Dear friends in Christ,

As I wrote last month, regardless of worldly powers, we know that our fealty and devotion is always to Jesus Christ, and that the love of God is our highest rule. Loving the image of God in our neighbors is our daily practice.

In the past month the news has been a torrent, and hard to keep up with. Yet we serve a God who would see justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream (Amos 5:24).

 The work of justice, mercy, and dignity, continues through each of us and all of us together. As you are called, you may find support and resources through the church bodies and initiatives shared below. If you would like to be connected to others working across our Diocese in similar areas, I’d be glad to help with that as I am able. 

Let us continue to seek and serve Christ in all our neighbors, and to uphold the dignity of every human being, that all may come to know what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge (Ephesians 3:18-19a). 

Rosalind + 

A Letter from the Presiding Bishop and President of the House of Deputies on Trump administration immigration executive orders
"As Christians, our faith is shaped by the biblical story of people whom God led into foreign countries to escape oppression. Exodus tells us the story of the ancient Israelites escaping slavery in the land of Egypt and wandering in the wilderness without a home. In Leviticus 19:33-34, God commands that we remember this sojourn as part of our own story of faith: 'When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.'

Now, as Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:12-19, we are no longer aliens. Christ Jesus has made us citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. … 

This vision of God’s kingdom, this new reality, is the one to which we Christians are pledged in our baptism above any political preference or policy, and to which our church must bear witness through word and deed. This sacred call shapes both our churchwide commitment to stand with migrants and the ministries of congregations across our church who serve vulnerable immigrants and refugees in their communities."

Immigration
You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt (Deuteronomy 10:19)

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also member of the household of God (Ephesians 2:19)

Immigrants, migrants, refugees, and others are part of almost all of our congregations and faith communities. With the legal and social landscape changing rapidly, here are some ways to remain connected with resources to love and serve those among us as immigrants.

Ongoing Immigration Updates from the Office of Government Relations and Episcopal Migration Ministries Tuesdays at 1:00 p.m. ET
Please join Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM) and the Office of Government Relations (OGR) for regular 30-minute updates on U.S. immigration policy and the responses in our churches and communities. Spanish interpretation will be available.  

EMM recently shared this Factsheet from the National Immigration Law Center that includes advice for churches in the wake of the recission of the “Sensitive Locations” guidance, which previously required ICE to refrain from conducting enforcement activities in areas such as schools, healthcare facilities, churches and places of worship, including weddings, funerals, and other religious ceremonies beyond the church building.

Episcopal Migration Ministries also hosts monthly network gatherings to share resources and support. 

And the Office of Government Relations has toolkits for supporting refugees and migrants in our communities. 

Read a recent letter from Episcopal Church leaders on standing with vulnerable migrants among us here. 

Dismantling Racism, Equity, and Inclusion
Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is (1 John 3:2)

We celebrate the diversity of all people made equally in the image of our infinite and ineffable God, and we recommit to the work of striving for justice and peace among all people, and respecting the dignity of every human being, including through the work of dismantling racism. 

Registration is open for Seeing the Face of God in Each Other, our two-day anti-racism workshop. Contact Canon Rosalind for further opportunities to engage in anti-racism training and formation, or for assistance to design a workshop, retreat, or formation opportunity in your own congregation and context. You can also explore the calendar of dismantling racism trainings offered via Zoom by our partner, Missioner Miriam McKenney, in the Diocese of Southern Ohio (do advance the calendar to find further dates). 

LBGTQ and Gender Justice
There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28) 

Webinar: ‘Defending the Dignity of Trans and Non-Binary People in 2025 and Beyond’ 

Episcopalians and others interested in justice for women, LGBTQ+ justice, and social justice joined this January webinar to learn from gender justice leaders within and beyond The Episcopal Church about the current legislative terrain in the U.S. impacting these areas and the work that can be done to uphold the dignity of all God’s children. Webinar materials are available here. If you fill in the survey on that page to answer “what resources, training, or other tools your congregation, diocese, or ministry could use in better supporting trans and non-binary people,” please share your responses also with Canon Rosalind, so that we can continue to support one another in this work.

You can also review the Gender Justice Jam, a 12-part virtual education and formation series designed to inform and equip advocates for gender justice on topics including defending reproductive justice, supporting LGBTQ+ youth and families, preventing gender-based violence, and more.

Climate Justice
Yours are the heavens; the earth also is yours; you laid the foundations of the world and all that is in it (Psalm 89:11)

While in our communities many began the year affected by the deep freeze, and many of you responded with shelter and aid, in California fires continue to burn, and too many remain displaced, homeless, or have lost loved ones. Episcopal Relief & Development is on the ground “providing gift cards and cash deposits through electronic apps to people in need. The financial assistance will be disbursed through churches throughout the Diocese that are serving as emergency shelters, charging stations and respite centers.” You can donate to Episcopal Relief & Development here.

Our monthly climate care and environmental justice calls resume on Wednesday, February 12t at 5:30 pm with a visit from the Rev. Christina Kukuk, a UCC pastor formerly in Elyria, now a chaplain working with a Climate Resilient Faith Communities Cohort formed after a devastating fire in Oregon. Join the Zoom here.

Gaza, Lebanon, and the Holy Lands
As [Jesus] came near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace!” (Luke 19:41-42a)

With mixed messages coming out of the holy lands and from world leaders, an uneasy and fragile ceasefire nonetheless brings much needed hope. Read about 10 Episcopal bishops’ recent “Solidarity Pilgrimage” to the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem at the Episcopal News Service, and continue to pray and advocate for the peace of Jerusalem and all of the holy lands, the release of captives, and the relief of the suffering innocents.