Borderland Update: Flow of Migration, Exciting Possibilities, & Partners
The Rev. Canon Lee Curtis
Canon to the Ordinary, Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande
This week’s borderland update from The Rev. Canon Lee Curtis, Canon to the Ordinary for the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande, includes updates on changes with the flow of migrants into the US on the southern border, some exciting news, and possibilities that we’ve got coming up in the Diocese of the Rio Grande with RGBM, and a huge word of thanks to congregations discerning with us on how we support our neighbors in the borderland.
Looking to get engaged with Rio Grande Borderland Ministries as a volunteer? Contact our Bridge Chaplain Ana Reza (areza@dioceserg.org) to learn more!
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RGBM Cycle of Prayer
We give thanks for the raising of the Refugee Settlement limit in our country. While we celebrate this, we also know that there is still a lot of work ahead. The refugee resettlement program needs to be rebuilt, staff hired, offices opened, and churches and volunteers need to get involved to make it all happen! We ask for wisdom in these endeavors and for endurance for the tireless workers and volunteers that make these programs run.
Likewise, many of the people who work with immigrants at the southern border face discouragement, frustration, and anger directed at them for ever-changing policies. We want to pray for leadership and staff at every level. As one person in our community reminded us, let's remember to pray for "a safe culture for agents and immigrants alike."
When we see people, simply as fellow humans created in the image of the same God that loves and gave himself for us, it’s amazing how our attitudes and actions change. Everyone is made in the image of God.
The administration continues to signal that legislation to secure protection for beneficiaries of the DACA program is a priority. We pray for hundreds of thousands of people brought to the U.S. as children, who have spent decades in limbo, longing for legal status. May God grant them peace and we ask for wisdom and unity for those who can work together for a solution for them.
Many of us felt losses as we focused on Mother's Day a couple of Sundays ago. Many know the ache of a broken or separated family or missing a loved one. These complicated feelings surrounding family remind us to pray for the families that remain separated by borders and who make unimaginable decisions for the good of their children every day. Let's bring these families before God this week.
AMEN