Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me. – Mathew 25:40
Greetings to all in the Love of Jesus Christ:
I am excited to announce the Arizona Disciples Border Initiative (ADBI), a three-year pilot project between the Arizona Region and Week of Compassion. The ADBI seeks to address the immediate needs of asylum seekers in Arizona, beginning with the Tucson area and expanding out to other parts of the state. The ADBI will be coordinated by the new Border and Immigration Ministry Team, chaired by Lori Bryant of First Christian Church in Tucson, with help from Rev. Pedro Ramos-Goycolea, our Enlace Regional. If you would like to become involved with this ministry team, please contact me for more information.
The ADBI has two main areas of focus: education about immigration and border issues, and care and development for asylum seekers.
Part 1: Comunidad Limen Christian Church and First Christian Church in Tucson, will offer the Caminantes Border Immersion program, an experiential trip for Disciples and other interested groups from around the U.S. and Canada to travel to Tucson to experience and witness the militarization of the border through the eyes of immigrants.
Part 2: Migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. who pass through a port of entry legally are required to have a sponsor who will house and care for them until they are able to do so for themselves. Occasionally, a sponsor falls through, or fails to meet their obligations, and a family is here legally, but they are stuck with no safety net. The ADBI will focus on such families. First Christian Church in Tucson, is opening a “hospitality center” to provide short-term shelter to such families until they are able to care for themselves. Saguaro Christian Church’s “Sol Food Ministries” is working to develop programs to help such families develop food business opportunities. We have hopes that some of the families will eventually qualify to live in the affordable housing being developed by Desert Dove Christian Church. We look forward to discussions with any other congregations that want to be involved in this developing ministry.
Thank you to all of you Arizona Disciples for the various ways you act out of compassion and love to serve our neighbors, offering Christ’s love to our needy world.
Dios les bendiga!
Pastor Jay
Regional Minister and President
Regional Calendar of Weekly Prayers
Join in praying for our Arizona Disciples Congregations.
View the full calendar at azdisciples.org.
June
18 – Casa de Adoración Discípulos de Cristo led by Pastors Arturo and Janett Laguna
25 – Chalice Christian Church led by Interim Minister Vernon Mayer
July
2 – Community Christian Church in Marana led by Pastor Dave Hedgepeth
9 – Community Christian Church in Tempe led by Pastor Trish Winters
16 – Comunidad Limen Christian Church led by Pastor Pedro Ramos-Goycolea
23 – Coolwater Christian Church led by Pastor Rick Gates
30 – General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
