Our county refuses to be a sanctuary. Our churches are stepping up.
I always wanted to believe that America was a place where we should depend on our government officials to do - or at least try to do - the right thing. Well I've been proven wrong in the past few months. They aren't even trying. The recent decisions by President Trump and Miami-Dade Mayor Gimenez leave undocumented immigrant families even more vulnerable than before. With the brush of two pens, the institutions run by these two men are detaining and deporting working mothers and fathers of American citizen children, leaving them orphaned and without any means of support. The so-called “evangelicals” are busy proclaiming America a walled off country where God only loves some of us not all of us. Fortunately, there are progressive religious leaders who are answering the call to “love our neighbors as ourselves.”
I’d never heard of a sanctuary church before and now I’m part of one.
It ends up they have a long history in the U.S. They've protected runaway slaves along the underground railroad and assisted conscientious objectors during the Vietnam War. The Episcopal Diocese in California has decided to become a Sanctuary Diocese. Good work California. Florida is not far behind. I know of at least four houses of faith that declared themselves as sanctuary churches to protect the undocumented in our community from government overreach.
We voted yes on June 4, 2017.
Coral Gables Congregational Church
Statement of Immigrant Support
As a community of faith, Coral Gables Congregational United Church of Christ is committed to opening our doors to undocumented immigrants in need of sanctuary. We will support those who are threatened by a policy that is separating families and deporting people who are beloved members of our community.
The more we sacrifice with these undocumented immigrants, the more we learn about God’s capacity for hospitality, mercy, and love. We can only do this with the support of this congregation, other houses of faith, and the open-hearted space of the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, hearing the Christian call to love our neighbors as ourselves and responding to the ancient prophetic call to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God, we affirm our willingness to be a place of safety, advocacy, and hope for undocumented immigrants in need.
The Interfaith Movement for Immigrant justice has some awesome information on what providing sanctuary means.
