Awakening to Immigrant Justice: Myers Park Baptist Church
Myers Park Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C. embarked on a sacred pilgrimage to listen, learn and discern how God is calling them as individuals and as a Church to seek justice for America’s immigrants. The group followed the route to Georgia many undocumented immigrants in North Carolina must follow after being detained. These pilgrims had prepared with a year-long study titled ‘Awakening to Immigrant Justice.’ The culmination of the study helped open their eyes to the complex, convoluted and, in many cases, inhumane ways newcomers are treated in this country.
This series in the “Welcoming the Stranger” project is part of the BNG Storytelling Projects Initiative. In “Welcoming the Stranger,” we share the inspiring stories of the people and faith communities that are teaching us all to love our neighbor as ourselves.
This series is written by Laura Cadena. Photos are by Mackenzie Harris of Faith in Public Life.
How to help immigrants in detention
Awakening to injustice: a church goes on a pilgrimage to follow immigrants’ journey from undocumented to detained
Photo Gallery: Awakening to Immigrant Justice
Video: Awakening to Immigrant Justice
“By placing our feet on sacred grounds which are off our well-beaten paths, we hope to expand our listening and learning,” Boswell explained. “Moving beyond head to heart, beyond words to feelings, we yearn to gain a fuller understanding of our systems of immigration.”
The pilgrimage was also an example of how churches can gather around immigrants, documented and undocumented, in their communities through ministries like those that partnered with the church in its pilgrimage project. Learn more about their experience or how you can help.
View the photo gallery or watch the summary video to see for yourself.
_____________
Seed money to launch our Storytelling Projects initiative and our initial series of projects has been provided through generous grants from the Christ Is Our Salvation Foundation and the Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation. For information about underwriting opportunities for Storytelling Projects, contact David Wilkinson, BNG’s executive director and publisher, at [email protected] or 336.865.2688.