As friends of RGBM, you are all invited to join us for the Fourth Annual Border & Migration Ministry Summit hosted by Episcopal Migration Ministries and the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas, taking place online March 30 - 31, 2022. More information and links to register are included below. Online registration is open through Friday, March 25 (TOMORROW) so be sure to reserve your spot so you don’t miss out!

This borderland update brings news of a lot of exciting things happening with RGBM. Last week, we hosted our first group of refugees at our second-line shelter at the Center for Borderland Ministries at St. Christopher’s in El Paso. Above is a very brief update from Lee Curtis sharing the success of hosting this first group, and on our website, you will find ways you can support this particular ministry! If you are wanting to learn more, please reach out to our Bridge Chaplain Ana Reza (areza@dioceserg.org).

This week’s borderland update comes from The Rt. Rev. Michael Buerkel Hunn, Bishop for the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande! In this update, Bishop Hunn goes on a mini-pilgrimage to engage with some of the important work being done by RGBM in both El Paso, TX and in the Big Bend region of our diocese. He sits down with Bridge Chaplain Ana Reza to talk about the welcome shelter we are establishing at St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church in El Paso, and he also shares his experience sitting down with the border patrol in the Big Bend.

In week’s borderland update, The Rev. Canon Lee Curtis recaps our most recent Borderland Learning Session, a monthly program we have offered our Parish Partners. February’s learning session was an opportunity to reflect on border theology and the transitional, liminal space represented in the phrase “Ni de aquí, ni de allá” (neither from here or from there). Watch Canon Lee’s recap of the conversation to learn more.

This week’s borderland update from The Rev. Canon Lee Curtis comes from the San Mathias shelter in Juarez! Canon Lee talks about the ongoing struggle asylum seekers are facing as they await to enter the United States. Watch the full update to learn more about how RGBM is showing up to be the heart of Christian service.

Happy New Year from RGBM! This week’s borderland update from The Rev. Canon Lee Curtis is an introduction to the beautiful space of St. Christopher’s, which is home to the Center for Borderland Ministries for The Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande. Watch the full update below to learn more about how St. Christopher’s will be used as a hospitality space for our partners as we welcome them to experience the borderland.

This week’s borderland update from The Rev. Canon Lee Curtis shares some words from Deacon Clelia Pinza Garrity from The Episcopal Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast, one of RGBM’s first partners in our partnership program. Clelia’s full reflection can be found on our blog post. This borderland update also includes information on what RGBM is doing to support the shelter during Christmastime, especially for children, with the help of our partner Doug Winter and his organization Dormir es Poder.

This Giving Tuesday, we hope you will make a gift to support the work RGBM is doing to build community at our southern border. This special Giving Tuesday Borderland Update from The Rev. Canon Lee Curtis comes directly from one of RGBM’s sister shelters run by Padre Héctor Trejo in Ciudad Juarez.

In this season of thanksgiving, we want to express our gratitude to the many people, organizations, and places that support the work of RGBM and allow us to continue our work of welcoming the stranger. This week’s brief borderland update on what RGBM is thankful for comes from The Rev. Canon Lee Curtis. From all of us at RGBM, Happy Thanksgiving.

Last week’s annual convention for the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande included an annual report from Rio Grande Borderland Ministries from members of our RGBM Development Team. To learn about the impact of RGBM over the last year and the future plans of the ministry, please watch the video on our full blog post

In this week’s borderland update, The Rev. Canon Lee Curtis, Canon to the Ordinary for the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande, talks about how the Diocese is showing up to support migrant families through our new hospitality space at St. Christopher's, El Paso. Take five minutes to learn about how RGBM is showing up to #WelcomeWithDignity.

In this week’s borderland update, The Rev. Canon Lee Curtis, Canon to the Ordinary for the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande, shares three quick points about the “Border Crisis.” Take five minutes to learn about the changes in patterns of immigration and how RGBM is showing up to #WelcomeWithDignity.

In this week’s borderland update, The Rev. Canon Lee Curtis, Canon to the Ordinary for the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande, shares the news this past week of approximately 15,000 Haitian immigrants arriving in the town of Del Río. To hear Lee speak about the patterns of immigration, how RGBM is showing up, and how you can make an impact, watch the full borderland update.

In this week’s borderland update, The Rev. Canon Lee Curtis, Canon to the Ordinary for the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande, breaks down the most recent Supreme Court decision regarding the Remain in Mexico policy. To learn how these recent policy decisions impact the work RGBM is doing to #WelcomeWithDignity in the borderland, please watch the full update, and consider making an impact by supporting the work of RGBM.

We are excited to announce the RGBM Parish Partnership program! Congregations that partner with RBGM commit to supporting RGBM in stewardship, time, and prayer. Consider getting your parish involved with this amazing ministry. Learn more from The Rev. Canon Lee Curtis below, and visit our website to download our discernment packet! We hope you’ll consider walking alongside us in this ministry.

This week’s Borderland Update comes from The Rev. Canon Lee Curtis, Canon to the Ordinary for the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande. In this update, Lee shares information about Title 42 and how it impacts the RGBM community.
Learn more about advocacy opportunities through EMM’s Asylum and Detention Ministry Network: https://episcopalmigrationministries.org/ministrynetwork/

This week’s Borderland Update comes from The Rev. Michael Wallens, Vicar of St. Paul’s in Marfa, TX. Mike oversees the ministry of RGBM in the Big Bend region of the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande, working with our partners in Ojinaga and Boquilla, Mexico, and with our partners in the US side of the borderlands. Mike recently met with the Border Patrol in his area to discuss how RGBM will be a response when Title 42 is lifted, ensuring that our migrant neighbors are embraced in the service of justice, the interest of dignity, and the spirit of love.

This week’s RGBM Now Blog features a resource list to learn more about what’s happening with regard to the border and migration. We encourage you to utilize these resources to learn, events to engage in, and opportunities to act to help us advocate for our neighbors. Learn more and make an impact below.

This week’s borderland update comes from The Rev. Michael Wallens, Vicar of St. Paul’s in Marfa. Mike supports the work RGBM is doing in the Big Bend region of our borderlands. Watch the full update below to learn more.

This week’s borderland update from The Rev. Canon Lee Curtis highlights the work our Bridge Chaplain Ana Reza is doing to support our migrant neighbors that are crossing through the port of entry in El Paso and the relationships The Rev. Mike Wallens is continuing to build to support unaccompanied minors in the Big Bend region of our borderland.

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...

This week’s borderland update comes from The Rev. Canon Lee Curtis, Canon to the Ordinary for the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande! Lee shares updates from our Canvas of Hope event, opportunities to volunteer with our partner organizations in El Paso, and an exciting update on our new donation platform!

This week’s borderland update comes in the form of an interview with Bishop Michael Hunn and Bridge Chaplain Ana Reza! Bishop Hunn and Ana talk about the role of Bridge Chaplain, the changes in immigration and policy enforcement over the last year, and how Rio Grande Borderland Ministries (RGBM) is supporting vulnerable communities on both sides of the border.

As supporters of Rio Grande Borderland Ministries (RGBM), we hope you will join us for our volunteer-led art auction, Canvas of Hope, on May 1st from 1-2:30 pm MDT! Canvas of Hope will feature music, poetry, storytelling, and a live virtual auction. To register and learn more, click the button below.

Rio Grande Borderland Ministries (RGBM) is helping to ensure our migrant neighbors are welcomed with dignity. For an update, please see this video from The Rev. Canon Lee Curtis, Canon to the Ordinary, Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande:

This week’s blog post features another borderland update video from The Rev. Canon Lee Curtis, Canon to the Ordinary for the Diocese of the Rio Grande. Learn more about the first family from our sister shelter in Ciudad Juarez crossing into El Paso, RGBM’s collaboration with Annunciation House, and opportunities to make an impact.

You may have already seen the Borderland Update from The Rev. Canon Lee Curtis, Canon to the Ordinary for the Diocese of the Rio Grande, on our RGBM social media accounts or through the diocesan newsletter. If not, we encourage you to watch the video. As the humanitarian crisis continues to change and unfold at the border, RGBM will be a response to this crisis, and we will continue to update you regularly through these videos.

After many months of not being able to go to the shelters because of the pandemic, we were able to gather together virtually with the community of asylum seekers in the San Mathias shelter in Juarez on Epiphany. Through conversation and prayer, connected in community by a computer screen, we celebrated the revelation of God incarnate as Jesus Christ. A projector installed last month by one of our volunteers, Douglas Winter, made the virtual experience extra special. In our hearts we felt God alive!

Boquillas and Beyond Mexico Mission, Inc is the driving force behind bringing solar power to rural areas. They have installed one solar system in the school at Jaboncillos, one in the Military Base at Boquillas and one for the water pump at La Union. BBMM is currently building the solar works and the High School at Jaboncillos.

The Rio Grande Borderland Ministries team is in the process of mapping our assets in preparation for the inevitable policy changes to come with the next Presidential administration. We are preparing for the possibility of a large influx of asylum seekers arriving at our shelters in Juarez and Ojinaga, Mexico and an increased number of unaccompanied minors released from detention in the US. We are also assessing the implications of a mass influx of asylum seekers making their way into Texas and New Mexico with the reopening of the border.