Throughout human history, immigrants and refugees have traveled across the world, crossing borders to escape slavery, abject poverty, hunger, economic oppression, the ravages of war, and human rights violations. They seek safe sanctuary for themselves and their families. Publicly declaring our denomination as a sanctuary church means that we are committed to support immigrants and refugees in various ways and in different contexts around the world.
Sacred Scriptures invite people of faith to provide radical hospitality and sanctuary to immigrants and refugees:
- “When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt” (Leviticus 19:33, 34 NIV).
- “When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner” (Leviticus 19:9, 10 NIV).
- “[God] defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt” (Deuteronomy 10:18, 19 NIV).
- “‘So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me,’ says the Lord Almighty” (Malachi 3:5, NIV).
- “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it” (Hebrews 13:2 NRSV).
- “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many” (1 Corinthians 12:12–14 NIV).
- “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me” (Matthew 25:25–36 NRSV).
Our Social Principles and Book of Resolutions affirm the sacred worth of all persons and upholds the human rights of immigrants and refugees, and those who engage in nonviolent civil disobedience against unjust laws:
- “We recognize, embrace, and affirm all persons, regardless of country of origin, as members of the family of God. We affirm the right of all persons to equal opportunities for employment, access to housing, health care, education, and freedom from social discrimination. We urge the Church and society to recognize the gifts, contributions, and struggles of those who are immigrants and to advocate for justice for all. We oppose immigration policies that separate family members from each other or that include detention of families with children, and we call on local churches to be in ministry with immigrant families” (¶ 162H, Social Principles 2016).
- “We recognize the right of individuals to dissent when acting under the constraints of conscience and, after having exhausted all legal recourse, to resist or disobey laws that they deem to be unjust or that are discriminately enforced…. We assert the duty of churches to support those who suffer because of their stands of conscience represented by nonviolent beliefs or acts” (¶ 164F, Social Principles 2016).
- “Raids of workplaces, homes, and other social places have often violated the civil liberties of migrants. Migrants should be given due process and access to adequate legal representation. Due to these raids and the ensuing detentions and deportations that follow them, families have been ripped apart and the migrant community has been forced to live in a constant state of fear. To refuse to welcome migrants … and to stand by in silence while families are separated, individual freedoms are ignored … is complicity to sin” (Resolution #3281, Book of Resolutions, adopted in 2008, and continued in 2012 and 2016).
- “We call upon all United Methodist churches to … support those churches that prayerfully choose to offer sanctuary to undocumented migrants facing deportation … ” (Resolution #3281, Book of Resolutions, adopted in 2008, and continued in 2012 and 2016).
Recommendations:
In light of the admonition of our sacred writings and the affirmation of our social teachings that we are a church in solidarity with immigrants and refugees, this petition asks General Conference to declare that The United Methodist Church is a sanctuary church. Claiming this public designation as a sanctuary church is a prophetic witness to the world that simply highlights our commitment to support immigrants and refugees already enacted in our Social Principles and relevant calls to action in our Book of Resolutions.
This designation by no means forces local congregations and affiliated organizations to adopt the designation as sanctuary congregations or organizations. It encourages our local churches to be in ministry with immigrants and refugees and affirms the stance of the general church that as a denomination, The United Methodist Church is on the side of justice and radical hospitality for immigrants and refugees. This designation mandates the General Board of Church and Society, in partnership with relevant immigrant rights organizations and coalitions, to provide existing educational materials and training to our local churches on how they could be in ministry with immigrants and refugees as local sanctuary congregations.
ADOPTED 2024
See Social Principles, ¶ 163, Basic Rights and Freedoms, G.
From The Book of Resolutions 2020/2024, Copyright 2024, The United Methodist Publishing House. Used by permission.
