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BISHOP'S OFFICE

Church Should be a Sanctuary for All

“You are a hiding place for me, you preserve me from trouble, you surround me with glad cries of deliverance.” – Psalm 32:7 (NRSV)

I ask you to join me in prayer for migrants, undocumented families, the vulnerable, and all who are marginalized.

The reason the Church exists in the world is because of the love of Christ. That love is the center of our life values, and because of that love we always live in service and devotion to our neighbors. Because of that love, we believe that it is our mission as Christians to welcome others and work to ensure that their lives are respected and loved.

As I look at the surrounding migrant and refugee communities, I am deeply concerned about harm in our communities. Reflecting on the foundation of the Church, I urgently call on each of us to build beloved community in the name of Jesus. We need our society to protect migrants, refugees and minorities in the biblical tradition and to work together for the common good and welfare.

Church should be a sanctuary for all, and we should each rejoice in being part of the kin(g)dom of God.

We must say that it is not right that parents and children are unexpectedly separated from one another, and that vulnerable people suffer due to exile. We must pass on the sacred tradition of humanity in which all people are created in the beautiful image of God. Among those currently targeted are many people who have long maintained the social system of a civil world by diligently laboring and paying taxes.

It is my belief that a holistic society cannot be formed through fear and intimidation. We must stop this vicious cycle and create a world where we all coexist through more rational public opinion and legal acceptance. We need to hold LGBTQIA communities in our compassionate care and prayers and build a more holistic world free of discrimination and biases.

The church is a house where everyone worships and prays together in the name of Jesus Christ, and it is also a temple where the world's weakest people must be embraced and protected. I believe that the state should never use public power to monitor these sacred churches, detaining and deporting migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers without proper security of status.

The Bible has given us an ideal calling throughout our long history: no one can be discriminated against and the equality and freedom of all creatures made in God's own image are proud traditions that must be guaranteed by the nation.

I believe that our Church and Christians must become neighbors to the sick and friends to the marginalized and alienated within biblical holy traditions and practices. Warm fellowship of solidarity and prayers should become the discourse of we Christians. Therefore, I believe that the gospel of this era should be the teaching and practice of hospitality and loving our neighbors.

The practice of hospitality and love brightens The United Methodist Church and makes it our sacred goal to form the body of Christ and become one without discrimination regardless of race, culture, sexual orientation, or social class. Living together in harmony is rooted in faith, nourished by hope, and perfected by love.

Now, I sincerely hope that the government and public leaders will join us in protecting minorities, protecting migrant workers and their families, and protecting basic human rights in dignity and fairness.

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” – Micah 6:8 (NIV)

We sincerely hope that through our prayers, we will strive for peace and stability in society and work together to create a world where the gospel of Christ Jesus is at the center.

Prayer is love. Prayer is hospitality. Prayer is considered a form of camaraderie where people hold each other's hands and cry together. Prayer can be a ritual that confirms to each other that we are of the same heavenly race, giving a safe place to lean on a windy day.  I sincerely hope that God's people can show mercy to each other and create a world full of love.