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NC Council of Churches

Strength in Unity, Peace through Justice

Faith & Immigration Summit Workshops Highlight Importance of Immigration In Upcoming Elections

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Immigration is one of the most important issues in the 2016 presidential race, as it has been in previous election cycles. Debates about our response to immigrants and refugees coming to this country continue to be divisive, and the consequences could be detrimental for the people being discussed. For that reason, this year’s annual Faith & Immigration Summit, which takes place on Saturday, September 17 at Apex UMC from 9:00am-3:30pm, focuses on the upcoming elections, state and national. This year’s Summit will have four workshop tracks to accomplish the primary goals of the Summit: equipping people of faith for legislative advocacy, educating people of faith about the challenges facing immigrants, training immigrant rights allies to organize and mobilize around immigration issues, and equipping these faith leaders to deal with the daily challenges confronting their congregations, specifically in relation to their immigration status. Registration is available online. The workshops include: 

Policy Track

  • FaithAction ID Program and Network (10:30-11:45)
  • Children and Families in Immigration Detention (12:45-2)
  • Supreme Court Decision on DAPA/DACA and the Future of Immigration Reform (12:45-2)
  • You Can Vote in 2016 (2:15-3:30)

Advocacy and Organizing Track

  • Quaker Advocacy for Immigration Reform (12:45-2)
  • Review of 2016 Immigration Legislative Trends and Predictions for 2017 (10:30-11:45)
  • Making Your Voice Heard: Communication Strategies for the Immigrant Rights Movement (2-2:15)

Faith Track

  • A Theology of Immigration (10:30-11:45)
  • Building a Justice Ministry in Your Church by Providing Immigration Legal Services (10:30-11:45)
  • Hospitality and Immigration (12:45-2)
  • Welcoming the Stranger: How Faith Communities Can Outreach to Those in Need (2-3:30)

This year we have also created a new track to focus on two groups of immigrants who are often overlooked: refugees and farmworkers.  As global conflicts continue to displace thousands of people from their homes, the numbers of refugees calling North Carolina home has increased. Furthermore, farmworkers have long been the backbone of North Carolina’s economy, yet they remain in the shadows, often underpaid and unprotected by our laws. The topics for the refugee/farmworker track include:

  • Into the Fields: The ACA and Farmworkers (10:30-11:45)
  • Welcoming Refugees to North Carolina (12:45-2)
  • Christian Perspectives on Refugee Resettlement (2:15-3:30)
  • Immigration Fears Keeping Farmworkers in the U.S. Vulnerable and Compliant  (2:15-3:30)

We hope you will join us for this important and timely event. Registration is free and includes a light breakfast and lunch. All are welcome to attend regardless of faith tradition. You may come for one workshop or for all. The day begins with bicultural worship, followed by workshops throughout the morning and afternoon. Interpretation will be provided for monolingual speakers of English or Spanish.  You may register today here.

About Jennie Belle, Former Immigration and Farmworkers Director

Jennie was born and raised in Savannah, GA. She moved to Texas for her undergraduate education at Rice University, during which time she studied in Mexico, Peru and Argentina and participated in service projects in Central America. After graduation she moved to Spain for a year to teach English. Jennie then came to North Carolina for a dual degree MDiv/MSW graduate program at Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill where her work focused on advocating for farmworkers and organizing churches for social justice. Recently graduated, Jennie is excited to use these skills in her role at the Council of Churches as she works to help improve conditions for immigrants and farmworkers in the state.

Jennie lives in Durham and attends First Presbyterian Church. In her free time she enjoys dancing, distance running, traveling, walking her dog, and planning her upcoming wedding. Jennie can be reached at: jennie@ncchurches.org.

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