The Way of Love – Love Stranger and Outsider
Ordinarily humans are tribal, and we tend to care for those who are ‘like us’. By accessing the power of the Love of God, Jesus loved people who were excluded from the in- group and he gave attention to the stranger and the other. The list of minorities and marginalized people is long: non-Christians, the LGBTQ+ community, racial minorities, women in general, foreigners, those convicted of crimes, and people with disabilities.
St. Andrew’s seeks to understand, love, and welcome all marginalized people. Living in South Texas, we are near a gateway for people from all over seeking to immigrate to the U.S. So, we have the special opportunity and calling to love those seeking asylum and immigration to our country. These ‘strangers and outsiders’ are part of our sphere of influence, perhaps more than those who live in the middle of the country. The way of love calls us to short-term respite care and crisis intervention. It also points us toward creating an understandable, effective, and compassionate system the potential immigrant; a system which equitably shares the burdens and benefits of welcoming immigrants among all our citizens.
Education – Love Stranger and Outsider: Immigrants
Websites
The mission of BorderReport.com is to provide real-time delivery of the untold local stories about people living, working and migrating along the U.S. border with Mexico. The information is gathered by experienced and trusted Nexstar Media Group journalists hired specifically to cover the border. The team is led by Salvador Rivera reporting from San Diego, Julian Resendiz reporting from El Paso and Sandra Sanchez reporting from McAllen
Episcopal Diocese of West Texas – Immigration Ministry
The Episcopal Diocese of West Texas and Mexico share approximately 500 border miles along the Rio Grande. Individuals and Episcopal congregations are responding to the needs of asylum seekers along the border, as well as individuals in local law enforcement, in a variety of outreach and pastoral care ministries.
Episcopal Church U.S.A. – Episcopal Migration Ministry
Episcopal Migration Ministries welcomes refugees, educates communities, and mobilizes congregations to advocate for the protection and rights of all migrants.
Top 50 Countries of Origin of Immigrants living ins San Antonio
Web Articles & Podcasts
The economic case for taking in refugees: What happens when they enter the economy.
The U.S. has a long history of resettling refugees who are fleeing war and persecution. Thecurrent program goes back to the ’80s, after the Vietnam War.Today, as the Joe Biden administration prepares to welcome 100,000 refugees from Ukraine, we’re wondering what happens to an economy when refugees become part of it.
Ukrainians will soon be eligible for temporary protected status. What does that mean?
It lets people get work permits and protects them from deportation. The status does not offer a path to citizenship.
The Line in the Sand: A Haitian Odyssey
When 16,000 Haitians arrived in Del Rio, Texas in September 2021, the humanitarian crisis made international headlines. But the unlikely spectacle at the Texas-Mexico border was just a glimpse of an immigration journey like no other – one that extends more than 10,000 miles, from the rubble of the 2010 Haitian earthquake, through South America… all the way to Del Rio and the Houston suburbs. (5 Part series from Texas Public Radio & the Houston Chronicle.)
Books
One Mighty and Irresistible Tide: The Epic Struggle Over American Immigration, 1924-1965
“Anyone who doesn’t understand that we are a nation of immigrants should be given a copy of Yang’s powerful and cogent look at immigrant strictures put in place in 1924 that were revoked by the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act.”― Bethanne Patrick, Washington Post
The Ungrateful Refugee: what immigrants never tell you, by Dina Nayer
A Finalist for the 2019 Kirkus Prize in Nonfiction, Nayeri combines her own experience with those of refugees she meets as an adult, telling their stories with tenderness and reverence.
Movies
Oh Mercy: searching for hope in the Promised Land.
Only 3 minutes long: Worldwide Documentaries is proud to present Oh Mercy, a documentary short about the plight and challenges of the forced migrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers trapped on the Mexican side of the US border, denied entry into the United States.
Only 11 minutes long: a documentary short about migration after crossing borders, the need for which was realized during the development of a larger, feature-length documentary, “Running To Stand Still” about the trafficking, dehumanization of migrants and refugees around the world.
With a focus on the United States-Mexico border, “Where am I?” proposes to tell the story of refugees that enter the United States through Mexico in search of safety and asylum.
10 Best Movies About The Immigrant Experience, Ranked (According To IMDb)
Inspiration – Love Stranger and Outsider: Immigrants
Scriptures
Click here for more scriptures about caring for the Stranger and Outsider: Immigrants
Prayer
Click herefor more prayers about caring for the Stranger and Outsider: Immigrants
Music / Art / Poetry
San Antonio art show quietly foregrounds migrant’s stories
More people are displaced than ever before — nearly 69 million. The scale of that crisis is hard to grasp, but visitors to One to Another will see it in a new light (from Sept 2018.)
Actions – Love the Stranger and Outsider: Immigrants
Organizations / Actions
Diocese of West Texas Immigration Ministries
Many opportunities to serve including: Plaza de Paz Respite Center
Plaza de Paz Respite Center will provide day-time welcoming services for individuals and families including meals, assistance with travel arrangements, personal hygiene care, and transportation within Bexar County to the airport or bus station. At this time, it cannot provide overnight accommodations and is coordinating with local partners to provide overnight respite for travelers unable to secure same-day departure from San Antonio.
Click here for more information about volunteering at the Plaza de Paz San
Click here to make a donation to Immigration Ministries.
Click here for their Amazon wish list.
St. Andrew’s has hosted immigrant families, given Christmas relief packages, and made scores of Travel packets.