Canvas of Hope
A Community Art Fundraiser Presented by Rio Grande Borderland Ministries
In order to spread awareness and build our network of supporters, Rio Grande Borderland Ministries is hosting an online community art fundraiser titled Canvas of Hope. The event will feature artists passionate about migration, including musical performances, poetry readings, artists talks, and more.
Please join us for Canvas of Hope on Saturday, May 1, from 1:00 PM MDT to 2:30 PM MDT. Registration required. Questions? Reach out to Nellie Fagan, RGBM Project Coordinator, at admin@riograndeborderland.org.
Opportunities from Episcopal Migration Ministries
Is the Biden Administration Turning a Page on Humanitarian Protection for Immigrants?
Join Episcopal Migration Ministries and The Episcopal Church’s Office of Government Relations for a webinar on Thursday, April 8, from 4:00 – 5:00PM ET, to learn more about the current state of humanitarian protection and ways the Episcopal Church can engage on these issues.
In addition to the Church’s migration ministry and policy staff, the webinar will include a moderated panel discussion, followed by a question and answer session, with the following experts:
Mark Greenberg, Senior Fellow and Director, Human Services Initiative, Migration Policy Institute
Yael Schacher, Senior U.S. Advocate, Refugees International
Danilo Zak, Policy and Advocacy Associate, National Immigration Forum
Registration is required. Register here.
Episcopal Asylum & Detention Ministry Network
The Ministry Network’s collaborative work and conversation focus on best practice-sharing in areas of direct service, organizing, advocacy actions, Christian formation and worship resources, and community education to protect asylum, promote humane and dignified alternatives to detention, and to support asylum seekers and those harmed by the immigration detention system.
Advocacy
The Episcopal Church is currently engaged in advocacy efforts to support immigration reform and the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. The Episcopal Church continues to track the U.S. Citizenship Act, which is the first major effort to reform the U.S. immigration system since 2013. The bill provides a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, strengthens humanitarian protections for vulnerable populations, and strengthens the legal immigration system. The bill aligns with the Church’s commitment to promoting immigration reform that creates a fairer and more humane system that upholds America’s tradition of welcoming new Americans to our communities.
The Church has also been active advocating for the U.S. Refugees Admissions Program. In addition to asking President Biden to sign a presidential determination to increase the refugee resettlement numbers from 15,000 to 62,500 in Fiscal Year 2021, the Church has assisted its coalition partners in advocating for the program on Capitol Hill. These efforts include setting up meetings with Senators and Representatives to ask for additional congressional appropriations and laws that strengthen the program, including the NGOs that work with the U.S. government to resettle and integrate refugees.
If you are interested in volunteering with these advocacy efforts, sign up for Refugee Council USA's Virtual Advocacy Days to meet with members of congress to support the program. The organization, which works with the Episcopal Church, will host these meetings April 19 through the 23. More information is available in the link above.
RGBM Cycle of Prayer
We would like to turn this part of the newsletter into a cycle of prayer naming specific people and places. If you have prayer requests please let us know at admin@riograndeborderland.org. This will be published every two weeks. This week’s prayer was the result of watching a report from Guatemala as a woman was saying goodbye to her three children to make the trek to the US as a result of the hurricanes which devastated her village. We invite you to pause and pray with us.
Today let us pray for Migrant Women
O God, Creator of the heavens and of earth,
Help us to see one another through eyes enlightened
by understanding and compassion.
Help us to listen to the voices of all of our sisters
throughout the world with respect and attention.
Open our ears to cries of women
who have been denied their rights and their dignity.
We thank you for women who are reaching out by words and actions
To welcome, support, guide, and love those
seeking a safe place to call home.
Empower us to be instruments of justice for all,
for, in the wholeness of Christ,
all mothers are our own mothers, and we are one.
Amen+