The volunteers know the drill:
The doors must stay locked.
No law enforcement officers are allowed on the premises without an original copy of an arrest warrant signed by a judge.
If immigration enforcement officers arrive, the volunteer on duty must call six people in order on a list kept in a black three-ring binder in the multipurpose room.
Those are among the safety protocols put into place by St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Greensboro, the first congregation in North Carolina in recent history to offer sanctuary to an undocumented immigrant facing immediate threat of deportation.
The church added the measures to protect its most vulnerable new occupant: Juana Luz Tobar Ortega, a 45-year-old Guatemalan native who came to live at St. Barnabas in May.
The election of President Donald J. Trump, who ran as an immigration hardliner and has cranked up state and federal enforcement of immigration laws, has spurred churches to offer sanctuary to those facing deportation. An estimated 1,000 churches across the country have pledged to support the efforts, including opening their doors to people fearing repatriation.
But so far, only a dozen U.S. congregations have actively provided shelter to undocumented immigrants. Notably, Greensboro, the state's third-largest city, has two such churches. (The other is Congregational United Church of Christ.)
Read more about St. Barnabas Episcopal Church » |
| IDEAS THAT IMPACT: MISSION MINISTRIES
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Grass-roots missions offer great benefits to American congregations as well as to those overseas. But one challenge is sustaining those relationships over time, writes a priest and ethicist.
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Many have charged that short-term missions are, if not a waste, at least a poor use of time, money and power. For the host of one such mission to Liberia, they are nothing of the sort.
Read more » |
Doing the Math of Mission: Fruits, Faithfulness, and Metrics by Gil Rendle
Over the past ten years, the North American mission field has experienced dramatic changes, which in turn have required congregations, middle judicatories, and denominations to adapt. Among these adaptations is an expectation for clear goals and quantified progress towards those goals. Church leaders who have never needed to measure their goals and progress with metrics may find this change daunting. The use of metrics -- denominational and middle judicatory dashboards, and the tracking of congregational trends -- has become an uncomfortable and misunderstood practice in this search for accountability.
Doing the Math of Mission offers theory, models, and new tools for using metrics in ministry. This book also shows where metrics and accountability fit into the discernment, goal setting, and strategies of ministry.
While there are resources for research on congregations, tools on congregational studies, and books on program evaluation, there is a gap when it comes to actual tools and resources for church leaders. This book is intended to help fill that gap, giving leaders a toolbox they can use in their own setting to clarify their purpose and guide their steps.
Learn more and order the book » |
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