Denver Seminary

One of the encouraging things that I have experienced as the Lord has opened up doors for me to speak in various parts of the country is the wide range of denominations and groups that are eager to learn about what the Bible has to say about immigration.

These last several weeks I have been in three different states: Illinois (IL), Massachusetts (MA) and Rhode Island (RI). Each event was very different:

• Wheaton Bible Church hosted “Mission on Your Doorstep” (March 4-5). This is an annual gathering that the church and World Relief (of the National Association of Evangelicals) put together to expose people to cross-cultural ministry, especially in this country. Of course, Chicago is nearby—what a melting pot of diverse cultures! This year the focus was on immigration, and I was invited to be one of the plenary speakers: I gave a workshop, spoke to the 500 attendees, and then did a Q & A with Stephan Bauman, World Relief’s new president.
• I was in Worcester, Massachusetts on Friday, March 11^th. A United Methodist church hosted “Immigration, the Church, and the Bible.” I was given 4½ hours to present a survey of the biblical material. There were 135 clergy there, representing all kinds of denominations—Methodists, American Baptists, Conservative Baptists, Quakers, United Church of Christ, Roman Catholics, Presbyterians, and more. Amazing and humbling.
• On Saturday, March 12^th, I participated in an event at Brown University, which was organized by the Taubman Center for Public Policy and other local groups in Providence to discuss immigration issues in the state of Rhode Island. I was the ‘religious voice’ and was given the opportunity to connect the concerns to key issues like the creation of all people in the image of God.

I praise the Lord for these events. Bit by bit the call to love the stranger in our midst is gaining ground and finding roots among those who claim the Christian faith… and this message is finding its way into wider arenas as a testimony to our God and the Christian church. These are challenging days, but exciting ones.