WASHINGTON, D.C. (Mennonite Mission Network)—Much like early Anabaptists in Europe, members of the Mennonite Church USA Peace and Justice Support Network leadership team gathered in a cellar last week to discuss matters of the state that troubled their understanding of Christian faith.
The brick-lined basement—the location of the Mennonite Central Committee Washington Office conference room—was not shelter from a vindictive state, but rather a launch pad for speaking to it about justice issues surrounding immigration.
Two PJSN staff members, Tim Huber and Susan Mark Landis; four PJSN leadership team members, Melonie Buller, Vikki Pruitte-Sorrell, Jim Roynon and Elizabeth Troyer-Miller; the Mennonite Church USA director of holistic witness, André Gingerich Stoner; and two MCC staff, Saulo Padilla and Tim Seidel; spent Feb. 28 in corridors and offices of Capitol Hill, sharing concerns about immigration policy with 19 federal legislators.
Federal action on immigration has taken a backseat to other issues as taxes, spending, and other budget matters dominate the national debate. This has led a number of states, including Arizona and Indiana, to adopt or consider laws that would require state and local police to commit resources to enforce immigration laws.
In spite of the current congress’s decreased interest in federal immigration reform, the PJSN leadership team stressed a holistic approach that addresses the need for development abroad, reevaluates trade agreements that push farmers off their land and contribute to the immigration problem, questions the effectiveness of a border wall, and prioritizes the importance of family cohesion.
The 2003 Mennonite Church USA churchwide statement on immigration calls on the church to welcome the stranger and to advocate for just and humane immigration policies with local, state and national elected officials. (See Delegate Actions at www.mennoniteusa.org.)
The representatives the delegation visited included Ohio Reps. Patrick Tiberi, James Renacci, Dennis Kucinich and Robert Latta; Indiana Reps. Joe Donnelly and Marlin Stutzman; Pennsylvania Rep. Joe Pitts; Kansas Rep. Mike Pompeo; Nebraska Rep. Adrian Smith; Ohio Sens. Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman; Kansas Sens. Jerry Moran and Pat Roberts; Pennsylvania Sens. Robert Casey Jr. and Patrick Toomey; Indiana Sens. Daniel Coats and Richard Lugar; and Nebraska Sens. Mike Johanns and Ben Nelson.
The Peace and Justice Support Network is a shared ministry of Mennonite Mission Network and Mennonite Church USA Executive Board. Mennonite Mission Network, the mission agency of Mennonite Church USA, leads, mobilizes and equips the church to participate in holistic witness to Jesus Christ in a broken world. Media may contact Andrew Clouse at andrewc@mmnworld.net, 574-523-3024 or 866-866-2872, ext. 23024.
