When God spoke through the Deuteronomic and Levitical texts, giving the Israelites directives for living a holy and honorable life, God included instructions on how to care for the vulnerable among them. These statutes reminded them of their immigrant status in Egypt which compelled them to love and respect the strangers among them. The current political chaos has unleashed warranted fear of family separation and mass deportations. How is the God who invites us to welcome the stranger calling the church to respond? Love Mercy Do Justice proposes a response that invites our churches to offer welcome and hospitality to our immigrant neighbors. Below is a consolidation of resources to help churches offer welcome in their unique contexts.
Covenant Resolution
Recently Curated Resources
- Understanding New ICE Policy on Church Access | A Covenant resource in English and Spanish
- Welcoming the Stranger – A Covenant Tradition
- Immigrant Roots Homily | Pastor Lauren St. Martin, First Covenant Church, Seattle, WA
- Immigrants and Refugees Prayer Vigil | A curated toolkit designed for a March 2025 event, adaptable for ongoing use
Legal Service Centers
- Open Door Immigration Services, Salem, MA, was developed out of Highrock Covenant Church in partnership with Love Mercy Do Justice.
- CHET: Hispanic Center for Theological Studies has a task force on Immigration Legal Connections.
- The task force connects churches with pro bono and reputable private legal service providers, offering general immigration information and referrals. For details, contact CHET.
- CHET also offers an eight-week certificate in Immigration Ministry and Advocacy to train advocates for immigrant communities. For details, contact CHET.
- Immigrant Connection guides churches in establishing Immigration Legal Service Centers.
Planning and Preparedness Resources
- American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU): Know Your Rights
- Immigrant Legal Resource Center: Know Your Rights | This toolkit provides advocates with essential “Know Your Rights” information to effectively support immigrant communities, specifically tailored to California audiences.
- Know Your Rights: What to Do if You or Your Loved One is Detained
Websites
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
- Evangelical Immigration Table
- G92 Student Movement | A culture-shaping movement seeking to equip the next generation of Christian leaders for an effective, biblical response to immigration.
Immersive Learning Experience
- A Migrant Journey: Scripture’s Call to Welcome the Stranger | Immigration Immersive Learning Experience along the southern Tijuana/San Diego U.S. border.
Immigrant Stories in the Covenant
- A Great Ambition | A 15-minute documentary about the roots of The Evangelical Covenant Church.
- Tim Hawkinson, Renew Covenant Church | Historical and theological perspective of pioneering Swedish immigrants chartering what would become The Evangelical Covenant Church.
- “We Are an Immigrant Church” | Phil Anderson (retired North Park Theological Seminary professor) and Danny Martinez (Central Conference Superintendent), Lov the Cov podcast episode.
- “Walking to Church” | Sneha Augusthy, tells her own immigration story of arriving in the U.S. with her mother from India and how their experience is woven through several Covenant churches
- “Grateful for the Journey: From Dreamer to Advocate” | By Milly Silencio, licensed Covenant clergy
- Called and Gifted to Empower Others | Through cycling and advocacy, Cindy Wu empowers refugees with mobility, community, and voice—living out her call to serve and equip others in Houston and beyond.
Suggested Books for Further Education
- Matthew Soerens and Jenny Hwang Yang, Welcoming the Stranger: Justice, Compassion & Truth in the Immigration Debate (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2018).
- Karen González, The God Who Sees: Immigrants, the Bible, and the Journey to Belong (Harrisonburg, VA: Herald Press, 2019).
- Cindy Wu, A Better Country: Embracing the Refugees in Our Midst (Littleton, CO: William Carey Library Pub, 2022).
- Karen González, Beyond Welcome: Centering Immigrants in Our Christian Response to Immigration (Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2022).
- M. Daniel Carroll R., Christians at the Border: Immigration, The Church, and The Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2013).
- Dale Hanson Bourke, Immigration: Tough Questions, Direct Answers (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2014).
Digital Resources for Further Study
- M. Daniel Carroll R., “Sojourners in a Strange Land: Looking to the Bible to inform our conversation about immigration.” | Reprinted from The Covenant Companion.
- “Evangelical Views on Immigration.” | A study sponsored by the Evangelical Immigration Table and World Relief.
Video Resources for Study and Reflection
- The God Who Sees: Immigrants, the Bible, and the Journey to Belong. | Karen González, a Guatemalan immigrant living in Baltimore, shares her immigration story, the work she does for immigrants and refugees through World Relief, and the stories of immigrants in the Bible.
- Migration in the Bible: Entering the Stories, Expanding Our Vision. | Dr. Danny Carroll, professor at Denver Seminary, discusses how reading the Old Testament with a “migration lens” impacts our perspective on various issues.
- The Stranger | A 40-minute documentary film commissioned by the Evangelical Immigration Table profiling three immigrant stories and including interviews with Christian leaders.
- Four-part interview with Jenny Yang | Former vice president of advocacy and policy for World Relief, facilitated by Dominique Gilliard.
- TEDx Talks: My Life as an Undocumented American
- PBS Frontline: Lost in Detention | Investigative reporting examines the current U.S. immigration enforcement system and uncovers hidden stories of abuse in the U.S. detention system.
Podcast Resources
- “We Found Fellowship on the Opposite Side of the Immigration Debate” | A border patrol agent and an immigration reform activist discuss the spiritual roots of their unlikely friendship.
- “A New Crop” | Third-generation dairy farmers pass on their legacy and land to Somali immigrants to maintain the legacy of local farming.
Liturgical Congregational Resources
Support Compassionate Immigration Care
As a denomination rooted in immigrant heritage, we are committed to responding to today’s immigration issues with compassion and justice. Through Love Mercy Do Justice, we partner with Immigration Legal Service Centers to provide guidance, advocacy, and care for those on society’s margins. Your support helps Covenant churches establish and strengthen these vital centers.
