Letting Faith Guide Us...
Centennial Serves day of service was this past Saturday, and it was a success in many ways! It was wonderful to see children, youth, and adults of all ages working together in service. One of the service sites was the International Institute of Minnesota. A group deep cleaned their large kitchen, so that it can be ready for more outside groups to use. While Brian and I were going on a tour of the facility, we observed a class for persons preparing to take their "test" before becoming U.S. citizens. I asked for a sample copy of the sorts of questions on the test, and I will post some of them later this week - I wonder if I would pass the test? I'm sure I would have when I was in high school and learning all of these things, but with the passage of time comes the loss of facts.
I asked one of my clergy colleagues, Amy Jo Bur, to write a reflection for the Section 4 articles. Amy serves a church in rural Southwestern Minnesota, and offers us a unique, firsthand perspective on the work that undocumented workers do and the needs they face in rural communities. To read her reflections, please click on the "comments" link just below this, and her writing should come up for you!
Peace,
Melanie
I asked one of my clergy colleagues, Amy Jo Bur, to write a reflection for the Section 4 articles. Amy serves a church in rural Southwestern Minnesota, and offers us a unique, firsthand perspective on the work that undocumented workers do and the needs they face in rural communities. To read her reflections, please click on the "comments" link just below this, and her writing should come up for you!
Peace,
Melanie
posted by Melanie at 1:23 PM
1 Comments:
The passing of House of Representatives bill 4437 in December 2005 hit me with a shock that is difficult to describe. I am a pastor in a rural Minnesota community with an agriculturally based economy, and the majority of the jobs in our meat-packing plants are filled by immigrant labor (both legal and illegal.) Many of the people in our community are immigrants, and the students of our schools are 45-50% Hispanic. As a small town pastor, I am deeply involved in the life of our community and provide leadership for the United Methodist Church in our area. As I read this bill, I realized that if this bill was signed into law, many of my daily acts of ministry would be criminalized. Examples of some of my daily activites that would become felonies would include: providing formula for a hungry baby who was brought across the border by undocumented immigrant parents, performing marriage counseling with a family of illegal immigrants, and perhaps serving Communion to an illegal immigrant-- the wording of the bill was not entirely clear about Sacraments. My outrage was mirrored by a comment by Senator Clinton, who remarked "this bill would criminalize the Good Samaritan and probably Jesus himself."
Thankfully, the situation has not become as severe as it was looking in December 2005. When "Welcoming the Stranger" and "What's at Stake?" were published in March 2006, Cardinal Mahony was already calling people of faith to civil disobedience and direct opposition to this bill. Since that time, public outcry and protest have made it clear that the people of our country desire humane immigration reform. Without a doubt, it was this public outcry that prevented the bill from going through the Senate and becoming law. Discussions continue about what humane immigration reform might mean. As people of faith, we have great traditions of hospitality (Leviticus 19:33-34, Hebrew 13:1-2, etc.) and love of neighbor (Luke 10:25-37) on which we can draw as we consider these issues. So, who are our neighbors?
In the rural Minnesota town where I am in ministry, my neighbors include immigrants (doumented and undocumented) who are both adults and children. The connection between the underground economy of undocumented labor and poverty in our community cannot be ignored. 83% of the children starting kindergarten last year were in the lowest two income brackets (according to state records.) Realistically, this means that many of our youngest children do not have access to the basic human needs of healthy food, safe housing, healthcare, and quality education. How is Christ's command to "go and do likewise!" (Luke 10:37) made real in life and ministry in this situation?
The Conference of Catholic Bishops seem to have given us a good start in their five point "Justice for Immigrants" campaign. How will we add our own voices to this campaign to shape immigration law in a way that shows Christian love of nieghbor?
May God bless our efforts to live our faith!
Rev. Amy Jo Bur
8:05 PM
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