ELCA Conference of Bishops  Statement on Immigration

Statement on Immigration Conference of Bishops Evangelical Lutheran Church in America   Tonight, the ELCA Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America issued this joint statement following the announcement of President Obama's Plan on Immigration Reform. All 65 bishops plus the presiding bishop join in making this statement together: As people of faith and leaders of the church, we support public policy that protects children, reunites families, and cares for the most vulnerable, regardless of their place of birth. The treatment of immigrants is a core religious value. To welcome the stranger is to welcome a child of God. In the New Testament, Jesus tells us to welcome the stranger, for "just as you did it to one of the least of these... you did it to me.'" (Matthew 25:40) Each day in our congregations and in our service to the community, we see the consequences of this broken immigration system: separated families, children returning home to find their parents have been deported, and the exploitation of undocumented workers. By removing the threat of deportation for many people, we are showing compassion for people who have been here for years, working hard to provide for their families, obeying the law, and contributing to the fabric of our community. While today's action addresses a pressing need, it does not provide a path to citizenship, establish policies that prioritize family unity, or create more efficient channels for entry of new migrant workers. Our hope is that congress will address these and related issues, including the practice of family detention, which undermines our values as a people of faith and a nation of welcome. The Scriptures consistently show a significant concern for immigrants:"When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God." (Leviticus 19:33-34) The positive role of immigrants in our history, economy and our community is unmistakable. We support this compassionate first step toward reforming an immigration system that is flawed and requires many of our neighbors to live in the shadows in fear. The ELCA Conference of Bishops

Life on the Line: Love: Official Selection: Grace Film Festival

Life on the Line   
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USA/Mexico
Language: English/Spanish
Runtime: 28:00
Category: Love
Screening Date: January 31, 2015


After fifteen years of living undocumented in the U.S., Vanessa Torrez finds herself stuck in Mexico when visiting her dying mother, and the entire Torrez family moves to Nogales, Sonora, committed to staying together. With teenage Kimberly crossing the border each day to go to school in the United States, her father, Rick, finds himself unemployed, stricken with Hepatitis C, and in dire need of a liver transplant. Meanwhile, Vanessa awaits the visa that will allow her to live in the U.S. with her American children if her husband dies. Told through the eyes of teenage Kimberly, Life on the Line illuminates the changing face of America through the story of this one family.

Director: Sally Rubin and Jen Gilomen

Jen Gilomen, Co-Director and Cinematographer, and Sally Rubin, Co-Director and Editor, are a lean filmmaking team. After working on numerous documentary and new media projects separately, they completed their first nationally-distributed documentary, “Deep Down,” in 2010. “Deep Down” was broadcast nationally on the PBS Series Independent Lens, screened in over 200 communities via ITVS’s Community Cinema program and other festivals, is distributed by ITVS and New Day Films, and participated in the U.S. State Department’s American Documentary Showcase program, reaching audiences from Kentucky to Belarus. “Deep Down” was a transmedia project employing deep online engagement strategies that included the Virtual Mine, an interactive virtual reality game funded by ITVS and MacArthur Foundation. “Deep Down” and the Virtual Mine garnered an Emmy nomination in the category of New Approaches to News and Documentary in 2011.

Director’s Statement

In directing "Life on the Line," we enjoyed learning about a topic that is totally relevant to our lives and to the lives of so many here in Los Angeles and San Francisco, where we're based. Los Angeles is 51% Latino, and both here and in Orange County we're not far from the border. We live in communities that are largely Mexican, Salvadorean, and Guatamalan, and learning first-hand about some of the issues that most affect these populations was extremely eye-opening. Getting to spend almost three years traveling off and on to the border region to delve into the lives of teens, and in particular teenage girls, was rewarding, educational, and fun.
We've now screened in several other states (and countries, including at the Mexico International Film Festival where we won an award), and the film has been well-received amongst a diverse set of audiences. Kids, in particular, resonate with the film, as do immigrant populations of a variety of backgrounds and nationalities. Anyone who comes from a mixed-culture or has a mixed identity (which includes the vast majority of Americans) tends to connect with the film.
As far as outreach, we are aiming to reach over 1 million people through our broadcast and outreach effort. We hope that the film, through its broadcast, reaches viewers who would not otherwise have seen the film, and ideally impacts people who previously felt no connection to the issue of immigration. Our goal with the film was to put a human face on a traditionally faceless issue; an issue that's divisive, that's in the news often more around policy and legislation rather than through an emphasis on the lives actually touched by these policies. Our film aims to put a name and a face to the abstract stories that one hears about immigration. So our hope us that viewers are affected by Kimberly and her story -- that they don't forget her.

Hagar and the Children of Latin America: Genesis 21:8-21: Bible Study

Children being held in overflowing US Boarder Warehouses.

Biblical Text:

Genesis 21:8-21

8 The child grew, and on the day of weaning, Sarah and Abraham held a great feast. 9 But Sarah noticed the child that Hagar the Egyptian had borne for Abraham, playing with her child Isaac. 10 She demanded of Abraham, “Send Hagar and her child away! I will not have this child of my attendant share in Isaac’s inheritance.” 11 Abraham was greatly distressed by this because of his son Ishmael.

12 But God said to Abraham, “Don’t be distressed about the child or about Hagar. Heed Sarah’s demands, for it is through Isaac that descendants will bear your name. 13 As for the child of Hagar the Egyptian, I will make a great nation of him as well, since he is also your offspring.” 14 Early the next morning Abraham brought bread and a skin of water and gave it to Hagar. Then, placing the child on her back, he sent her away. She wandered off into the desert of Beersheba. 15 When the skin of water was empty, she set the child under a bush, 16 and sat down opposite him, about a bow-shot away. She said to herself, “Don’t let me see the child die!” and she began to wail and weep.

17 God heard the child crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven. “What is wrong, Hagar?” the angel asked. “Do not be afraid, for God has heard the child’s cry. 18 Get up, lift up the child and hold his hand; for I will make of him a great nation.” 19 Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. She went to it and filled the skin with water, and she gave the child a drink. 20 God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became a fine archer. 21 He made his home in the desert of Paran, and his mother found a wife for him in Egypt.

Connecting the Text To Today's Issues:
 Hagar is kicked out of the tribe, because the child she bore create a questionable inheritance.  Can you imagine the amount of pain it took for Hagar to set her baby down, because she couldn't watch it die of starvation?

Currently, the violence in Latin American and crime that some experience from drug cartels is so bad that some mothers have sent their children to the US.  In hopes that they will either cross the border or die without them having to watch.  

These are sad times.  

But what are the faithful do?

Must we really take care of our neighbor?  Who is our neighbor anyway?  

 Multimedia for Further Thinking About the Text:

For Further Reading:

Vox: Thousands of children are fleeing Central America to Texas — alone – “The situation has reached a crisis point, and policymakers still can’t agree on how to fix it. This Monday, President Obama asked Congress for an extra $1.4 billion to handle the rise in child migrants. He also announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) would coordinate a new multi-agency response. Congress, meanwhile, is divided on the issue. Two Republican-led House Committees are promising to hold hearings on the topic.”

NPR: Riding ‘The Beast’ Across Mexico To The U.S. Border — “There’s a network of freight trains that runs the length of Mexico, from its southernmost border with Guatemala north to the United States. In addition to grain, corn or scrap metal, these trains are carrying an increasing number of undocumented immigrants whose aim is to cross into the U.S. And despite the many deadly challenges it poses, more and more children — both with adults and alone — have been making the risky journey. ”

Arizona Republic: Child migrants are America’s great shame – “In the past eight months, 47,000 children have been apprehended along the southwest border. This represents a steady increase from 2009. The numbers could reach 60,000 this year, according to AP.Most are from Central America, and increasing numbers of them are girls and children younger than 13.”