Thread: NC: Clergy Seek Tips on Immigration

Clergy seek tips on immigration

BY YONAT SHIMRON - Staff Writer

RALEIGH -- Many North Carolina clerics are raring to tackle immigration reform.

That's why some found United Methodist Bishop Al Gwinn's address Thursday lacking.

Gwinn spoke to more than 30 members of the clergy at a forum on immigration sponsored by the N.C. Council of Churches.

"Scripture is extremely clear on this point," said Gwinn, citing various passages calling on God's people to show kindness to the stranger or immigrant. "I would hope we would be more resolved to be intentional witnesses of this truth in word and deed."

He might as well have been preaching to the choir.

The clergy assembled for the breakfast meeting - mostly fellow Methodists, but also Baptists and Roman Catholics - are already supportive of illegal immigrants and ready to advocate on their behalf. They wanted more practical tips on how to do so.

"It's not enough to point to Scripture," said Sister Mary Margaret Weber of Raleigh. "The people who are angry [about illegal immigration] can back it up with Scripture, too."

A majority of religious groups support legislation that would allow the nation's estimated 11 million illegal immigrants to remain in the United States. Yet they face a buzz of populist opposition in an election year.

So strong is the opposition that Chris Liu-Beers, an associate with the N.C. Council of Churches, said he feared the General Assembly might consider a law similar to one recently passed in Arizona, which requires law enforcement officers, while enforcing other laws, to question a person's immigration status if officers have a reasonable suspicion that the person is in the country illegally.

"Our elected officials need to know our faith congregations care about this," Liu-Beers said. "They're not hearing from people of faith on this issue."

The meeting Thursday was the 16th on the issue that the N.C. Council of Churches has hosted across the state. The idea is to educate and embolden clergy to speak out in favor of comprehensive immigration reform. The meeting drew pastors from Wilson, Henderson and Roxboro.

One, the Rev. David Haley of Winstead United Methodist Church in Wilson, suggested the populist revolt against immigration is not well-understood.

"The anger we're speaking about is smokescreen for a larger issue, and that's fear," Haley said. "Those terrorists just walked across the borders and crashed those planes into buildings."

He said one way to defuse that fear was for churches to invite illegal immigrants to worship and fellowship together. In his own congregation, Haley said he helped an illegal immigrant with some money and supplies. Later, she and her children started attending the church.

"The church has grown to love this family and have compassion for them," he said. "It put a human face on it."

The Rev. Ismael Ruiz Millan, a Methodist pastor serving in Roxboro, struck a similar theme.

"We immigrants are here, and we're part of the body of Christ," he said. "Please don't amputate us."

yonat.shimron@newsobserver.com or 919-829-4891

Read more: http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/07/02/ ... z0sa5TanK0

The church should stay out of government issues. If they really want to help illegal aliens they should counsel them about obeing the law and buy them a bus ticket back to where they came from.

Reality Check: There was a difference between the solitary, wandering "sojourner" and a horde of self-invited opportunists.

Illegal aliens are not immigrants, they are foreign invaders. Let the church leaders support them, their congregations are not.

We need a national boycott church Sunday where opponents of illegal immigration get to have their say nationwide by refusing to attend church. No arguments - just letting the church leaders know where we stand.

Because, as the church lady said, there is plenty of scripture supporting opponents of illegal immigration.

I guess there is no similar responsibility for the illegal alien to treat the taxpayers with compassion and kindness.

Our churches here all have Hispanic masses in the afternoon. The collections are peanuts compared to the non-Hispanic church members, and a lot of things are stolen from their pantry and nurseries.

The one illegal he helped came back to church all right, she found an easy mark.

We are drowning in illegals who obviously have a lot of money at their disposal considering their vehicles and shopping habits. I stopped going to church as a result - Episcopal. I guess they like the Episcopal churches better because the parishes still have more money than the Catholics.

Originally Posted by sarum

[A]s the church lady said, there is plenty of scripture supporting opponents of illegal immigration.

There's also the first rule of political analysis: Follow the money. These clerics are no different from employers who knowingly hire illegals. There's new money available; they want it. End of story.

Does any mainstream church support enforcing USA laws?

Wonder which scriptures they "cherry picked" to justify their agenda of support for their ILLEGALS while ignoring the scrptures that did not support their agenda?

Big Religion, the hierarchy of any church, is like any other Special Interest Group, just follow the money. Most Special Interest Groups are only concerned for "their" agenda of profit and/or power, not the people they pretend to speak for or save from harm. Something about living in a Glass House, they should be able to clean their own house before they tell others what they are doing wrong! Of course they are expecting money to flow in from "our" Federal Government to assist with their Big Religion ministering to the ILLEGALS or they just may receive some funds from the ILLEGAL EMPLOYERS who benefit from their ILLEGALS! Doubtful they will get any monetary help from the ILLEGAL EMPLOYERS they of course expect the United States Taxpayers to pick up the bill for their ILLEGALS while they soak up all of the PROFIT, you have to admit the SOAKING of United States Taxpayers is good.

Read more: http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/07/02/ ... z0saA62zCp

Most Churches are constantly focused on membership as one of their topt priorities. The more members the bigger the rake. It is simple mathmatics for even the most illiterate of clergy. The more members the more enhanced lifestyle the clergy can live. Most clergy live in a better house, drive a nicer car, dress much better, then a majority of the congregation who shows up each week. I always found this mindbogling that most church attendees didn't see that as a red flag.