Worldwide Faith News

Prayer vigil set as churches go to court against Trump administration immigration policy

2 months 2 weeks ago

[Episcopal News Service] An interfaith prayer vigil in Washington, D.C., is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. April 3, the eve of the first hearing in The Episcopal Church’s joint lawsuit with partner denominations seeking to protect houses of worship from immigration enforcement actions. The vigil will be held at National City Christian Church and will be available by livestream. Participants will “gather in solidarity, lifting prayers for justice, compassion, and the protection of immigrant communities.” Organizers encourage participants to RSVP. “Please join me in praying for the United States in this tenuous moment,” Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe said in a written statement to Episcopal News Service, “for its leaders, and especially for the most vulnerable members of our communities, many of whom are migrants and refugees. We know that we cannot worship freely if some of us are living in fear, and I pray that this lawsuit enables us to gather and fully practice our faith in loving our neighbors as ourselves.” The Episcopal Church is one of more than two dozen Christian and Jewish organizations that sued the Trump administration on Feb. 11 for allowing immigration officers to target churches and other “sensitive” places for arrests as part of the president’s promised crackdown on legal and illegal immigration. The plaintiffs are represented by the nonpartisan Georgetown University Law Center. A preliminary injunction hearing in the case is scheduled for 10 a.m. Eastern April 4 at the U.S. District Court in Washington. The lawsuit accuses the Trump administration of violating First Amendment protections of both freedom of religion and freedom of association, because of the burden created by the “looming threat of immigration enforcement action at their places of worship and during their religious ceremonies.” The lawsuit notes that many congregations serving immigrant communities have already seen decreases in worship attendance and participation in social service ministries. At issue are changes to Department of Homeland Security policies since President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20. The next day, the department ended Biden administration policies that had identified certain sensitive areas, including schools, hospitals and houses of worship, as protected from immigration enforcement actions. The Episcopal Church said in a news release that Episcopal congregations in the United States are among the houses of worship where even some immigrants with legal residency have chosen to stay home rather than attend worship services because of the risk of arrest. The lawsuit seeks an injunction against the federal government that would block immigration enforcement at houses of worship or during worship services unless authorities first obtain judicial warrants. The Episcopal Church’s Washington, D.C.-based Office of Government Relations also is advocating for legislation backing immigration policies aligned with church positions that have been adopted by General Convention. Rebecca Blachly, the church’s chief of public policy and witness, singled out the proposed Protecting Sensitive Locations Act, which would clarify the authority of and limits on immigration officers at places of worship. “It is essential for our religious communities to be able to worship without threat of immigration enforcement, and enshrining this protection in statute will help all people to be able to worship, seek medical care and send children to school without fear of deportation,” Blachly said in a written statement to Episcopal News Service. The Office of Government Relations encourages Episcopalians to sign up for action alerts from the Episcopal Public Policy Network to help them engage with these and other issues of importance to the church. – David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.

David Paulsen

United Methodist News Service

2 months 2 weeks ago

During the 58th annual gathering of Black Methodists for Church Renewal, members were called to fight for justice and challenge systems of inequality.

Myanmar Earthquake: The Urgent Need for Aid and the Role of CWS

Church World Service

2 months 2 weeks ago

Following the devastating earthquakes in Myanmar and Thailand, which have left thousands dead and displaced millions, international aid has fallen short—especially as U.S. funding cuts hinder relief efforts. In response, CWS is working with local partners to provide emergency assistance, ensuring that affected communities receive critical aid despite global funding shortfalls. The Urgent Need for Humanitarian Aid in Myanmar On ... Read More

Giana Pella

Australian church creates safe space for migrant youth in the Chinese community

Episcopal News Service

2 months 2 weeks ago

[Melbourne Anglican] A parish church in Vermont, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, has created a safe space for youth in the Chinese community to find connection and encouragement. The vicar of Holy Name Anglican Church, the Rev. Grace Wang, and parishioner and counselor Ping Luo saw a need with young people disconnected from family and education. Some of the young people were school refusers, and others had learning difficulties exacerbated by language gaps. Luo said she was working with young people one-on-one, but the Safe Space initiative enabled youths of similar backgrounds to come together, share stories and make social connections. “The youth find it very difficult to make new friends at school. They felt isolated,” she said. “Some are very anxious.” Safe Space was a recipient of the Melbourne Anglican Foundation youth grants. This funding was invaluable for the continued provision of food and mentoring at no cost to the young people. Wang said it was important to provide vulnerable young people with a safe environment where they could build trusted relationships and share their lives. The young people were initially withdrawn, not willing to make eye contact, but Wang has seen them transform. “They got back a life in their eyes,” she said. “It’s encouraging just to help the young people to feel recognized.”

Melodie Woerman

Education for Ministry releases curriculum addition, new course options ahead of 50th anniversary

Episcopal News Service

2 months 2 weeks ago

[Episcopal News Service] In advance of its 50th anniversary celebration in June, Education for Ministry has announced new, shorter options meant to engage more people in theological formation in their parish, as well as a new online portal for some of the four-year-course’s curriculum. According to a news release, about 120,000 people have taken the course, initially called Theological Education by Extension, since it debuted in 1975. “We rarely hear of people who go through EfM who didn’t feel transformed,” the Rev. Kevin Goodman, its executive director, told Episcopal News Service. The goal of Education for Ministry, according to its website, is to provide formation for any ministry to which a course participant might feel called – whether lay or ordained – through small-group study and practicing theological reflection. Goodman said that when the program launched in 1975, the study materials were created by faculty at the School of Theology at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. In the early 2000s the program switched to using books written by scholars in their respective fields of Biblical studies, church history, and Christian ethics and spirituality – some of the same textbooks that seminaries and theology schools are using, he noted. Starting in September, an online study guide will accompany the course texts through a dedicated section, or path, on Pathwright, an online platform designed for interactive group learning. The guide previously had been available only in print. “The beauty of this is that we can say, ‘Go read this in your text, but also check out this podcast or this video,’ and they can link to it directly from the path,” Goodman said. “We can continually update it.” To differentiate the existing program from new offerings, beginning in September the traditional course will be called EfM: Classic. A new, one-year course that offers students a look at the same topics the longer form provides will be called EfM: Wide Angle. Both courses are led by group mentors who have had special training. Also beginning in September, EfM: Reflections, a series of study groups each lasting about six weeks, will help people reflect theologically on a variety of contemporary topics. During years of serving as an interim rector for congregations, Goodman learned that “formation needs to come in different [ways] in order to meet the needs of where people are.” These new options will provide additional “entry points” for that, he said. Also, as part of its 50th anniversary, Education for Ministry has compiled a book of essays from participants about what the program has meant to them, titled “Education for Ministry – 50 Years of Engaging, Responding, and Reflecting.” It also is hosting an anniversary celebration June 5 – 8 at the University of the South, with a keynote address by the Rev. Stephanie Spellers, who served former Presiding Bishop Michael Curry as canon for evangelism, reconciliation and creation care; a concert by singer-songwriter Lilli Lewis; and Education for Ministry-related seminars. — Melodie Woerman is an Episcopal News Service freelance reporter based in Kansas.

Melodie Woerman