Welcoming the Stranger
Currently more than 70 million people worldwide have been forced from their homes by violence, persecution, and natural disasters – the highest number since World War II.
Here in the United States, immigrants and refugees have become a political target. Children have been separated from their parents, young people who have never known another home fear deportation, and the number of refugees being accepted into this country is at its lowest level since 1980.
Distressed by these developments, a group of Hancock members from the Christian Service and One People One World committees came together in 2018 to explore these issues and promote action.
Our goals are:
- to provide Hancock members with opportunities to learn about and discuss these issues; and
- to inform members about opportunities to put their faith into action.
After a year of study, reflection, and conversation, our Hancock congregation voted at Annual Meeting in June of 2019 to declare itself an Immigrant Welcoming Congregation. Read our Declaration.
We invite you to learn with us, and if you feel called, to take action with us, to confront these injustices at home and abroad.
Things you can do:
- Participate in one of the programs we occasionally sponsor. Watch the Weekly and the Bulletin for details.
- Learn more about immigrant and refugee issues. There are many great sources of information on the web.
- Read a book. There are lots of great books that will help you understand the issues and allow you to see the world through the eyes of immigrants and refugees. Here are some we recommend, along with our own comments on each. All of these are available at Hancock’s Potter Library, from your municipal library, and from Amazon, and many are in local bookstores.
- Take action. Join an organization working for immigrant and refugee justice. Participate in a demonstration, write your legislators, and work to change public policy. Send money to organizations working on these issues. Volunteer to help. Here are some ideas.
- Read about what the UCC has to say about these issues today. The General Synod adopted a resolution in 2017 calling on its conferences and associations to encourage their members to declare themselves Immigrant Welcoming Congregations. In 2018, the Massachusetts conference adopted a resolution that did just that, and we responded in 2019 (see above).
- Join us! The Immigrant and Refugee Justice Team would welcome your help planning events, taking part in actions, and spreading the word. Or add your name to our email list to receive updates about information and activities that might be of interest. If you’re interested in either, contact immigrants@hancockchurch.org.
Thank you!
Margy Keeping, Molly Keeping, Sarah Keeping, Lisa Sandeen, Mark Sandeen, Jim Weston, and Charlie Wyman
The Hancock Immigrant and Refugee Justice Team