Ongoing persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations, economic shocks and natural disasters, as well as other destabilizing events, all compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, have greatly increased the number of people worldwide who have been forced to flee their homes. The ELCA AMMPARO strategy to accompany migrants with protection, advocacy, representation and opportunities was adopted […]
“In its simplest form, becoming a sanctuary denomination means that the ELCA is publicly declaring that walking alongside immigrants and refugees is a matter of faith. In baptism, we are brought into a covenantal relationship with Jesus Christ that commits us to strive for justice and peace in all the earth. Following the example of […]
While Karina was shoulders deep in a river in the Darién Gap, crossing between Colombia and Panama, her main thought was whether she, her 6-year-old son and her 18-year-old daughter would make it safely to the other side. The idea of reaching the U.S. border or being allowed into the United States seemed increasingly unlikely. […]
A man in flip-flops, dirty jeans and a worn T-shirt sat on a rickety chair in a migrant safe house in southern Mexico. His two teenagers stood beside him. Holding his head in his hands, he said, “I’m just so thankful my daughter wasn’t raped in front of me.” The day before Mexican bandits assaulted […]
Elizabeth Eaton, presiding bishop of the ELCA, has issued a statement on the Haitian immigrant community in Ohio. “The recent national spotlight on Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, clearly has fanned flames of hate and stoked threats of violence,” the statement read, in part. “The rhetoric has created discord and mistrust of people who have […]
What does a team do when they cannot meet in person because the work spans the globe? If you are part of the Service and Justice home area of the ELCA, you hold a weeklong gathering to talk about the evolving landscape of the church, the mission abroad, and themes of love, gratitude and adaptive […]
Every day, Living Lutheran offers a prayer from the ELCA resource Prayer ventures, which can be downloaded here. These daily petitions are offered as a guide for your own prayer life as together we pray for the needs of the world and give thanks for the ministries of our church. Saturday, July 6 We ask God […]
Every day, Living Lutheran offers a prayer from the ELCA resource Prayer ventures, which can be downloaded here. These daily petitions are offered as a guide for your own prayer life as together we pray for the needs of the world and give thanks for the ministries of our church. Saturday, May 25 We pray for […]
Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Coos Bay, Ore. ELCA deacon and legal ministry attorney I’m called by the Oregon Synod to serve the southern Oregon coast in a specialized ministry of poverty alleviation and faith formation. St. Timothy Episcopal Church in Brookings hosts my ministry, both as a fiscal sponsor and physically giving me the office […]
Building on a shared vision for gospel-centered hospitality and inclusion, Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM) and AMMPARO, the ELCA’s migrant ministry, have entered into a partnership to better train and support asylum-seeker sponsors. AMMPARO is the ELCA’s strategic commitment to accompany migrants with protection, advocacy, representation and opportunities. In this new collaboration AMMPARO will use the […]
