On January 15, 2025, 60 people gathered via Zoom for Lament and Action, to worship together and learn how to support the immigrants and refugees who live among us. The event was led by Rev. Noé Gabriel López, Associate Superintendent for Eastern Pennsylvania’s South-East Region, who planned the event in the hopes that, “This event would provide a sacred space to grieve the harm and injustices faced by threatened marginalized communities, while also inspiring hope and action rooted in our faith.”
The service opened with a letter from Bishop Moore-Koikoi: “I have been praying that our collective lament will bring about meaningful, hope-filled action. I believe that God will meet us in our lament and lead us to hope-filled action.”
That prayer was answered, as pastors and lay leaders gathered in a virtual space to pray, sing, and listen for a word from God, before receiving the tools they needed to take meaningful action to create a sense of hope and safety for those staring down the fear of deportation.
Rev. Ismael Ruiz-Millán, an Ordained Elder from the North Carolina annual conference brought the message. Rev. Ruiz-Millán read and preached from The Message version of 1 Corinthians 12:25-26
“The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don’t, the parts we see and the parts we don’t. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance.”
Rev. Ruiz-Millán reminded us that “Undocumented immigrants are essential members of the faithful body. Their resilience and faith are gifts to us all.” He shared stories of those he had met in his decades of work ministering to undocumented immigrants. Rev. Ruiz-Millán spoke of a man sheltering at the Salvation Army Men’s Hostel at the border, who looked at him with pain in his eyes and begged him, “Please tell them that we are not criminals. Tell them that we just want to work. We just want a better future for our families.”
He told another story of a 10-year-old boy who came across the border with his mother. The boy described the journey as “pura sufrimiento,” pure suffering.
“These stories are windows to the lived reality of pura sufrimiento,” Rev. Ruiz-Millán proclaimed. “Lament must lead us to action—the body is designed for mutual care. If one member suffers, all suffer with it. When one rejoices, all rejoice together.”
Following the sermon, Rev. Sean Seunghyun Lee, Associate Superintendent for the Coastal Plains Region of GNJ, led the group in a time of shared lament. The time of worship closed with a prayer led by Rev. Noé Gabriel López and a song, as those gathered sang Hezekiah Walker’s “I Need You to Survive.”
Ways you can take action
After spending time in lament, the focus shifted to examine ways clergy and churches could respond in meaningful ways to stand in solidarity with those who are experiencing pura sufrimiento.
Two presenters—Peter Pedemonti, Co-Director of the New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia, and Katy Sastre, Interim Executive Director of First Friends of NJ and New York—each provided insight into the challenges of this present moment and practical tips on how to help resist mass deportation.
The New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia
Peter Pedemonti shared how The New Sanctuary Movement is preparing for the present moment. While sanctuary, housing an immigrant family within the church building, is a meaningful act of public witness, they aren’t recommending it right now.
The New Sanctuary Movement is planning a public witness event to encourage the mayor and other public officials to maintain Philadelphia’s status as a sanctuary city. They plan to gather at Arch Street UMC in Philadelphia, PA, at 2:00 p.m. on January 25, 2025, and march to LOVE Park to remind the city’s leaders that Philadelphia is the city of brotherly love.
Beyond this moment of public witness, The New Sanctuary Movement needs volunteers to help with the following:
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- Accompany people to ICE check-ins
- Volunteers to make phone calls to politicians
- Take action in one of the campaigns
First Friends of New Jersey and New York
Katy Sastre, Interim Executive Director of First Friends of NJ and New York, helped those gathered understand the conditions of those who find themselves in detention. Currently, there are 2,000 individuals in the four regional detention centers that First Friends serves. Detention is like being in prison, but worse. Those in detention don’t have a right to representation, they don’t know how long they will be held, and they are kept in prison-like conditions, with substandard food, insufficient heat in the winter, and no A/C in the summer. Most detention centers are operated by private prison companies.
First Friends provides support by fostering real connections through visitation. It may seem small, but Ms. Sastre said, “Visitation is a form of quiet activism. People are treated differently when they have a visitor.”
You can make a difference by:
- Offering your time for virtual visits
- Serving as a pen pal
- Helping with the hotline
- Accompanying people to ICE check-ins and deportation hearings
Small Actions Make a Difference
These small acts of everyday faithfulness make a difference. Ms. Sastre shared the story of how 13 people accompanied one individual to the final hearing of his asylum case. The judge who heard the case had an 86% denial rate, but he passed this gentleman. She attributes the successful outcome of his hearing to the visitors who accompanied him.
Ms. Sastre emphasized the importance of more volunteers for accompaniment because fear has grown under the new presidential administration.
Hope for the Best, Prepare for the Worst
If you or someone you know is facing the fear of deportation or detention, here are some steps you can take to keep yourself, your family, and your community safer:
- Know your rights: You don’t have to open the door for an ICE official if they do not have a warrant with your correct name and address, signed by a judge.
- Keep a “Know Your Rights” red card on you and by your door at all times. The red card explains your rights and that you do not have to open the door. You can slide it under the door, show it to ICE, or read the English side of the card to ICE.
- Develop a family preparedness plan: Take time to think through the support you need to put in place now in case someone in your family is deported or detained.
- Stay connected with your local church and other community organizations. It is safer to be connected than isolated. The community will be there to support you.
God’s body is designed for mutual care. When one part suffers, all suffer with it. May God grant us each strength and courage to do what we can to care for one another, and especially for the most vulnerable among us.