The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) came into existence on the American frontier through immigrants. Our teachings of faith and practice come first from scripture which call us to offer radical hospitality: to welcome and provide for the stranger in our midst, and to love our neighbor, stranger or enemy, as ourself. As followers of Christ, who fed the hungry and the thirsty and who welcomed the stranger, our faith calls us to do the same.
As our General Minister and President, Sharon Watkins, explains, “we have upheld this commitment to offer hospitality to well over 40,000 refugees since the time of WWII, and have done so by providing housing, employment, mentoring, contributions, prayer, and friendship,” and we have offered and experienced many faces of God’s grace and love through our faith and practice.
While we are grateful for our national security which strives to keep our nation safe, and while we support their system that oversees and implements the vetting process, an executive order by the POTUS that unnecessarily oppresses our brothers and sisters who are refugees or immigrants strikes the very core of our faith teachings and practices as ambassadors of Christ.
Our pastors and congregations strive for unity and cooperation among diversity, and we will continue to ardently pray and advocate for the rights and welcome of the vulnerable immigrants and refugees to be in our midst.
Pam Holt
Regional Minister
My name is David Jones and I serve a small congregation in middle America, OK. While I agree with the facts stated and the intent of our Regional Minister, I also feel that Pam has left out some facts about why this Executive Order represents a positive action to many of her constituents here in Oklahoma. While I agree that our country has been based on the “melding pot” concept since our freedom from the oppression of days past, today we face countries and people that no longer wish to come to be “Americans”, but come to take away the freedoms and safety we have been endowed with for a couple of centuries plus. This new POTUC may be a little on the radical side, but his intentions are to protect the lives and lifestyles of those of us who wish to remain Americans. I loving add my words to simply remind our denomination that there are differences of opinions and I believe I am voicing an opinion the represents more than myself and some of my congregation. Thank you for allowing our voices to be heard as well!