News From The Assembly

Issues On Immigration Explored At Resource Group 
July 23, 2007 - Disciples News Service - Fort Worth, Texas

Jessica Vazquez Torres and Gilberto Collazo led an engaging presentation and dialogue on the issue of immigration and the church’s call to extend hospitality to the stranger. 

In their resource group, entitled, “Immigration’s Challenge to the Hospitality of the Church,” Torres touched upon many of the issues that force and sustain patterns of migration into the United States.  Natural disasters, political and civil unrest, economic devastation and lack of jobs in their homelands often force people to emigrate simply to survive. 

Whatever a person’s skin color, language or country or origin, there is the basic human right and need for sustainability and dignity, said Torres, who works with Interfaith Worker Justice in Chicago, Ill.  Every person wants that for themselves and the people they love. 

While there was little debate that the current immigration system in the U.S. is broken and in desperate need of repair, it is equally true that no one is offering up a quick fix or easy answer to the problem. 

Torres and Collazo, who works with New Church Ministry, brought awareness and justice issues to light with compassion for those exploited as well as for the average person in the pew.  While acknowledging the inner struggle of Christians surrounded by a consumer-oriented society, Torres lifted up the passage from Matthew 25 as a clarion call for all persons of faith to see Christ in the neighbor. … “Whatever you do for the poor, the vulnerable, alien among us, you do for me.”

By: Laura Odiorne, freelance writer