By Rubén Ortiz Our eyes and ears never get a break. Continual sight and sound revolve around the border crisis. Headlines follow one another; news flashes and press conferences interrupt our daily lives. Expert opinions multiply, while solutions diminish. Politicians, logisticians, religious leaders and activists visit the Southern border. They all clamor to be correct … Continue reading
Por Rubén Ortiz No hay tregua para nuestros ojos. Todo parece girar en torno a la crisis de la frontera. Los titulares se suceden uno a otro, los “flashes” de noticia y las ruedas de prensa interrumpen la cotidianidad de nuestras vidas. Aumentan las opiniones y los expertos, mientras las soluciones escasean. Políticos, expertos en … Continue reading
By Elket Rodriguez Immigration Reform is a priority for the current Administration and this Congress. We are calling on immigration advocates to engage their elected officials for immigration reform that is compassionate and consistent with our Principles and Values for Immigration Reform. Our Advocacy Action Team for Immigrants and Refugees is working to encourage and … Continue reading
The following is a reflection from CBF field personnel Greg Smith, who serves in Fredericksburg, Va., with his wife, Sue. You can learn more about their ministries and support their work at www.cbf.net/smith. For LUCHA Ministries Immigration Legal Services, the final week of September was full indeed. Over a four-day period, I clocked 48 hours and, … Continue reading
By Marv Knox If you’ve been wondering how to directly help immigrants seeking asylum in the United States, Pastor Carlos Navarro can tell you how to lend a hand. Actually, how to lend a backpack. Navarro and Iglesia Bautista West Brownsville operate an immigrant relief shelter (and Fellowship Southwest provided the funds to build a … Continue reading
Over the next weeks and months, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship will be sharing reflections from our CBF field personnel serving around the world. These are stories of impact and outreach, Gospel-sharing and relationship building, long-term presence and abundant love. The following is a reflection from CBF field personnel Sue Smith, who serves through LUCHA Ministries … Continue reading
This Friday, Dec. 18, is International Migrants Day. To help us understand immigrants, Fellowship Southwest’s Elket Rodríguez interviewed nine Christian immigrants in different stages of their immigration process. These immigrants represent different countries, races, ethnicities and religious traditions. Some are asylum seekers living in migrant shelters in Mexico, just across the southern border of the … Continue reading
By Elket Rodríguez In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus demonstrates the power of compassion to transcend ethnic and religious differences. Now, 2,000 years later, shared love for immigrants has bound the hearts of Christian brothers from different quadrants of the Baptist denomination. Carlos Navarro is the Southern Baptist pastor of Iglesia Bautista West … Continue reading
By Rubén Ortiz Jeremiah 29: 1-14 is written for exiles, for those in captivity. The vast majority of the Jews were uprooted from their birthplace, a land they dominated for centuries until 587 B.C. They were forced to travel roughly 700 miles through the Middle East desert. On their journey, these Jews left behind the … Continue reading
Por Rubén Ortiz Jeremías 29:1-14 se escribe para un pueblo en el exilio. Una gran parte del reino de Israel, fue desarraigada del lugar donde habían nacido casi unos 587 años antes de Cristo. Fueron obligados a viajar unas 700 millas por el desierto del Medio Oriente dejando atrás su tierra y las provisiones que … Continue reading