this ban on supporting refugees.

  • Learn more and Advocate - Explore resources with more information about executive orders and accompanying actions.

  • Know Your Rights - Our partners at AMMPARO have a great resource for communities to read about their rights and those of immigrants in their care.

Many thanks for your partnership,

Deacon Sarah 

--

Deacon Sarah Kretschmann, MDiv

Congregational Engagement Specialist
Global Refuge
700 Light Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21230 | www.globalrefuge.org
CFC Charity #78594

Formerly known as Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. New name, same mission. Welcoming newcomers since 1939.

Jenn Collins
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