Stories of Hope and Resilience

Arizona Disciples invite us to the place where
​faith, migration, and sacred stories meet

The Arizona Disciples Border Initiative (ADBI) began two years ago as a pilot project between the Arizona Region and Week of Compassion. The initiative began with two main areas of focus: education about immigration and border issues, and care and accompaniment for asylum seekers. In a time of increased militarization of the United States’ southern border and with few asylum applications being opened and approved, this ministry has much to teach the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) about the realities of migration and asylum and how to live in solidarity with “the least of these brothers and sisters” as Christ has called us to do.

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ADBI partners with La Casa de Misericordia y de Todos Las Naciones, an intentional community in Nogales, Mexico, supporting asylum seekers who have fled dangerous conditions in their home countries in search of safety. At La Casa, migrants have a safe and supportive environment to rest, but as long as the United States continues to prevent migrants from seeking asylum at our border, they face uncertain futures. 

Each of these asylum seekers has their own story that needs to be told. The policies and practices of the current United States administration mean constant dehumanization of migrants at our border, characterizing as ‘criminal’ those who only seek safety. As followers of a migrant Messiah, who lived out his early childhood seeking safety in Egypt, we have much to learn from the residents of La Casa.

ADBI has created a podcast – Asylum: Stories of Hope and Resilience – that shares the sacred stories of migrants who have journeyed to the United States in recent years in search of asylum, alongside the faithful witness of humanitarian advocates, faith leaders, and volunteers who have accompanied them in solidarity. (Rev. Grace Kozak, Associate Director for Immigrant and Refugee Response with Week of Compassion, joined the conversation in the first episode.) This podcast, where faith, migration and sacred stories meet, is rooted in a prophetic theological imagination. Each episode invites us to see how God moves among the most vulnerable through acts of courage, resistance, accompaniment, and hope. 

Find the podcast (linked above) on any listening platform, and meet the hosts and some of their guests at General Assembly during their workshop, Beyond the Border Wall: Engaging in Mission, Challenging Systems, and Building Community, Monday, July 14, 8:45 am. Enjoy this up-close opportunity to learn more about this ministry of accompaniment and how your own church might be part of a ministry of solidarity. 

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CONNECT WITH WEEK OF COMPASSION AT GENERAL ASSEMBLY

tickets at ga.disciples.org, Meal Events

​SPECIAL GUEST Alma Angelica Macias is the Director of Casa de la Misericordia y Todas las Naciones, a mission in Nogales, Mexico, helping asylum seekers prepare for entry to the United States. Sister Lika brings a message of embodied hope from La Casa's work of migrant accompaniment, and is well know to Disciples who have been aprt of the Arizona Disciples Border Initiative and Caminantes immersion learning experience.

Week of Compassion, Obra Hispana, and Disciples Home Missions' Justice and Advocacy Ministries are joining with Repairers of the Breach for a Moral Monday in Memphis, and prayer vigil to stand in the gap with immigrant neighbors and stand in witness against hateful acts and injustice.

SUNDAY 7/13 @ 3:00PM
The Economics of Immigration & Deportation

On January 20, the U.S. federal government laid the groundwork for a mass deportation agenda. Deportation is a complex and expensive legal process, and to deport people on a large scale requires a significant increase in federal spending. This money comes from the American taxpayer, but where does it go? Learn from Rev. Grace Kozak about the economics of mass deportation, who benefits, and how your congregation can faithfully respond.