Home | Ministries | A Faithful Response to Immigration
MULTICULTURAL MINISTRIES
Bishop Hee-Soo Jung, resident bishop of the Ohio Episcopal Area consisting of the East Ohio and West Ohio Conferences of The United Methodist Church invites you to utilize the resources on this page and to read A Faithful Response to Immigration from the Immigration Task Group in January 2025 to resource clergy, laity, and local churches.
Watch the Migrant Ministries Zoom Panel Discussion from April 2.
During the panel discussion, speakers discussed what local churches are doing to share God's love with migrants, asylum-seekers, refugees, and immigrants. Speakers described the logistics of their ministries, including programs that are offering Sanctuary, housing, food, educational support, and other tangible services.
Special thank you to our speakers:
Join the Task Force on United Methodist Immigration Ministries of Ohio.
Contact Rev. Emily Kvalheim by e-mail with any questions.
As United Methodist Christians we seek to make and mature disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world through partnering with communities - advocating to address systems that disenfranchise, marginalize and oppress, and caring for those who suffer. This call arises from the reign of God in contention to the sufferings of the human condition. “Of crucial importance are concerns generated by great human struggles for dignity, liberation, and fulfillment aspirations that are inherent elements in God’s design for creation” (¶105 The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church).
Putting the Good News into action is rooted in biblical values: peacemaking, racial harmonies, hospitality to strangers, care for creation, and concern for people living in poverty and struggling with hunger and disease. These concerns are borne by theologies “that express the heart cries of the downtrodden and the aroused indignation of the compassionate” (¶104 The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church).
We believe that salvation entails renewal of both individuals and the world. Our faithful response to God’s saving grace has both a personal and social dimension as we grow in “holiness of heart and life.” By practicing spiritual disciplines – “works of piety” such as prayer, Bible study, participation in corporate worship and communion – we grow and mature in our love for God. By engaging in acts of compassion and justice – “works of mercy” such as visiting the sick and those in prison, feeding the hungry, and advocating for the poor and marginalized – we live out our love for God through service to our neighbor.
“Our love of God is always linked with love of our neighbor, a passion for justice and renewal in the life of the world” (¶ 102– “Our Doctrinal Heritage: Distinctive Wesleyan Emphasis: Mission and Service” The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church 2020/24, p. 53).
Through our actions we bring our beliefs to bear upon urgent policy matters at local, state, national and international levels thereby impacting the lives of God’s beloved for good. Many urgent matters call for the investment of our attention. Our responses will need to adapt and evolve.
The General Board of Church and Society of The United Methodist Church modeled a response that has been shared across the Church. On January 13, 2025, in a statement titled “Church and Society Opposes Mass Deportation in U.S.” the General Board of Church and Society said in part:
“From Genesis to Revelation, we see that God desires that we help the most vulnerable in our midst, especially the sojourner. Leviticus issues a call to love the sojourners in our midst, treating them as if they were one of our citizens (Leviticus 19:33-34). Hebrews tells us that in opening our homes to guests, we may be ‘entertaining angels without knowing it’ (Hebrews 13:2).
“Jesus Christ himself was a refugee (Matthew 2:13-15), fleeing persecution under the oppressive regime of Herod. To support policies that perpetuate the suffering of immigrants and refugees is to betray Christ’s commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:31).”
Below you will find resources that are both foundational to the work of advocacy and a faithful response to immigration.
The United Methodist Church states that “at the center of Christian faithfulness to Scripture is the call we have been given to love and welcome the sojourner. We call upon all United Methodist churches to welcome newly arriving migrants in their communities, to love them as we do ourselves, to treat them as one of our native-born, to see in them the presence of the incarnated Jesus, and to show hospitality to the migrants in our midst, believing that through their presence we are receiving the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ” (Resolution 3281, “Welcoming the Migrant to the U.S.”, The Book of Resolutions of The United Methodist Church 2016).
The UMC is Connectional in nature. Please refer to and share the many and varied resources below to discover ways you can join the movement for lasting change and bring our Wesleyan values of justice and peace to your community.
The Ohio Episcopal Area Immigration Task Group
United Methodist Social Principles
The Book of Resolutions of The United Methodist Church
United Methodist Communications
Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church
General Board of Church and Society
UMC Annual Conference Immigration Resources
General Commission on Religion & Race
East and West Ohio Immigration Task Group
Share Your Thoughts with Elected Officials
Stay Informed Locally
Help for Your Business
Host an Immigration/Migration Sunday in Your Church
View the Welcoming Strangers Webinar
Support UMCOR Global Migration
American Civil Liberties Union
Immigration Law & Justice Network
Immigration Justice Campaign
Religious Action Center
The East Ohio Conference Office:
located in North Canton, OH,
near Akron-Canton Airport.
Address:
8800 Cleveland Ave. NW
North Canton, OH 44720
Phone:
(330) 499-3972
Office Hours:
Monday through Friday
8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.