On the evening before a hearing on a religious freedom lawsuit, people of many faiths gather for a vigil in the nation’s capital
The PC(USA) and more than two dozen other faith groups are suing to overturn the recission of a policy that protects immigrants
LOUISVILLE — On the eve of Friday’s hearing of a religious freedom lawsuit filed by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and more than two dozen faith partners in response to the recission of the Department of Homeland Security’s “sensitive locations” policy, people of many faiths gathered at National City Christian Church in Washington, D.C., for a heartfelt prayer vigil. Watch the 75-minute vigil here.
“We need each other,” said the Rev. Stephanie Kendell, senor minister of the host church, which is the national cathedral of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Kendell used that reminder as a call-and-response to rev up the 150 people or so attending in person and the up to 1,500 people watching online.
“In the spirit of faith, justice and moral courage, on the eve of this historic hearing, we stand together as people of different faiths, traditions and backgrounds, all united in a sacred purpose to bear witness to the dignity and humanity of every person — especially the most vulnerable in our communities,” said the Rev. Jim Wallis of the Center on Faith and Justice at Georgetown University. “Tonight, we lift up our prayers — not just for the outcome of a lawsuit, but also for the families directly impacted by these injustices, for children who go to school afraid every day” that their parents won’t be around to pick them up after school. “Justice for us is not an ideal — it’s our sacred obligation.”
“Remind us and the whole world that your welcome is and always has been radically inclusive,” prayed the Rev. Nancy McDonald Ladd of the Unitarian Universalist Association. “As we hold that commitment, hold us.”
Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch of Women of Reform Judaism led several songs, including “Lord, Prepare Me (Sanctuary),” “Let There Be Love,” and “If I Had a Hammer.”
The Rev. Dr. Leslie Copeland-Tune, chief operating officer of the National Council of Churches, read from Deuteronomy 10:12-21, which includes God’s command to “love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.”
She prayed for God’s forgiveness “for the meanspirited and callous ways we have talked about those who do not look like us.”
“Help us to be your hands and feet, salt and light in this world,” she prayed, “and let it start with your justice prevailing in this land.”
God’s radical love “requires us to say no to anything that dehumanizes another person, and to be at work dismantling systems that abuse the most vulnerable,” said the Rev. Iris de León-Hartshorn of the Mennonite Church USA. “We can’t expect others to stand up, and we can’t allow fear to determine whether we stand up and take action. May God bless you and give you courage as you share God’s radical love.”
Four pastors — the Rev. Laura Everett of the Massachusetts Council of Churches, the Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland of the North Carolina Council of Churches, the Rev. Anyra Cano of Fellowship Southwest, and the Rev. Jeremy Langill of the Rhode Island State Council of Churches — read a liturgy with the repeated line, “We will make a place for you.”
Sandy Ovalle of Sojourners read 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, reminded those in attendance that “your well-being and mine are tied together” and prayed “for a pathway that recognizes each person as worthy of respect.”
Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb of the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life shared three common Hebrew ways of saying “synagogue.” One is translated “House of Prayer,” another is “House of the Book,” and the most common name, “House of Assembly.” Communities can “make the right choice” to embrace new people, new ideas, new accents, new flavors, new melodies and new friends, the rabbi said. “It is the path of loving God, neighbor and immigrant all at once.”
Sister Eilis McCulloh, HM, of Network Lobby quoted Saint Oscar Romero: "A church that doesn't provoke any crisis, a gospel that doesn't unsettle, a word of God that doesn't get under anyone’s skin, a word of God that doesn’t touch the real sin of the society in which it is being proclaimed — what gospel is that?” Sister McCulloh said rescinding the sensitive locations policy “represents a crisis of morality.”
The Rev. Carlos Malave of the Latino Christian National Network offered up a brief history of immigration dating back to 1607. “What we are fighting for is not just respect and due process, but for an end to the system that historically exploited the vulnerable,” Malave said. “We are 65 million Latinos and Latinas in this country. We constitute 71% of the growth of U.S. population.”
“We are here,” Malave said, “and we are going nowhere.”
The Rev. Dr. Giovanni Arroyo of the General Commission on Religion and Race for the United Methodist Church and the Rev. Dr. Lydia Muñoz, Executive Director of the National Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry of the United Methodist Church, capped off the vigil with prayer.
“The justice we seek is possible,” Arroyo said. “By gathering together, we are embodying the Imago Dei. We are the image of diversity, equity and inclusion. May others experience refuge and care through us.”
“Take a deep breath in and then breathe out. Breathe in God’s love and breathe out any fear and anxiety,” Muñoz suggested, then sang, “My peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you.”
“Go in God’s power,” Muñoz said. “Amen.”
“Carry that in your heart,” Kendell said. “We look at each other and we see the work we are called to do. Go from this place knowing you were intentionally created with dignity and honor to astound the world.”
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