'Church Between Borders' Is Available
Christian Reformed Church groups and congregations interested in addressing immigration issues in a fresh way can now sign up to participate in “Church Between Borders,” a new curriculum of four participatory 60-90 minute sessions.
The program, created in cooperation with the CRC’s Office of Race Relations and the Office of Social Justice (OSJ), offers churches an accessible way to learn about immigration, build community and reach out to their neighborhoods, says Rev. Kris Van Engen, congregational justice mobilizer for OSJ.
A trained facilitator will help guide churches through the sessions, which begin with “Discovering Structures of Immigration at Home”—a discussion on immigration and the particular challenges and opportunities manifested in the community a church is located.
Session two provides information about the changing immigration system as well as encourages people to tell their stories and to discover how they fit into the historical flow of immigration.
Session three gives a technical overview of the processes by which immigrants can work in the U.S. legally. It also provides information from the Christian Reformed Church on how Christians can respond biblically to the struggles of immigrants.
The final session offers people the chance to gather in groups to talk about what they have learned, spend time in the Bible, and make personal commitments to seek justice for immigrants in their congregations and in their communities.
Van Engen says he believes one of the CRC congregations that helped to pilot the program and has gone through the sessions will come out “with some exciting outcomes and goals for the future.”
Congregations that have questions or would like to sign up to participate in the four-session program can visit Church Between Borders.
Meanwhile, as part of OSJ’s involvement in the immigration issue, the office has also helped to form a new refugee asylum center in Grand Rapids, Mich., says Van Engen.
Called “Lemkin House,” the recently opened center has the mission of providing housing, legal, social, and spiritual support for persons who are seeking refugee status.
The center is supported and encouraged by many West Michigan-area organizations, agencies, legal clinics, private attorneys, and members of religious and academic communities.
The name Lemkin House was chosen to honor the memory of Raphael Lemkin, a Polish attorney and human rights activist. To learn more, visit the Lemkin House website.
