ELCA NEWS SERVICE
August 10, 2007
ELCA Assembly Greeted by Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service 07-CWA-030-MRC
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Ralston H. Deffenbaugh Jr. told the 2007 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) that the nation is filled with fear of the stranger. Deffenbaugh, president of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), delivered greetings Aug. 9 on behalf of LIRS -- a cooperative agency of the ELCA, Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
The churchwide assembly, the chief legislative authority of the ELCA, is meeting here Aug. 6-11 at Navy Pier's Festival Hall. About 2,000 people are participating, including 1,068 ELCA voting members. The theme for the biennial assembly is "Living in God's Amazing Grace: Thanks be to God!"
When introducing Deffenbaugh the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the ELCA, said Deffenbaugh has been described as the "moral compass" on the debate about immigration.
Deffenbaugh told the assembly he wished to bring "an upbeat report" but "these have been very tough times." In the United States, the resettlement of refugees has dropped to 50,000 -- half the number of refugees settled from 1975 to 2000. "But this year we're lucky if we reach 50,000 resettled," he said.
Iraqis constitute the fastest growing group of refugees now in the world, said Deffenbaugh. Two million Iraqi refugees live outside their country, and another 2 million have fled their homes but are still within Iraq, he said. Since the United States' invasion of Iraq, the U.S. has resettled fewer than 500 Iraqi refugees.
"When it comes to immigrants, we're also fearful," said Deffenbaugh. "Our Congress this spring has failed to adopt comprehensive immigration reform, and it is unlikely that they'll do so for another two years. And yet, our immigration system remains very badly broken."
Deffenbaugh said that people come to the United States for one or a combination of three reasons -- family, work and freedom. For each of those reasons, "our immigration system is broken," he said.
"Even U.S. citizens have to wait 5, 10 or even 15 years to be reunited with parents or siblings. When it comes to work, our growing economy requires about 500,000 new foreign-born workers each year in lower-skilled jobs, yet the number of visas that our law now allows for lower-skilled workers each year is 5,000," said Deffenbaugh.
Refugees seeking freedom are "languishing in camps overseas, their lives on hold, as we keep the doors of our country" narrowly open, he said. For those who make their way to the United States and lay claim for political asylum, "we lock them up in immigration detention while their claims are being" processed.
Deffenbaugh said the nation is also "paralyzed" with fear over the 12 million people undocumented in the United States.
"What does this mean now for us in the church? We've already seen an increased level of anxiety and fear among the undocumented people within our congregations and communities. More and more of them will be apprehended and deported as increased immigration enforcement continues," he said.
Deffenbaugh said LIRS will do its best to provide educational information to pastors and congregations about the current law and what pastors and congregations can do "to try and respond to those in fear." He asked the assembly to be prepared, "granting more pastoral care for those being deported, for their families being left behind and communities being torn apart as a consequence" of the broken immigration system.
"We Lutherans have been pro-immigrant, it's part of who we are as an immigrant church and a nation of immigrants," Deffenbaugh said. "We will continue to welcome the stranger, and we will urge our nation to do so as well. In this time of fear, I remind you of the words of Jesus. Jesus said, 'Be not afraid.'" - - -
Information about the 2007 ELCA Churchwide Assembly can be found at http://www.ELCA.org/assembly/ on the Web.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org http://www.elca.org/news ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog