Dignity, Not Hate

DIGNITY, NOT HATE

A Call from the Episcopal Migration Caucus

October 29, 2024

 

We are saddened by the need to send this message: hate speech against our immigrant siblings must not be tolerated, and our Church at every level must denounce hate speech and violent threats and act to support migrants. 

We are lay and ordained members of the Episcopal Migration Caucus, formed just before the 81st General Convention of our Church in June to advocate for Migration With Dignity.  We support the statements of the Rt. Rev. Kristin Uffelman White, Bishop of the Diocese of Southern Ohio, Words Matter – Speaking Up Against Hate in Springfield and the Rt. Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, Bishop of Washington, Dignity Versus Contempt.  We join Bishops White’s and Budde’s call to oppose hate speech and violent threats with their devastating consequences for targeted populations and public officials.

We cannot be indifferent to the increasing anti-immigrant hate speech in our nation. While statements, resolutions, and prayers in support of immigrants are essential, they are not enough. Together we must act to:

·         Offer help and support to newcomers in our communities as they make their way in this country.

·         Affirm and spread The Episcopal Church’s call to Migration With Dignity embraced by our General Convention.

·         Live up to our baptismal covenant to strive for justice and peace and to respect the dignity of every human being.

Hate cannot be conquered by hate. As Bishop White urges, let us “stand strong and use the words and stories Jesus taught us. Together, we can confront this hate with love, this fear with compassion, these words of evil with the words of the Good News: that the way of Jesus is the way of God’s boundless and never ceasing love.”

Let it be so.

EPISCOPAL MIGRATION CAUCUS SIGNATORIES

(Affiliations provided for identification purpose only)

 

  • Rev. Hannah E. Atkins-Romero, Rector, Trinity Episcopal Church, Houston TX
  • Ruth Fran Board, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Maumee OH
  • Rev. Michelle Boomgaard, Rector, Christ Episcopal Church, Springfield, Ohio
  • The Rev. Luz Cabrera Montes, Canon Missioner, Christ Church Cathedral, Houston TX
  • Rob Coulston, Episcopal Diocese of Lexington KY
  • Rev. Leeann Culbreth, Episcopal Diocese of Georgia
  • Martin Dickinson, Washington National Cathedral Sanctuary Ministry
  • Rev. Sally Ethelston, Deacon, St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, Hyattsville MD
  • Gale Hall, Oro Valley Episcopal Church of the Apostles, Oro Valley AZ
  • Silvia Huth, Episcopal Diocese of Michigan
  • Rev. Josh Kulak, Episcopal Diocese of Texas
  • Jack Lloyd, Episcopal Diocese of Chicago Sanctuary Task Force
  • Rev. Rex McKee, Deacon, Episcopal Church in Minnesota
  • Richard K. MacMaster, Episcopal Diocese of Florida
  • Michelina Nicotera-Taxiera, Oro Valley Episcopal Church of the Apostles, Oro Valley AZ
  • William Niedzwiecki, The Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe
  • Rev. Robert Osborne, St. Joseph of Arimathea Episcopal, Hendersonville TN
  • Phillip M. Palmer, All Saints Episcopal Church, Palo Alto CA
  • Rev. Cristina Rathbone, Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts
  • Fr. Vidal Rivas, Priest in Charge, St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, Hyattsville MD
  • Rev. Alyssa Stebbing, St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church, Austin, TX
  • Christine Tibbetts, Episcopal Diocese of Georgia
  • Rev. Michael Wallens, Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande TX
  • Linda Watson-Lorde, Episcopal Diocese of Long Island NY
  • James H. Wiley, Holy Spirit Episcopal Church, Missoula MT

What can we do?

Add your voice to the call for Migration with Dignity!

  • Endorse the “Dignity, Not Hate” statement by completing this form.
  • Share the “Dignity, Not Hate” statement widely in your diocese, congregation, personal network, and social media. The most updated version can be found here: 
  • Use the statement to guide letters to the editor, advocacy with local officials, sermons, and Election Day actions and gatherings. 
  • If you are Episcopalian, get involved in the Episcopal Migration Caucus! We are a grassroots group of lay and ordained Episcopalians advocating for migration with dignity in the Episcopal Church and beyond, through the church’s legislative process and through public advocacy. Email us. 
    to receive meeting announcements and links and/or join our private Facebook group (email Jennifer for link).
  • Visit the Episcopal Migration Ministries website and social media pages for additional resources and get involved with the Episcopal Migration Response Network:
    https://episcopalmigrationministries.org/
    https://episcopalmigrationministries.org/ministrynetwork/
  • Use this prayer in private and public worship:
    https://episcopalmigrationministries.org/wp-content/uploads/EMM-Prayer-Downloadable-PDF-1.pdf