VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 7/31/18)

—Close to 3,000 children have been separated from their parents as a result of the zero-tolerance immigration policy instituted by the U.S. government. In late June, following the mobilization of people of faith and their advocacy for social justice, a federal judge in California ordered a halt to most family separations at the U.S. border and the reunification of all separated families. Judge Dana Sabraw of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California set a July 26 deadline for the government to return children to their parents. That deadline has not been met.

American Baptist Home Mission Societies (ABHMS) calls for the U.S. government to respond responsibly and justly to the request of its people and the court order. As American Baptists, we take pride in being on the front lines of efforts to promote justice and protect civil liberties; we, therefore, demand answers about the process of reuniting these children with their parents.

We call our American Baptist churches to prayer for the families impacted by this policy and especially for the children who remain separated from their parents. But, we call our churches and brothers and sisters in Christ to take action as well. As American Baptists have done for more than a century, we will not remain silent as this government fails to protect the most vulnerable among us.

We encourage churches and individuals to take action today by engaging with U.S. representatives and senators about this injustice perpetrated by the U.S. government in the name of its people. Information about how to engage with Congress is provided by the Interfaith Immigration Coalition.

In addition, ABHMS has been a signatory on letters to Congress regarding immigrant protections, and Executive Director Dr. Jeffrey Haggray has previously spoken out against migrant family separation.

On behalf of American Baptist Churches USA, ABHMS has established a One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) collection to help with legal aid for separated immigrant families. Send a check to the attention of Kim Wilkins at American Baptist Home Mission Societies, P.O. Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482-0851. Make the check payable to “One Great Hour of Sharing” and write “OGHS-Immigrant Children” in the memo line. Or, give online, designating “OHGS-Immigrant Children” in the Comments section.

Information about ABHMS’ Immigration and Refugee Ministries is available online at abhms.org > Ministries > Immigration and Refugee Resettlement.

One Great Hour of Sharing is administered by the World Relief Committee of the Board of General Ministries of American Baptist Churches USA. The committee facilitates American Baptist emergency relief, disaster rehabilitation, refugee work and development assistance by establishing policy guidelines and overseeing distribution of the annual One Great Hour of Sharing offering received by churches.

One hundred percent of donations go to relief efforts; no dollars are retained for administrative costs. To ensure that your church receives credit for your gift, write the church name on your check.

American Baptist Home Mission Societies partners with American Baptists to promote Christian faith, cultivate Christ-centered leaders and disciples, and bring healing and transformation to communities across the United States and Puerto Rico.

 American Baptist Churches USA is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with approximately 5,000 congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.

July 26, 2018

A $500 Matthew 25 Grant from American Baptist Churches USA has supported First Baptist Church of Trenton, NJ, to deliver crucial education and training to youth from the congregation and community.

“Our congregation and community are multicultural here in South Trenton,” explains Rev. C. Nadir Powell, who has served the 213-year-old church for nearly three years. “People in our community speak 13 languages and have Nigerian, Liberian, Latino, Burmese and Caucasian backgrounds.”

“Most of the people who live in our community have low incomes,” Rev. Powell says. “That’s why it is so important for the church to receive funding so we can be a blessing to our neighbors. We are so grateful for the $500 Matthew 25 Grant.” The grant has primarily been used to purchase food for students, volunteers and educators in connection with the training outreach.

“My vision has been to use the grant toward teaching, educating and tutoring of our youth,” Rev. Powell says. “Some of our youth have struggles with English, for example. And so we provide tutors to give learners the necessary tools to become powerful individuals.”

First Baptist also partners with other community organizations to empower the community’s youth, Rev. Powell says.

One such organization is Beyond Expectations, an initiative founded by community parents nearly 20 years ago with the express purpose of supporting youth to develop marketable skills. “Organizations like Beyond Expectations are truly a blessing to us,” Rev. Powell says. “They bring educators in who provide training in such areas as media, digital photography, the arts and youth entrepreneurship. Some have received training in furniture design.” Youth who have received Beyond Expectations training have gone on to attend 25 colleges and universities over the years.

First Baptist Church also offers English as a Second Language classes Saturday mornings.

The Matthew 25 Grant initiative, sponsored by ABCUSA and the Board of General Ministries, is funded by a generous, anonymous donor whose goal is to meet the needs of “housing, feeding, education and health with regard to the less fortunate.” The application process for a Matthew 25 Grant is structured to help small ministries with limited staff time. For more information on the grant and application process visit www.abc-usa.org/matthew25/