Sanctuary
“There shall be one standard for you; it shall be for the stranger as well as the native, for I am the LORD your God.”
Our Sanctuary ministry works to offer physical sanctuary to those at risk of immigration detainment or deportation.
Leaders
Ann Andrews, Samantha Clare
Sanctuary at St. Paul’s
At their August 2020 meeting, the St. Paul's Vestry voted to join the NWA New Sanctuary Network as a congregation willing to offer physical sanctuary to individuals at risk of immigration detainment or deportation.
How to help
Pray.
Educate yourself on the issues.
Advocate for ethical immigration reform.
Partner with local community organizations.
Join our congregation's sanctuary ministry.
“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.”
The Episcopal Church's Stance on the Sanctuary Movement
At the General Convention of the Episcopal Church in 2018, resolution C009 was passed. This document explains the theological and ethical position of our denomination, and it calls our church to action.
Becoming a Sanctuary Church
Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring, That the 79th General Convention of the Episcopal Church, in obedience to the many biblical injunctions imploring us not to wrong or oppress the alien in our midst and Jesus' own mandate to extend care for the stranger, and in accordance with our Baptismal Covenant, reaffirms resolution 2015-D057 supporting the New Sanctuary Movement; and be it further
Resolved, That The Episcopal Church urge its members, as people of faith and people of conscience, pledge to challenge and question any unjust immigration law, policy, or practice that is inconsistent with our biblical mandate to "not wrong or oppress a resident alien" (Exodus 22:21); and be it further
Resolved, That The Episcopal Church recommend that its institutions and congregations become places of welcome, refuge, healing, and other forms of material and pastoral support for those targeted for deportation due to immigration status or some perceived status of difference, and that we work alongside our friends, families, and neighbors to ensure the dignity and human rights of all people; and be it further
Resolved, That The Episcopal Church encourage its members to connect with local and national sanctuary communities and institutions, faith-based coalitions, and immigrant rights groups and coalitions, and engage in educating, organizing, advocacy, and direct action, and other methods as deemed appropriate in each context, to ensure safety, security, and due process for immigrants, with a focus on keeping families together of the undocumented community, and to assist in equipping congregations, clergy, and lay leaders to engage in such work, appropriate to local contexts, capacity, and discernment; and be it further
Resolved, That The Episcopal Church affirm our church's support for U.S. executive policies that deemphasize immigrant enforcement against those who have not committed felony crimes, and reaffirm our church's support for congressional action for comprehensive and just reform of the broken U.S. immigration system as called for in General Convention resolution 2009-B006: "to allow undocumented immigrants who have established roots in the United States and are often parents and spouses of U.S. Citizens to have a pathway to legalization and to full social and economic integration in to the United States."
Learn More about Immigration Issues
Episcopal Public Policy Network
New Sanctuary Network
Immigrant Legal Resources Center
Partner with Local Community Organizations
NWA Sanctuary Network
Arkansas Immigrant Defense
Arkansas United
Catholic Charities Immigration Services
Pray for Immigrants and for Just Immigration Reform
God our Creator: We ask for your loving presence and for your peace to be with those, in our local communities and around the world, affected by the immigration crisis. Be with all who are in fear. Be with those whose lives and livelihoods are under threat, and whose freedoms are being compromised. Be with us as we strive to enact your will in our welcome and support of immigrants and refugees. Be with those in positions of leadership, that their decisions may bend toward peace and not division, and that they might realize the power they hold to do justice. Give us all strength and courage. Equip and empower us to be witnesses to your love—as advocates and as servants, as ministers of welcome and bearers of hope, especially for those seeking refuge. In your Holy name we pray. Amen.
God of all humanity, you call us to bring about healing and wholeness for the whole world—for people of all races and cultures and creeds. Help us to respond to a world that is groaning under the weight of injustice and broken relationships. Remind us that differences are a gift, and interdependence a strength from the same creative God. Strengthen us to resist the forces that encourage polarization and competition rather than understanding and cooperation. We know that your reign is not built on injustice and oppression, but on the transformation of hearts—new life, not just reordered life. Teach us forgiveness, O God. Bring us reconciliation. Give us hope for the future. We pray in Jesus' love. Amen.
We rejoice in every sign of God's kingdom: in the upholding of human dignity and community; in every expression of love, justice, and reconciliation; in each act of self-giving on behalf of others; in the abundance of God's gifts entrusted to us that all may have enough; in all responsible use of the earth's resources. Glory to God on high; and on earth, peace.
We confess our sin, individual and collective, by silence or action; through the violation of human dignity based on race, class, age, sex, nation, or faith; through the misuse of power in personal, communal, national, and international life; through the search for security through military and economic forces that threaten human existence; through the abuse of humankind, which endangers the earth and all life upon it. Lord have mercy; Christ, have mercy; lord, have mercy.
We commit ourselves individually and as a community to the way of Christ; to take up the cross; to seek abundant life for all humanity; to struggle for peace with justice and freedom; to risk ourselves in faith, hope, and love, praying that God's kingdom may come. Thy kingdom come, on Earth as it is in Heaven. Amen.