At its June 19 meeting, the Congregation Council approved a recommendation from the Sanctuary Support Team to enroll Gloria Dei in the ELCA AMMPARO (Accompanying Migrant Minors with Protection, Advocacy, Representation, and Opportunities) network of welcoming congregations. This action falls within the sanctuary support commitment made by the congregation in March, 2017. As an AMMPARO welcoming congregation, Gloria Dei will respond to requests for assistance to migrants settling or having immigration court hearings in the Twin Cities. Learn more about AMMPARO here.
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) Aids Children Separated from Their Parents
LIRS is among the many organizations working to end family separation and respond to the critical needs of children who have been separated from their parents. LIRS is directing donations to “immediate shelter and beds, medical services, counseling and therapy to help them deal with the trauma of family separation.” Learn more here.
Family Separation Crisis: What You Can Do To Help
What can you do to aid families separated at the border of the U.S.?
- ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, on behalf of our church, has joined with religious leaders of multiple faith traditions to demand an end to family separation. Read the Bishop’s complete statement here. You, too, can speak for protection of family unity by contacting your senators and congressional representatives. Find their contact information here.
- Join your commitment to just and humane treatment for migrants with that of other members of our church, by contributing to Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service.
