Why Care About Immigrants, Even If Undocumented?

        	              

Mention immigration today, especially “illegals,” and most people’s blood pressure rises. Competing voices urge wildly divergent solutions. Our personal experience with immigrants colors our thinking. Our political leanings tug us. Yet God’s Word must speak most loudly, with its vast richness of love and compassion for every person.



Immigrant HopeLove your neighbor 



Jesus’ command to “love your neighbor as yourself” recalls God’s command in Leviticus 19:33, 34: “The foreigners among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself for you were foreigners in Egypt.” No matter, love must define our response to immigrants, documented or not.




Unavoidably, the United States’ future is a multicultural stew of minorities. Today’s and tomorrow’s immigrants, regardless of legal status, will be a large part of that future. What shall God’s people do?



Give hope, for His sake 



We must journey down the path of loving the immigrant as we love ourselves. We will uphold the law. We will teach English. We will provide help of all kinds. We will share the gospel and establish churches, and welcome all who believe as fellow “aliens and strangers in this world” (I Peter 1:1, 17).




May the EFCA become famous for its love of immigrants, for the sake of His Kingdom.



Mission



The mission of Immigrant Hope is to give all immigrants among us, including undocumented immigrants, the HOPE of the gospel, HELP in finding a pathway to legal residency, and a HOME in the church that cares for their needs. {An immigrant is someone who wants to live in the US permanently. Non-immigrants (e.g. students) would be outside the scope of our mission.}



Core Values


    

  • Great Companion – Relying on Holy Spirit
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  • Great Commission – Discipleship
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  • Great Commandment – Love God and the Hermanos
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  • Great Compassion – Love the stranger
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  • Great Community – Church centric 
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Vision



Immigrant Hope will equip churches where strangers can rest, be safe1, embraced as if they are long lost family, fed/welcomed/clothed2 by God’s righteous people, given wise and law abiding counsel3, brought into an intimate personal relationship with Jesus, and then sent on a mission with God4 to secure the next America5 for His Kingdom.



Assumptions for Immigrant Hope


    

  1. 80% of Americans favor some form of comprehensive immigration reform. We assume a legal pathway to legal residency is coming…eventually. This is not under our control.
    2. 

  2. The church can prepare itself now to reach those immigrants seeking legal status by establishing wholistic ministries that can welcome them now and assist them to become citizens not just of the US, but of the Kingdom of God.
    3. 

  3. Those who love and minister to these 15 million souls living in the shadows will reap a harvest of souls for the Kingdom because they experienced the Love of Jesus when they were hurting and fearful.
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  4. Even as we wait for the law to change we can still fulfill the Great Commission.
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  5. We can evangelize and disciple.
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  6. We can legally give all kinds of compassionate support – key is give (can’t hire.)
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  7. We must obey the law.
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  8. There are some limitations of the law.

      

    • Don’t hire them.
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    • Don’t provide documentation.
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    • Don’t induce them to come illegally to the U.S.
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    • The law does not require that we turn anybody in. Some who read the Patriot Act claim it prohibits “aiding and abetting” even undocumented people. The law says that no one should aid and abet a suspected terrorist. Most of these undocumented people are just trying to feed their families. 
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    9. 



Strategy for Implementation of Immigrant Hope


    

  • Cast Vision
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  • Establish the Immigration Directional Team
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  • Develop strategic partnerships
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  • Implement EFCA Welcome Churches
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  • Develop tools for Welcome Churches
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  • Raise the necessary finances
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1The greatest pain in the immigrants life is a fear of capture and deportation and separation from family…even if legal…this is pervasive. Having someone feel safe in our church does not mean helping people break the law. We are not told that we must turn people in just because they are law breakers. Whatever we do we must honor the law.

2Matthew 25:37-39 

3Immigration counsel

4Evangelism and Discipleship.

5The America in which minorities will be the majority 2042?




©Dr. Alejandro Mandes, 2010 




To use content from this article please contact kris.driscoll@efca.org.