VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 9/3/14)—American Baptist Home Mission Societies (ABHMS) has posted on its website a variety of free, downloadable resources for those wishing to learn more about and advocate for unaccompanied refugee children crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
“Our commitment to justice for children calls us to engage in the hard work of understanding, dialoguing about and praying for the life-threatening conditions that compel a child to risk a solitary and dangerous journey to our borders,” says Rev. Dr. Marilyn P. Turner, ABHMS associate executive director of Missional Life and Leadership, who participated in the Aug. 29 prayer vigil led by American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA) and the National Council of Churches at the border at Friendship Circle in San Diego and Tijuana. “The issues are large and complex, but the God-given power to grasp them and make a difference is resident within. It is our hope that this prayer vigil, along with the resources we provide, will enable individuals and churches to comprehend and address the horrors facing these children and their families.”
Resources include “Children Fleeing Violence at the U.S. Border,” “Myths and Facts on Central American Migration Surge” and “Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC): An Overview from Refugee Council USA.”
“It has been said that the health of a community is reflected in how children are cared for. The current humanitarian crisis leading children to the United States and the way those children are being rejected by many once they are here is an indication of the global impact of war-torn societies and broadens our understanding of ‘neighbor,’” says Rev. Aundreia Alexander, ABHMS national coordinator of Immigration and Refugee Services, who also participated in the vigil. “As people of faith, we are reminded that Jesus welcomed the children and commanded that they not be turned away. We have to do all we can to protect and care for all children.”
For more information, visit http://www.abhms.org/ > Ministries & Programs > Justice Ministries > Immigration and Refugee Services, or contact Alexander at aundreia.alexander@abhms.org or 800-222-3872, x2430.
ABHMS—the domestic mission arm of American Baptist Churches USA—ministers as the caring heart and serving hands of Jesus Christ across the United States and Puerto Rico through a multitude of initiatives that focus on discipleship, community and justice.
ABCUSA is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with over 5,200 local congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.