DREAM Sabbath Scrapbook Dec 2011 · 1 Overview: 500 DREAM Sabbath Services Nationwide Sept-Nov 2011 During the fall of 2011, and led by member organizations and denominations of the

DREAM Sabbath Scrapbook

Table of Contents

State Page Numbers

Overview 1

Alabama 2

Arizona 3-4

Arkansas 5

California 5-7

Colorado 8-12

Connecticut 12-13

District of Columbia 13

Delaware 13

Florida 14-29

Georgia 30-33

Idaho 34

Illinois 34

Indiana 34-41

Iowa 41-47

Kansas 48

Kentucky 48-49

Louisiana 49

Maine 49

Maryland 50

Massachusetts 50

Michigan 50

Minnesota 51-56

Missouri 56

Montana 56

Nebraska 56

Nevada 57

New Jersey 57

New Mexico 57

New York 58-64

North Carolina 65-78

Ohio 78-81

Oklahoma 81-83

Oregon 84

Pennsylvania 84-86

South Carolina 86

South Dakota 86

Tennessee 86

Texas 87-89

Utah 90

Vermont 90

Virginia 90

Washington 90

West Virginia 91-93

Wisconsin 94

Wyoming 94

National 94-108

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Overview: 500 DREAM Sabbath Services Nationwide Sept-Nov 2011

During the fall of 2011, and led by member organizations and denominations of the Interfaith

Immigration Coalition, thousands of people of faith participated in DREAM Sabbath. In over

500 congregations, people from all faiths and from across the theological and political spectrum

gathered to hear the stories of DREAM students, to pray for their welfare and for their hopes to

become U.S. citizens to become true, and to further educate themselves and their communities

about the DREAM Act and the need for it to become law.

In many of the 500 services, DREAM Act students gave testimony to their struggle of growing

up in the United States, succeeding in their schools and communities, but yet, not being allowed

to be fully recognized for their contributions.

Many congregants heard, through the stories of DREAM students, the stories of their

grandparents and their own families’ immigrant journeys. A number of church leaders were

moved to abandon their timidity of speaking about a “controversial” issue and they pledged to

speak out and continue to build stronger relationships with immigrant communities.

DREAM Sabbath was a time when faith and action came together; where worship and political

advocacy was a vibrant means of religious expression. The power of DREAM Sabbath was not

just limited to the over 500 services that happened during the fall of 2012 though. The power of

DREAM Sabbath is still developing as the relationships between congregations and DREAM

Act students that are deepened, the thousands of congregants who are educated and will take

action to show their support, and the teams of faith communities working together to ensure that

their members of congress stand as champions of immigrants rights to ensure that the DREAM

Act is passed.

For more information on the DREAM Sabbath, including organizing resources, please visit

www.dreamsabbath.org. To learn more about the Interfaith Immigration Coalition, please visit

www.interfaithimmigration.org.

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ALABAMA

First Methodist Church Birmingham, Birmingham

Coker United Methodist Church, Northport

UMW Unit, Madison

North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church (Blog): DREAM Sabbath

By William Willimon

September 26, 2011

http://www.northalabamaumc.org/blogs/detail/604

Imagine the future of children in the United States being taken away, often through no decision

of their own. Being stripped all their hard work, education, friends, and dreams, often through a

decision that someone else made when they were too young to understand. This is the story of

many children in this country who are undocumented.

The United Methodist Church is part of the Interfaith Immigration Coalition, a group of more

than thirty national organizations representing Jewish, Protestant, Catholic, and Islamic faith

communities. The Coalition is sponsoring Dream Sabbath, an opportunity for people of faith

around the country to express support for the thousands of young people who were brought to

this country as infants or children and who, though not documented residents, have nevertheless

worked hard to succeed in school and to be good citizens of their communities.

The Dream Act is a proposed federal law that would make it possible for these young people to

earn legal status if they complete high school or get a GED and then enroll in college or

university or serve in our Armed Forces. You may have seen some of these young people, known

as the Dreamers, when they held peaceful vigil outside the federal courthouse here in

Birmingham and attended the August 24 hearing on the bishops’ challenge to Alabama’s new

immigration law, HB 56. They are an impressive group of teenagers who are taking a risk by

speaking out publicly and telling their stories, stories that sound very much like those of any

teenager raised to believe in “the American Dream.”

However your congregation may feel about Alabama’s new law or about our immigration laws

generally, Dream Sabbath is an opportunity for us to share in prayer and worship what it means

to respond to these young people through our faith.

Dream Sabbath events can take place anytime, but I’m asking you to schedule a time between

now and October 16 for your congregation to participate in this interfaith initiative. It may be

through a themed worship service or an element of worship – a sermon, a story, a prayer, a

litany, a meditation, a bulletin insert.

The Interfaith Immigration Coalition has prepared a number of materials you can use in planning

your service. You can find them on the Coalition website, http://www.interfaithimmigration.org

If you would like to have one of our local Dreamers come to your service to share their own

stories, let me know.

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ARIZONA

United Methodist, Foreman

University Lutheran Church and Lutheran Campus Ministry, Tempe

Desert Southwest Conference Board of Church and Society, Scottsdale

St. Francis in the Foothills United Methodist Church, Tucson

Desert Mission United Methodist Church, Scottsdale

Creighton United Methodist Church, Phoenix

Pioneer UM Fellowship, Phoenix

Mission Bell United Methodist Church, Glendale

Parker United Methodist Church, Parker

South Mountain Community Church, Phoenix

Dayspring United Methodist Church, Tempe

Desert Chapel United Methodist Church, Apache Junction

Spirit Song United Methodist Foundation, Peoria

St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, Tucson

Sun Lakes United Methodist Church, Sun Lakes

St. John’s United Methodist Church, Kingman

Shepherd of the Hills United Methodist Church, Sun City West

Justa Center, Phoenix

Living Water United Methodist Foundation, Gilbert

St. Mark’s, Tucson

Valley Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Chandler

Trinity Cathedral, Phoenix

Granit Peak Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Prescott

First United Methodist Church, Glendale

Primera Iglesia, Phoenix

Flagstaff Federated Community Church, Flagstaff

Wesley United Methodist Church, Phoenix

Grace United Methodist Church, Phoenix

UMW Desert Southwest Conference North District, Williams

Camp Verde United Methodist Church, Camp Verde

Calvary, Phoenix

Albright United Methodist Church, Phoenix

Hope United Methodist Church of Tucson Arizona, Tucson

Wilcox United Methodist Church, Wilcox

Lakeview United Methodist Church, Sun City

Cross Roads United Methodist Church, Sun City

Catalina, Tucson

Faith United Methodist Church, Phoenix

First United Methodist of Mesa, Mesa

St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, Globe

Aldersgate United Methodist Church, Phoenix

Claypool United Methodist Church, Claypool

Phoenix Native American Fellowship, Phoenix

First United Methodist Church, Tempe

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Wesley Foundation of Tucson, Tempe

Ajo Federated Church, Ajo

United Methodist Women, Scottsdale

Prescott United Methodist Church, Prescott

Cross in the Desert, Phoenix

Journey Church, Maricopa

Dove of the Desert, Glendale

Trinity United Methodist Church, Phoenix

Asbury United Methodist Church, Phoenix

United Christian Ministry at NAU, Flagstaff

Trinity Heights United Methodist Church, Flagstaff

Sun Lakes United Methodist Church, Sun Lakes

Desert Southwest Conference, Phoenix

Mountain View United Methodist Church, Cottonwood

Green Valley Community Church, Green Valley

Sierra Vista United Methodist Church, Sierra Vista

Lakeview United Methodist Church, Sun City

Trinity United Methodist Church, Bisbee

Epworth United Methodist Church, Phoenix

Payson United Methodist Church, Payson

Red Mountain United Methodist Church, Mesa

Interfaith Fellowship, Sedona

First United Methodist Church, Safford

Over the past 10 years efforts have been made in statehouses and Congress to find a way to support some of the most gifted and capable young people in our country who don’t have the necessary documentation to remain in this country. These young people came into this country as infants or small children. They have only known the United States as their home. As a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, which recognizes our church comes from immigrant roots and out of the biblical mandate to love our neighbor as ourselves, I stand with many in supporting the DREAM Act. This Act welcomes the stranger while offering compassion to young adults, who if given a chance to an earned pathway to citizenship would only add value to this country. They would pay taxes, be eligible to serve in our military, and bolster our struggling professional middle class.

Bishop Stephen S. Talmage Grand Canyon Synod Evangelical Lutheran Church of America

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ARKANSAS

Unitarian Universalist, Eureka Springs

CALIFORNIA

Mira Vista United Church of Christ, El Cerrito

Loretto Community, Pacifica

Reformation Lutheran/UU, San Diego

PACT, Unitarians, Cupertino

Messiah-Mesias Lutheran Church, Pasadena

United Methodist, Elk Grove

Mira Vista United Church of Christ, El Cerrito

St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, Sacramento

United Methodist Church, Torrance

Throop Unitarian Universalist Church, Pasadena

Summit UU Fellowship, Santee

United Methodist Church, Northridge

St. Ambrose Episcopal Church, Foster City

Unitarian Universalist Church of Anaheim, Fountain Valley

Unitarian Universalist, Pasadena

United Methodist Church, Watsonville

United Methodist Church, Los Angeles

Immanuel Presbyterian, Los Angeles

San Francisco Organizing Project, San Francisco

Watsonville First United Methodist Church, Watsonville

La Trinidad United Methodist Church, San Jose

Immaculate Heart of Mary, Santa Ana

Stanford University, Stanford

Justice for Immigrants of San Jose, San Jose

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Kern County, Bakersfield

Rosewood United Methodist Church, Los Angeles

St. Mark Church/CCISCO, Richmond

Rosewood United Methodist Church, Los Angeles

First Unitarian Church of San Jose, San Jose

Claremont School of Theology, Claremont

Wesley Fellowship, Los Angeles

Park Presidio United Methodist Church, San Francisco

Conejo Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Newbury Park

Loretto Community, Pacific

Immanuel Presbyterian Church/Iglesia Presbiteriana Immanuel, Los Angeles

First United Methodist Church of San Diego, San Diego

First Glendale, Los Angeles

Roman Catholic, San Luis Obispo

Eden United Church of Christ, Hayward

United Methodist Church, San Rafael

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University of San Francisco University Ministry, San Francisco

Church in Ocean Park, Santa Monica

Unitarian Universalists of San Mateo, Millbrae

University of San Francisco Foghorn: University Ministry Raises Awareness about the

DREAM Act

By Jamey Padojino

http://foghorn.usfca.edu/2011/10/university-ministry-raises-awareness-about-the-dream-

act/

October 6, 2011

University Ministry held two events last week to spread awareness of the DREAM Act, a federal

bill that if passed would grant thousands of undocumented immigrant students the opportunity to

receive permanent residency in the country.

Last December the DREAM Act passed in the House of Representatives but was short five votes

in the Senate.

The California DREAM Act benefits undocumented students under AB 540, a California law

that allows high school graduates enrolled in a state-owned college, university or community

college the opportunity to pay in-state tuition.

With the lack of success on the national level, states are now taking measures into their own

hands. California has become the leader in the issue with the passage of AB 130, allowing

students to receive private scholarships in the state. AB 131 is pending approval from Governor

Brown. If passed, the measure would give students access to in-state public funding.

The DREAM Sabbath, proposed by Senator Dick Durban of Illinois, is a national campaign to be

held from September 16 through October 9. Its goal is to raise awareness and support for the

DREAM Act throughout universities, schools and organizations.

USF Resident Minister Ryan Murphy first proposed the DREAM Sabbath at a press conference

in Washington DC. He worked in the capital last year as a lobbyist for the Columbian Center for

Advocacy and Outreach.

“For University Ministry, social justice is a very important part of Ignatian spirituality, which is

the spiritual foundation of the Jesuit priest society,” Murphy said. He added, “One of the

ministries is helping migrants.”

Through events featuring guest speakers and an interfaith vigil, University Ministry’s goal was to

create awareness and reflection on this nationwide issue.

Last Tuesday, Irvis 5th year student at UC Davis, shared his experience as an undocumented

immigrant. Irvis said he finances part of his college education picking crops in fields. Despite his

efforts to pay his college tuition, he said the obstacles become even greater with California’s

rising tuition rates. Junior Sarah Bertero said she has friends who would benefit from the

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DREAM Act. She said, “[The act] is not offering special treatment, it’s just equaling out the

playing field.”

At last Wednesday’s candle lit interfaith vigil, attendees heard faith perspectives, slam poetry,

and guest speakers in support of the DREAM Act.

Noemi Degante, 28, spoke at the vigil expressing the hope she gained through the act. Even

though publicly sharing her story of being an undocumented immigrant is a risk she said, “I’ve

been afraid for so long that I’m tired of hiding myself.”

USF Psychology Major Sindy Vela also shared her testimony as an undocumented student at the

vigil. She came to California at the age of nine. Her Jesuit education is funded through a

university scholarship. During her speech, she said she was almost deported to Guatemala during

her sophomore year of high school. However, during her court hearing the judge repealed her

deportation order. Vela said the judge was feeling sick and decided Vela couldn’t be deported.

However, she didn’t want to grant her legal documentation for permanent residency. Until a law

is passed, Vela’s case remains closed.

“[The judge] literally left me in the middle. I can graduate from USF but I can’t work,” Vela

said.

University Ministry plans to create a coalition of students to continue raising awareness about the

DREAM Act. Murphy said the group will reach out to the USF community and support San

Francisco movements fighting for this issue.

On both nights University Ministry collected signatures for a petition they hand-delivered to

Representative Nancy Pelosi’s office on October 5. Those collaborating with University Ministry

also held a call-in day to Governor Brown’s office representing USF’s interest in passing the

DREAM Act.

“At USF the DREAM Act is still not out to the entire community,” Vela said, “A lot of people

might know about it but not fully. They might think that at USF there’s no undocumented

students. Our school supports many social causes but I think this one would be a great one to

support.”

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COLORADO

Unitarian Universalist Association, Fort Collins

Ministerios Casa de Adoracion, Colorado Springs

Columbine Unitarian Universalist and The Sisters of Loretto, Littleton

Loretto Community, Littleton

Iglesia de Cristo el Shaddai MIES, Denver

UU DREAM Sabbath, Little Rock, CO

Our Dream Act Sabbath Service opened with a touching song from Maxine Delgado sung

directly to our DREAM students about following their dreams. Leidy Robledo, a college student

at the Auraria Campus in Denver, DREAMer and leader with Padres y Jovenes Unidos, promised

us three DREAMers for our event but seven came to share their stories of heartbreak, hard

work and hope. Gentle giant, Jose Cordova has studied to be a chef and little spitfire Sonia

Gutierrez will become a journalist and broadcaster, we have no doubt. Our other students,

Cindy Carmargo, Yvonne Ontiveros, Sarahi Hernandez, and Marco Dorado made us laugh then

made us cry. We recounted the story of the “illegal” Joseph sold into slavery then rising to save

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his people. We reflected, prayed, and encouraged a fast and letters to our political leaders.

Maxine closed with the song, “Hero” fitting, because these students truly are our heroes.

DREAM ACT SABBATH SERVICE

Opening Song: Maxine Delgado

Introduction: Thank you for coming this evening to participate in an event being held in churches,

synagogues, mosques, religious communities of men and women, and in small groups of

committed people throughout this country on Sabbaths from September 16 to October 9. The

DREAM Act Sabbath is the initiative of the Interfaith Immigration Coalition which has worked

tirelessly for the passage of the DREAM Act and with the young “DREAMERS.” Senators Dick

Durbin of Illinois and Colorado’s Michael Bennet joined the religious leaders of the Interfaith

Immigration Coalition to propose The DREAM Act Sabbath. The materials used in this program

come from that Coalition and were adapted for this service.

What is the DREAM Act:�1. This legislation would allow youth brought into the U.S. as

children to earn legal status by attending college or serving in the military. Last December,

when the DREAM Act was brought to debate in the Senate, it fell five votes short of the 60

needed to end a Republican filibuster. It has been reintroduced by Illinois Senator Dick Durbin

and Representative Howard Berman of California, in the House. Now that President Obama has

deferred deportation of non-criminal immigrants we need to renew efforts to pass the Federal

DREAM Act and comprehensive and humane immigration reform.

2. We are also calling for the passage of state bills that would enable migrant youth to attend

college with in-state tuition and that would provide other supports that citizen youth have in any

given state.

Testimony of: DREAM Student LeidyRobledo

Song: Maxine Delgado

Opening Prayer: Oh Loving Parent and God of Justice, we thank you for the sense of justice You have implanted

within us. We are here today to reflect on the plight of undocumented immigrant youth who

daily live in deep anxiety and fear. We pray for the enlightenment of our president and elected

leaders to enact the DREAM Act. Help us to show justice and work for justice among ourselves:

each to each, family to family and nation to nation. May we learn to prize a generous justice and

seek it for everyone on earth. AMEN

Testimony of: DREAM Student Sonia Gutierrez

Scripture Story: As we gather together to give our support to the Development, Relief, and

Education For Minors Act, otherwise known as the Dream Act, I ask you to recall a young man

who was a dreamer in a strange land. This young man was the favorite of his father, a very

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capable young man with big dreams for himself and his family. Yet, this young man fell on hard

times. His brothers sold him into slavery and he became an illegal in a strange land. Because

God had blessed him with insight and intuition, he was able not only to dream but he was also

capable of interpreting dreams. Because he was so adept at dream interpretation, he became the

second most powerful man in his adopted land. This young man’s genius, capability, great skill,

along with God’s watchful care, helped him to realize his dreams. His ability and character

overcame the prejudice and hostility that people in his adopted land had for people of his native

land. Ultimately, he became a source of blessing for his family and for the people he served.

Let the memory of the biblical Joseph inspire us to help the thousands of young people in our

midst who have become trapped and who are on the verge of exile because of fear and prejudice.

Let us remember how the “illegal” Joseph helped save ancient Egypt from years of disastrous

famine. Let us realize how much these young people love our country and want to be productive

and responsible citizens. We must make for them a path that will lead to citizenship and allow

them to live and create without fear of deportation to a land they do not know.

Oh God, please help our elected leaders attain the insight and muster the courage to help the

thousands of young people who want to become citizens of the United States. Help us to

overcome the fear that grips so many in our country. Give them the insight to realize that by

extending a welcoming hand to young people raised here, we can only help ourselves. Amen

Testimony of: DREAM Student Jose Cordova

Response Psalm 145: 13b, 14, 18-19

Side 1 God is faithful to God’s promises;

God is merciful in all God’s acts.

Side 2 God helps those who are in trouble;

God lifts those who have fallen.

Side 1 God is near to those who call to God

Who call to God with sincerity.

Side 2 God supplies the needs of those who honor God;

God hears their cries and saves them.

(Testimony of: Additional Students)

Reflection: Some view the problem of undocumented immigrants as a simple problem of individuals

choosing not to obey the law. Yet our faith teaches that there are laws to which we owe higher

loyalty. In silence please consider these questions.

� What law(s) of our faith are ones to which we owe higher loyalty?

� What about children who have come to this country with their parents but without

documentation?

� Name some serious causes/reasons that have forced undocumented migration.

� Imagine: you are a youth (18 yrs. old) who as an undocumented child migrated here with

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parent(s) 15 years ago. Now you are suddenly deported to a country of which you have

no memory, with limited language ability and no familiar relatives ( the reality of many

in these last years) – What would you feel and what might happen to you?

(Please spend some time reflecting on these questions in silence. At the sound of the gong, share

your thoughts with your neighbor; then those who wish, share with the total group.)

Action: You are invited to write a letter to President Obama. Thank him for his recent deferral of

deportation of non-criminal immigrants and asks him to renew efforts to pass the DREAM Act

and comprehensive, humane immigration reform. Please mail it as soon as possible.

You may also wish to join in a 365 Day Fast explained below. Thank you for your presence

today. Please continue to pray and advocate for DREAM students and the passage of the

DREAM Act as well as for comprehensive, humane immigration reform.

365 Day Fast in Solidarity with the DREAMers

Join a spiritual fast to support DREAM Act students and their call for federal and state

legislation addressing needs of migrant youth in the US. Enlist others also. Express your

faith through this act of personal commitment and public advocacy for migrant rights.

In December 2010, as the fate of the DREAM Act was debated by Congress, a group of United

Methodists began a 365 Day Fast in Solidarity with DREAM students. (See Interfaith

Immigrations Facebook Page “365 Day Fast in Solidarity with the DREAMers”;

http://on.fb.me/ouQCIO)

This fast continues and you can join in by selecting at least one day you will pray and fast for

the rights of migrant youth and make your action public through Facebook, if you wish. Some

have chosen to fast the same day every month. Please help make the fast visible nationally; join

the fast; post to social media networks; enlist the participation of others; and advocate for action

for the rights of migrant youth.

The most important thing is to choose a day and fast maybe monthly

Why a Fast? To pray and fast is a religious act in many faith traditions. It recognizes the power of prayer and

self-sacrifice linked to action for justice in bringing about a just world. It recognizes that for

societal change to take place we need change to happen both internally, through personal acts of

prayer, reflection and witness, and systemically, by addressing policy and systemic practices.

Thus, as people of faith we come together across faith traditions to make a personal witness

through prayer and fasting; and a public witness through advocacy.

What Are We Calling For? 1. Pass the federal DREAM Act. This has been reintroduced by Senator Dick Durbin (DIL)

in the Senate and by Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA) in the House. This bi-partisan bill

would enable a path to legalization for migrant youth without documents, brought into

the U.S. as children, if they enroll as students or serve in the military for two years.

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2. Pass state bills that would enable migrant youth to attend college with in-state tuition,

health care, transportation and other support that citizen youth have in a given state.

Closing Song: Maxine Delgado

CONNECTICUT

North United Methodist Church, Manchester

United Action Connecticut, Plainville

New Milford United Methodist Church, New Milford

Cheshire United Methodist Church, Cheshire

El Camino United Methodist, Norwalk

St. Luke’s, Bridgeport

St. Mary, New Britain

Grace Episcopal Church, Norwalk

St. Peter’s, Bridgeport

St. Joseph’s, Bristol

New Milford United Methodist Church Celebrates DREAM Sabbath

On October 9, the New Milford United Methodist Church (68 Danbury Road, New

Milford, CT 06776) will celebrate a special service in support of the DREAM Act. The bill,

“Development Relief & Education Act for Alien Minors (DREAM),” gives undocumented

students a chance to earn legal status if they came here as children, are long-term U.S.

residents, have good moral character, and complete two years of college or military service in

good standing. The New Milford United Methodist Church’s DREAM Sabbath service is among

more than 350 observances taking place throughout the country September 16 through

October 9.

Rev. Paul Fleck, Pastor of New Milford UMC, says, “[w]e are called by the Bible to treat

the immigrant in our midst as we would treat ourselves. Abraham and Sarah were immigrants

throughout their lifetimes, Moses and Miriam were immigrants, and Jesus himself became an

immigrant as a child in the land of Egypt to flee Herod.”

In addition to scriptures, prayers and hymns on the Biblical theme of justice for the

immigrant in our midst, the service will also feature presentations by several DREAM students.

One of the students, Camila Bortolleto, states, “The National Dream Sabbath initiative is an

important way for us to keep the Dream Act alive, and to increase awareness of these issues in

our communities. It is especially powerful to have Dreamers sharing their own personal stories

and testimonies to congregations, as it allows us to put a human face on an otherwise divisive

political issue. When the political is made personal, people are more likely to connect to an

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issue and to care about it and support it. My organization, CT Students for a Dream, is

extremely happy and proud to be attending Dream Sabbath events all over state and to have

our members share their personal stories. I believe that in the absence of legislation that would

benefit Dream-eligible students, we (community organizations and congregations) have an

important responsibility: to educate our members, to advocate on behalf of these youth, and to

continue the conversation.”

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

All Souls Unitarian Universalist, Washington

Wesley United Methodist Church, Washington

Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church, Washington

Crossroads at St. Luke’s Mission Center, Washington

Nineteenth Street Baptist Church, Washington

Tikkun Leil Shabbat, Washington

Interfaith Immigration Coalition, Washington

Temple Micah, Washington

Mt. Vernon Place United Methodist Church, Washington

American University United Methodist Campus Ministry, Washington

Asbury United Methodist Women, Washington

Baltimore-Washington Conference Discipler Group, Washington

DELAWARE

Aldersgate United Methodist Women, Wilmington

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FLORIDA

Interfaith Alliance for Immigrant Justice, Gainesville

Justice For Our Neighbors / United Methodist, Orlando

1st Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Palm Beaches, North Palm Beach

United Methodist Women, Sarasota

Branches United Methodist Church, Florida City

Westminster Presbyterian, Lakeland

Unitarian Universalist Church of Fort Myers, Fort Myers

Hope CommUnity Center, Apopka

United We Dream: Tampa Bay, Plant City

Westminster Presbyterian Church, Lakeland

Broadway United Methodist Church, Orlando

First UMC Winter Park Young Adult Group, Orlando

Unitarian Universalist of Clearwater, Clearwater

Emmanuel Mennonite Church, Gainesville

United Methodist Women, North Miami Beach

Brazilian Community Center, Deerfield Beach

Wesley Foundation/United Methodist Church, Tallahassee

Ignite Life Center, Gainesville

Orlando Sentinel: Keeping the DREAM alive By Jeff Kunerth September 20, 2011 http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/features-the-religion-world/?p=4595 Faith-based organizations still hoping for immigration reform in Congress are devoting the next several weekends to raising awareness and support of the DREAM Act – the Development, Relief & Education for Alien Minors Act. Churches, synagogues and mosques started holding DREAM observances on Sept. 16 and will continue though Oct. 9. ReligionLink reports that congregations are being urged to use their regular weekly worship service to focus on the need for immigration reform, specifically the DREAM Act. The DREAM Act failed to pass during the lame-duck session of Congress earlier this year and was reintroduced in the Senate in May. But its prospects are unclear despite continued efforts by faith-based activists and a May speech in Texas by President Barack Obama backing reform. Meanwhile, the battle over immigration reform has shifted from Capitol Hill to state legislatures, and a number of states have passed laws that focus on enforcement rather than on overhauling the system, as federal proposals would do. Arizona’s immigration

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law, passed in 2010, has become a model for other states, including Utah, Georgia and Alabama. The Obama administration has joined religious leaders in Alabama in suing to block the new law. ReligionLink has several stories and commentaries on the issue of religion and immigration: The DREAM Sabbath initiative is being promoted by groups like the Interfaith Immigration Coalition and is being promoted by various denominations and affiliates, such as United Methodists and the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. Read an Aug. 24, 2011, Associated Press story about efforts by the administration and civil rights and religious groups to fight the Alabama law. The Alabama law requires schools to check whether students are in the country legally, requires all businesses to check the legal status of workers and makes it a crime to knowingly give an illegal immigrant a ride. Read an Aug. 10, 2011, story by CNN, “Record year for immigration-related legislation.” EthicsDaily.com, a division of the Baptist Center for Ethics, released a documentary on immigration, “Gospel Without Borders.” The film was produced primarily with funding from the United Methodist Foundation of Arkansas but features religious leaders from various denominations. Southern Baptist delegates in Phoenix, gathered for the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting, adopted a resolution on immigration June 15, 2011, after sharp debates and divided votes on amendments regarding amnesty and enforcement. Read about it in stories from the Associated Baptist Press and Ethics Daily and in a Houston Chronicle blog post. Russell D. Moore, dean of the School of Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, wrote a June 20, 2011, column in The Christian Post, “Immigration and the Gospel,” that calls on evangelicals to be welcoming to immigrants. Read the text of Obama’s May 10, 2011, speech in El Paso, Texas, promoting comprehensive immigration reform Read a Jan. 24, 2011, statement from the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service saying the agency is “gravely concerned that the punitive immigration bills being considered by many state legislatures would contradict the biblical mandate to care for sojourners in our midst.”

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Orlando Sentinel (Letter to the Editor): Church & state By Linda SmithCasselberry September 26, 2011 http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/os-ed-letters-church-state-092611-20110923,0,7775650.story Thursday's Sentinel published an interesting article discussing the efforts of faith-based groups in lobbying for an immigration bill ("Keeping the DREAM alive: Faith-based groups lobby to pass immigration bill"). It referenced the activities of at least four groups to block the enactment of Arizona-type laws and to get the DREAM Act passed. In the article, Russell D. Moore, dean of the School of Theology, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, calls on evangelicals to welcome immigrants. Moore has, I suspect, inadvertently gotten it right, although I suspect his intention lies elsewhere. Moore, without doubt, is calling for his church to aid the needy through legislation. Jesus would want His church to take care of disadvantaged immigrants. He would want individuals to care for each other. That is the essence of His teachings to us. All religious scholars know this, but we live in a society that is growing fully reliant on government to take care of all our needs. Alas, the church is falling in line and now feels that its mandate is no longer that of a provider, but rather that of a lobbyist. The handful of exceptions, religious leaders who understand the true role of the church, are viewed as uncaring and heretical. God is surely looking down and shaking His head. The Founding Fathers are surely doing the same. The separation of church and state has morphed into the synthesis of church and state — and right before our eyes. Linda Smith Casselberry

Florida Faith Communities Launch DREAM Sabbath, Call it “A Campaign for Compassion and

Justice” Press Call Featuring Florida Leaders Kicks Off Campaign of 7 Events in Florida As Part of 300+

Event Nationwide Campaign to Push for DREAM Act’s Passage Washington, DC – On a press call today, representatives from Florida communities of faith

kicked-off DREAM Sabbath as a part of a nationwide effort to urge leaders in Congress and

Florida to pass the DREAM Act. Last year, the DREAM Act came a mere 5 votes short of passage

in the U.S. Senate, and now faith communities are uniting with DREAM eligible youth to once

again sound the clarion call of compassion and justice and push for immigration policies that do

not unfairly punish youth for the acts of their parents. Speakers on today’s call highlighted the 7 upcoming events in Florida, part of the national

DREAM Sabbath campaign that features 300+ events in 45 states across the nation. Over the

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course of the next three weeks in Florida and throughout the nation, a diverse array of religious

communities across the theological and ideological spectrum will offer prayers in support of the

DREAM Act and lift up the personal stories of young people in their own communities who

would benefit from the DREAM Act – specific events in Florida listed below. Involving nearly every major religious denomination in America, DREAM Sabbath is being

organized by the Interfaith Immigration Coalition in partnership with the United We Dream

Network, the grassroots movement of undocumented immigrant youth, and longtime DREAM

Act champion and sponsor, U.S. Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) The DREAM Act would provide opportunities for young people who grew up in America and

want to give back to the country they call home the chance to earn legal status and a path to

citizenship if they meet a set of stringent criteria and attend college or enroll in the U.S.

military. On today’s call, Florida DREAM-eligible student, Mayra Delgado who came to the

United States at a young age from Costa Rica, told her story. Said Mayra, "We need to allow

the future of our country to prosper and get an education, and that's exactly what the DREAM

Act is all about." In the midst of an increasingly divisive political environment, and with the backdrop of record

numbers of deportations and family separations, the voice of the faith community is more

important than ever in speaking out on behalf of young people across our country who deserve

the chance to give back to the only country they know. Hannah Hanson, Education and Advocacy Coordinator, Justice for Our Neighbors Florida,

expressed her frustration, “Our church volunteers at Justice for Our Neighbors really struggle

when they meet a young person full of potential and trying to act with integrity, whom our

attorney cannot help under the current law. That is why our volunteers decided participating in

the DREAM Sabbath was so important. We feel called to support our young people. We want

the DREAM Act passed so we do not have to tell any other DREAMers there is nothing we can

do.” According to Rev. Abhi Janamanchi, Unitarian Universalists of Clearwater, FL, “As Unitarian

Universalists, we pray and continue to advocate in partnership with other faith communities so

that the Senate will pass the DREAM Act and open the door to citizenship for these young

people, to rejoice in the possibilities that these young people offer, and to help to reunite

families, not tear them apart.” He added, “As Unitarian Universalists we are committed to the

passage of the DREAM Act because we believe in the inherent dignity and worth of all people

and uphold family unity as beneficial to the health and well-being of society as a whole.” Similarly, Rev. Russell Meyer, Executive Director of the Florida Council of Churches, said, “A

generation of young people live among us who, though they were not born here, have only

known this country as their home. They were brought here by parents and others before they

as children could make a choice. We can welcome them and ask them to become productive

members of our society, or we can throw them back into the sea. As an American and as a

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Christian, we do not throw people away. Passing the DREAM Act is the way to make things right

with this generation. I hope we have the courage to say YES to their yearning for a full life of

citizenship.” DREAMer Mayra Hidalgo also shared her very important story on today's call. "As an

undocumented student, passing the DREAM Act means more to me than I can trully express.

Our country's growth is dependent upon the education of our nation's young people. The

DREAM Act will help ensure that students like me can fulfill that promise of prosperity." Here is one of the events Faith groups are holding in Florida: Emmanuel Mennonite Church Sunday September 25

th 2011

1236 NW 18th

Ave. Gainesville, Fl 32609

For a recording of today's call please email Pili Tobar ([email protected]). For more information on DREAM Sabbath and events across the nation visit: http://www.interfaithimmigration.org/index.php/2011/07/01/dream-sabbath-launch/

Orlando Sentinel: Keeping the DREAM Alive

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/features-the-religion-world/?p=4595

September 20, 2011

Faith-based organizations still hoping for immigration reform in Congress are devoting the next

several weekends to raising awareness and support of the DREAM Act – the Development,

Relief & Education for Alien Minors Act. Churches, synagogues and mosques started holding

DREAM observances on Sept. 16 and will continue though Oct. 9.

ReligionLink reports that congregations are being urged to use their regular weekly worship

service to focus on the need for immigration reform, specifically the DREAM Act.

The DREAM Act failed to pass during the lame-duck session of Congress earlier this year and

was reintroduced in the Senate in May. But its prospects are unclear despite continued efforts by

faith-based activists and a May speech in Texas by President Barack Obama backing reform.

Meanwhile, the battle over immigration reform has shifted from Capitol Hill to state legislatures,

and a number of states have passed laws that focus on enforcement rather than on overhauling

the system, as federal proposals would do. Arizona’s immigration law, passed in 2010, has

become a model for other states, including Utah, Georgia and Alabama.

The Obama administration has joined religious leaders in Alabama in suing to block the new

law.

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Orlando Sentinel (Letters to the Editor): Church and State

September 26, 2011

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/os-ed-letters-church-state-092611-

20110923,0,7775650.story

Thursday's Sentinel published an interesting article discussing the efforts of faith-based groups in

lobbying for an immigration bill ("Keeping the DREAM alive: Faith-based groups lobby to pass

immigration bill"). It referenced the activities of at least four groups to block the enactment of

Arizona-type laws and to get the DREAM Act passed.

In the article, Russell D. Moore, dean of the School of Theology, Southern Baptist Theological

Seminary, calls on evangelicals to welcome immigrants. Moore has, I suspect, inadvertently

gotten it right, although I suspect his intention lies elsewhere. Moore, without doubt, is calling

for his church to aid the needy through legislation. Jesus would want His church to take care of

disadvantaged immigrants. He would want individuals to care for each other. That is the essence

of His teachings to us. All religious scholars know this, but we live in a society that is growing

fully reliant on government to take care of all our needs.

Alas, the church is falling in line and now feels that its mandate is no longer that of a provider,

but rather that of a lobbyist. The handful of exceptions, religious leaders who understand the true

role of the church, are viewed as uncaring and heretical.

The Ledger: Student a Champion of The American Dream

By Chase Purdy

October 2, 2011

http://www.theledger.com/article/20111002/NEWS/111009877?tc=cr

LAKELAND | Mayra Hidalgo-Salazar shared her story willingly, then scrunched her face into a

shy smile.

Framed by petite shoulders and pretty flashes of Tiffany-blue nail polish, Hidalgo sat with near-

perfect posture and swished her hands through the air when she spoke.

She has made a name for herself as a go-to person for immigration activism in Polk County. At

20 years old, her peers describe her as a champion of the American Dream, anxious to wade

through the vagaries of a complex immigration debate and its youth movement.

Her goal is to put a face to an issue.

But the hitch for Hidalgo is glaring. No matter her ironclad zeal, she is as tethered to her success

as those she serves. She, too, is undocumented.

She doesn't go out of her way to hide it. And she does not apologize.

Those who know her well fret constantly about her wellbeing, fearing always the possibility of

deportation. She recognizes their concerns, but cannot be swayed.

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In the past 20 years, every member of her family, except her, have maintained legal residency.

Her parents are well on the path to citizenship. But immigration red tape, whether it be expensive

applications, her age, dependency, or time sensitivity, has kept her from that same path.

IN U.S. AT AN EARLY AGE

Hidalgo's Costa Rican parents brought her to the United States on a tourist visa when she was 6

months old. But despite being raised in a Spanish-speaking home, her knowledge about the

nation in Central America is on par with that of a casual tourist, she said. The image of a sun-

soaked, tropical destination prevails in her imagination. The only traceable evidence connecting

her is the faint accent at the tip of her tongue.

A promising graduate of Harrison School for the Visual and Performing Arts in Lakeland, her

commitment to hard work and adaptability have earned her scholarships to Polk State College

and beyond. At one point, she hoped to attend a conservatory for opera, but her status kept her in

Polk County.

"I'm a young woman of color, first-generation college student, half-generation immigrant — so I

identify with both nationalities," she said. "I definitely feel like whatever I do, I have to work

twice as hard as everyone else, because I obviously wasn't born with the same privileges as

everyone else."

A keen sense of self-preservation and enviable ambition have kept her pushing for self-

improvement.

It was only in the past two years that her abilities led her to activism, and most recently to a

program run by Smita Mathur, an education professor at University of South Florida

Polytechnic.

Aimed at helping migrant women become teachers, to accurately reflect the student population,

Hidalgo has spent countless hours counseling and assisting women more than three times her age

to find self-worth and personal validation.

In the process, Mathur said she has seen Hidalgo shine.

"Mayra is wonderful, not only for being very culturally competent, but because she has excellent

writing skills," the professor said. "She has the spirit and courage to forge ahead."

Mathur's voice wavered as she spoke, and she conceded her motherly feelings toward Hidalgo

keep her worried about her headstrong volunteer.

ACTIVE IN IMMIGRATION REFORM EDUCATION

In August, Hidalgo drove to Alabama to help, along with other activists, in educating immigrants

across the state about an aggressive new piece of immigration legislation. She speaks regularly

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with the media, and works hand-in-hand with churches across the county to provide direction for

helping immigrants.

"Mayra takes a lot of risks, and I sometimes worry about it," Mathur said. "She helps everybody,

but when I reach out to people to help her, I've found a very lukewarm response. Maybe a little

local hero needs some help herself."

Any mention of the hours Hidalgo spends volunteering sparks an undeniable enthusiasm inside

her. The pace of her speech quickens, and her eyes widen and narrow as she explains the

intricacies of a world many people ignore. Hidalgo's daily schedule is not blotted into blocks of

time. Rather, it's sliced into sections. She'll be in class one moment, organizing a new legal clinic

the next, and counseling migrant women somewhere in between.

When she talks about her passions, Hidalgo substitutes any mention of herself with reference to a

larger message. It's a subject that's led her to Washington, D.C., to talk with politicians, and to

Miami to organize the Trail of Dreams, a movement that asks for easier access to higher

education for undocumented immigrants who have lived in the country since their childhood.

"Some people are in this situation through no fault of their own," she said, pausing from her

studies at a local coffee shop.

Her eyes misted and she stared into the table before her. A stack of books hid her eyes from the

other patrons. She apologized for the solitary moment of weakness.

"There's a sense of urgency to it," she said. "Everyone has a life timeline of when they want to

accomplish things."

For Hidalgo, that includes school, marriage, children — some of the essential pillars of

American life as constructed by generations of families before her.

She began to cry. Apologized again, but couldn't stop.

Without a change in immigration law — even for young people like her, who have only known

America as home — their dreams are gambles.

"I can't make it a reality," she said. "You want to do your best and everything in school. You

understand the sacrifices your family made for you ... "

She paused and gathered herself.

"We're expected to be the first-generation college students, and with careers," she said. "But as

an undocumented immigrant, you can't put any faith at all in that life timeline."

And so she's stuck. Forced to choose between an optimistic push for change or a life in shadow.

She's dead set against the latter, she said. So are hundreds of others her age.

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"A lot of us are getting to the point of such despair, we don't want to hide anymore," Hidalgo

said. "The way I see it, you can't let fear paralyze you."

Hidalgo said the responses many have for her are trite and simplistic, and delivered in anger:

Get in line.

Go home.

Get out.

"What they don't realize is that there is no line," Hidalgo said. "If I went back, I would be banned

from re-entering the only country I've known for 10 years. The system is broken."

Mathur said she approves of Hidalgo's style. She respects the positive, patriotic advocacy

Hidalgo pushes and personifies.

"All they are asking for is a pathway to citizenship, not even citizenship," she said. "They live

here. This is the country they know."

And for Hidalgo, her goal is to leave a mark. She said her time in Polk County won't last forever,

but when she does go, she hopes to leave behind a meaningful, sustainable outlet for young

people like her. A place for hope.

Dream Prayer by Rev Allison Farnum (during time of Rosh Hashanah) Spirit of Life, god of our dreams, give us this time to listen to the still small voice within. To hear the cries of the spirit To bask in the glow of any bright spots, place of rejoicing. As our Jewish brothers and sisters welcome a new year and take stock of how life is going, what needs amends, we might be invited also to turn within and pay attention... in the coming week, we might focus our intentions on making space for our dreams...what needs to be surfaced and explored? What support do I need to make this dream reality? Thank you to all the dreamers of before...those whose visions and prophesies call out to us still- to work for peace, to change our lives to be better people, to honor all our relations on this earth... In these few moments of quiet, I invite you to breathe deeply and let the dream you have been dreaming surface... Close prayer 10-2-11 1Unitarian Universalist Church of Fort Myers Rev. Allison Farnum “The New American DREAM” Every year, undocumented students graduate high school and are denied the opportunity to fulfill their dreams of higher education and the ability to succeed as a result of a broken immigration system. The DREAM Act would remedy this by providing a path to legalization for the

23

undocumented young people who were brought to the United States as children and graduate from high school. The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act would create a path to citizenship for undocumented young adults who have lived in the US for 5 years, have a high school diploma or GED, and good moral character. DREAM would require participants to either complete two years of college or serve two years in the military. John Lennon sings, “You may say I�m a dreamer...but I�m not the only one...I hope someday you will join us..and the world will live as one...” sing “Imagine” SERMON In this country, we have the problem of unfulfilled dreams...for too long the stereotypical American Dream has been each to get his or her own, to take care of one�s tribe, and to compete with others to the race to the top, the winner gets all. Under the shiny, wholesome surface of the American Dream have been the disappointing stories of human oppression. And I know I use this pulpit today to express my disenchantment and perhaps representing others in my generation who are disenchanted with an American dream that belongs only to people who give up their ethnicity, give up their ancestor�s stories, dress, and language, and assimilate. I am disenchanted with an American dream that relies on class warfare, a dream that creates haves- and have-mores while the have-nots are pushed to the margins. An clearly, if you have heard about the protests, the “Wall Street Occupation,” you will know that I am not the only one of the 99% who are questioning the flow of privilege and power in this country. George Carlin, white comedian, in a comedy show about 5 years ago, said this of the American Dream...”It�s called the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it.” And there is not much more of Carlin that I can quote here in this pulpit! Friends, we have entered the time of folks waking up to formulating different dreams, waking up to seeds of consciousness planted by previous generations who thought that we need not be force fed a mass-market consciousness of what we should believe, what we should think, and what to buy. Our religious tradition has always been a part of questioning the mainstream- questioning- well, why should I believe that? why should I think that? And when it comes to a dream- well, why would we ever let anyone dream something for us? Our religion has done well by its principles by, through the work of our Association of congregations, partnering in solidarity with groups who are working toward a new American dream. As I consider with you a new American dream, allow me a bit of a PC digression. For you English speakers, “American” in Spanish refers to being from the Americas, which could include central America, south America, and north America. The use of the word “American” may have different meanings to a Spanish speaker than an English- speaker. For the sake of simplicity, when I say American Dream, I am talking about the expression referring to the hopes of achievement in the �the land of opportunity” known as the United States. The new American Dream is --at this point --in limbo for many of our youth. According to UCLA Center for Labor Research and Education approximately 65,000 undocumented youth graduate from high school in the United States each year. At that point, they cannot apply for a FAFSA, the national financial aid application, and, with rising tuition

24

costs, you know how hard it is to pay for college. Scholarships are a rarity for kids without papers. Some youth have the financial resources to do still go to college, but it is a rare privilege. As we reach a new stage in US demographics, as immigration continues to be a hot-button issue- let us consider a small step to a more humane, more humanist immigration policy that honors the dreams of our future: voting in the DREAM ACT. A Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore-- And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over-- like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode? For the past ten years loving and peaceful movement has been growing in spite of the dreams deferred. Scores of our youth, our children who have grown up in our public schools and are as American as tacos, pizza, rap music & hightop shoes (apple pie too!), these kids have been building a movement- one based on the noblest ideals of this country- the right and responsibility to civic engagement. These youth are the DREAMers. And I am inspired by their power and persistence. If these kids are the future of our nation, then I can look forward to being proud of my country. Right now, I am not proud. Right now, our current administration has no official policy that says our DREAMers are a low-priority for deportation, Moreover, the there is no path to citizenship in a country they�ve grown up in- the only home many have every known. I have been told that the pulpit is not for political preaching...but so quickly in our world the political has ramifications on the moral arena of human conscience. Ever since religion began, it has been inseparable from the political. We have the power to leverage our liberal religious voice in ways that honor our most dearly held values. Our Universalist heritage in its 1935 Washington declaration of faith, avowed faith in the supreme worth of every human personality, which eventually became one of our religious principles- that we affirm the inherent worth and dignity of every person. In affirming the work of the DREAMers, one engages not only a political voice. The work of the DREAMers affirms a Unitarian Universalist religious voice as well...one that affirms the dignity of every person�s dreams. So support the DREAM Act isn�t just about the DREAM act. It�s an affirmation of religious principles, that dreams – a person�s inner callings to vocation- should not be deferred or wither like a raisin in the sun—dreams are to be explored, relished, and made real in the world, for the advancement of our world. Rommy [a guest speaker who is a young adult DREAM activist] talked to us about dignity...challenging us to think about how the struggles each and everyone one of us have known in our lives is a place a learning and growing. This ongoing work of living and struggle invites one to listen to the still small voice within, that voice of inner-dignity and integrity. In the best circumstance, this listening and discernment of inner dreams can flow outward into the work one does in world. So the ongoing challenge is twofold: 1) Does your work (whether paid or volunteer) honor your own integrity and dignity? 2) Does your vocation (or what you do with this life) honor also the dreams of others, that they may have the opportunity to honor their

25

own dreams? The aim is to achieve both in a continued balancing act called LIFE. To make this possible sometimes requires civic engagement and political action. The DREAMers are doing just that, and I am proud to support the fulfillment of their dreams of education and vocation. I value their future contributions to our society. The calling of this season is to consider changes, consider new ways of being in the world, and to discern with one�s god or conscience about how one is called to change and what dreams and visions are guiding that change. For myself, I shared with you earlier my feelings of disenchantment with the old American dream. My calling is to enchant myself again with a new dream, to partner with inspiring people who are treading a new path that enlivens an inclusive, relational way of being in the world. It is a gift to have the vocation of ministry through which I can honor my deepest callings and dreams- to companion with you, a group of people who dare to dream outrageously and persist that love might prevail, that peace is possible...And it is an honor to meet other people in our local community who are doing the same difficult work. I am honored today by Rommy�s courage to share herself and her story with you. I am grateful for a continued relationship with her and supporting her activism. As our Jewish brothers and sisters observe the high holy days...days of awe, they are invited to introspection...to listen within about how life is going- asking questions like, am I honoring life and my most sacred relationships? Do not exclude yourself from this invitation! And with the invitation of these holy days and the changes in weather, it feels like we are again on the cusp of something new...a new dream... People of faith and conscience care about the dreams of others- for it is in dreaming together that we prophesy together, urging one another toward a beloved community. The voice of our young dreamers call us to this vision.

So may we answer, with great rejoicing, to a new American dream. Blessed be. Amen.

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We are very excited about our DREAM Sabbath this coming Sunday. Attached is our

flyer. We have some DREAMers coming to speak in both service and possibly

Representative Dwight Bullard or someone from his office.

I think our local NBC news station will also come and cover it.

Because of our unique position in actually have many congregation members positively

affected by the DREAM act we are going to have a lunch after for any who want to stay

and ask questions of the DREAMers or Rep. Howard. I was wondering if your office has

some funds to cover the meals. I think $200 would suffice. (I think I have explained to

you the generational demographics of our church and how most are not 18 and can't

tithe.) If not we will take the cut because

wfile:///Users/audreybwarren/Desktop/Aud.psde really believe in the DREAM as it

affects so many in our community. If not you all then maybe someone else.

Let me your thoughts.

I turned my paperwork in and now can focus on our conversation back in the summer.

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Our next Hispanic Pastors Gathering for our District is at my church which will be a

great eye opener!

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GEORGIA

Presbyterian, Stockbridge

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta, Atlanta

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta Dreaming in a Strange Land By Rev. Marti Keller. November 13th, 2011.

Tags: Beloved Community, Faith in Action.

Early this past week, a third year student at a rural state college wrote an editorial for the newspaper there, noting that “in a country that prides itself on being the land of equality, we are not all equal, not even close.” She said that while she supported the proactive role that Occupy Wall Street has taken throughout the past few months, that it is about time someone started to express the distaste Corporate America has left in the mouths of many, at the end of the day, from her perspective, Occupy Wall Street is not where she wants us to put our time and energy. Occupy Wall Street, she declared, is misguided in their efforts for reforming the system. Instead we need to Occupy the Classroom. The root of America’s problem, she said, is that we are not giving education the time and money it deserves. Too many children and youth are being denied access to quality teachers, equipped classrooms, and the chance to succeed. To live out their dreams. Education, as high as an individual has the will and skills to go, is a far better return, she reminded us, than many stock investments. This is an American, we-the-people problem that needs to be remedied immediately, she urged. It’s time to Occupy, she demanded, in the name of our future. A couple of days later in that same college town, there was what has been described as a raucous downtown protest with thousands of students pouring into the streets, clashing with the police and damaging property. Expressing their anger, making their demands. Not for reform of Wall Street or our education system. No, they were drawn out of their dorm rooms and their lecture halls in what has been reported as a massive display of anger at the Board of Trustees’ decision to fire Joe Paterno, the 84-year-old head football coach of Pennsylvania State College since 1966 (as well as ousting the college president). Fired in the wake of charges against a former top assistant coach of the sexual abuse of young boys, who knows how many of them, over a period of years. Incensed, not at the abuse, but at the loss of their beloved athletic leader, head of a winning team at a college where football rules. But where also the same coach devised a concept known as the Great Experiment there—finding a way to balance big time athletics and academics—promoting a culture of excellence in both. And yet and still somehow getting it so terribly wrong. It is sad and I believe disgraceful that these students took to the streets, not to express their indignity at what had been done to these numbers of young boys in the men’s locker room of their own school, but out of fevered loyalty to this larger than life figure, and blinding attachment to a winning team.

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This story will rise and fall on the media radar, as all stories do, and some will say that this is what college students are all about these days: tailgate parties, and keggers, and sports mania, to the point of overlooking abuse and cover-ups. That they seem detached from the large issues of the day, even the ones that would seem to most immediately and directly impact them. That they dream of the next touchdown, the next big win, the next division or national title, and little else. Which is not true if we follow stories of other on campus outbursts and outside the campus outbursts— twittered stirrings and even some throw- back sit- ins–protesting the ever escalating costs of college and the diminishing quality of what they are getting in return, as faculty cuts increase class size and reduce the number of courses offered. And the American Dream further and further out of reach. The American Dream, our national ethos, in which freedom includes a promise of the possibility of prosperity and success. In the words of James Truslow Adams in 1931, “life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement” regardless of social class or circumstances of birth. And there has been little change in definition over all these years. There is actually a Center for the Study of the American Dream at Xavier University, which released the results of a second annual American Dream Survey earlier this year. What they learned is that on a scale of one to 10, most people gave the Dream’s condition a mediocre score of from 3 to 6, only 23 percent convinced that the country is going in the right direction, a 15 percent net drop from a year ago. Between the first and the second survey there had not been much of a change, with two exceptions. Confidence in the economy has lessened. Last year the majority ( 51 percent) still felt the U.S. economy would improve over the next year or so. Now only 41 percent expect it to get better. The second change is what might be called a generational fissure. Last year 60% of Americans surveyed felt it was harder to reach the Dream today than it was for their parents’ generation. Today the number has surged to 69%. Nowhere is the decline in optimism more dramatic than among African Americans, a sense of despair, of dreams almost permanently deferred. Nowhere is optimism higher than among recent immigrants, who continue to hold markedly more positive views about their country and the Dream than other Americans. Who does the American Dream look like? For some, Steve Jobs, who shortly up until his tragically untimely death from pancreatic cancer just a few weeks ago, was CEO of Apple Computer and Pixar Animation Studios, would have fit the bill. Brilliant, ingenious, entrepreneurial, in many ways self-made. Wildly successful. And while he was invited to deliver the commencement address at Stanford University in 2005, for Jobs, a university degree was not part of his resume, or essential to his dream-making. As he admitted that year in a speech that has gone viral several times over, this was the closest he had ever gotten to a college graduation. He told them that he dropped out of Reed College after the first six months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months before he finally quit. So why did he drop out? His biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student and she decided to put him up for adoption. She felt very strongly, he said, that he should be adopted by

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college graduates so everything was set for him to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except it turned out the couple really wanted a girl, so his parents, who had been on the waiting list, were called in the middle of the night and were asked if they wanted this newborn baby boy. And they said yes, of course. When his biological mother found out that the adoptive parents were not college graduates, in fact his father had never even graduated from high school, she refused at first to sign the paperwork, but relinquished when they promised that he would someday go to college. But 17 years later when he landed in a high price private school and all of his working class parents’ savings were being spent on college tuition and he saw no value in it, he eventually left. And trusted that all would, in his words, work out OK. The rest is history, and for Jobs the lack of an advanced degree did not disadvantage him. You’ve got to find what you love, he told those Stanford graduates, and so he did. It may seem like he was on to something, dodging those tuition bills and for him a wasted four years, though not helpful to hear by those many students who have gone the distance, especially in the past few years. When the studying was over for 2010, college graduates in Georgia owed an average of $19,000 in student loan debt. Nationwide, graduates carry an average debt of $25,000, the highest debt on record. Struggling to begin to repaying their debt, they have entered a job market that is among the most depressed ever for their age group. They have moved out of their campuses, degrees in hand, if they are lucky hired to drive catering trucks or put up dry wall, work as line cooks or receptionists in spas. I know, because this is the story of my own young adult son and his friends. Among men 20-25, the unemployment rate is 15.8 percent, with many more uncounted, never having had the chance to enter the fulltime workforce at all. On an unpainted wooden fence in the Woodruff Park Occupy Atlanta encampment, one 24 year old wrote that he goes to school fulltime and gets an average of four hours sleep a night. I am hoping the degree I earn will help me pay off my $80,000 student loan… the outlook of this is dim. Another wrote that all of his life he has seen immigrants being denied the right to receive scholarships to go to school and citizens being drowned in debt, due to going to school, and once they finish NO JOBS. So what’s the point anymore? Yet in the long run, or even the shorter run, the American Dream is inescapably linked with education, as columnist David Brooks has pointed out. While he may not be as concerned as some of us might want him to be about the economic and status gap caused by corporate practices in this country, he does argue convincingly that ultimately the achievement or lack of a college degree plays a crucial role in so many disparities: income differences, health status, marital status, community involvement and others. In the chance for a good life for ourselves and our families. The American Dream Survey, while pessimistic in part, is hopeful and compassionate in its view of who can and cannot be included. As we note and celebrate the 125th anniversary of the dedication of the Statue of Liberty welcoming immigrants, a majority of us believe that we still are a “beacon of opportunity” to immigrants who want to live out their dreams, rather than viewing immigrants as coming to America mainly to seize jobs or accept handouts. Immigration, most (more than 60%) agree, is important to keeping the American Dream alive.

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Alive for young immigrants who have been raised in the U.S. and who have managed to succeed despite the challenges of being brought here without proper documentation. The approximately 65,000 undocumented students graduating from high school, many at the top of their classes, who cannot go to college, join the military, work or otherwise pursue their dreams. They are called the 1.5 generation, immigrants largely raised in this country, and therefore sharing much in common with second generation Americans. These students are culturally American, growing up here, and often having little attachment to their country of birth. Young people like David Cho, whose parents came from South Korea when he was 9 and wants to serve in the air force. Young people like Mayra Garcia, who came to the U.S. from Mexico when she was two. Now 18, she is a member of the National Honor Society, graduating from high school with a 3.9 GPA. Young people like Juan Gomez who also arrived here when he was two, finishing in the top 20 of his class in his high school in Miami. Young people like Barbara, who does not want to share her last name, who, as much as she would like to attend a state university, is working at a local restaurant, afraid of being discovered, of being deported if she should apply for student aid. What do we do with these children, these children who live in the shadows of fear of deportation and separation from family? What do we do with what one Lutheran minister has named the children of captivity, who excel in school, against all odds and sensibilities, knock on the door of higher education and find admittance only to find that they do not possess the proper documents to utilize their education, intelligence and skill? Our immigration law currently has no mechanism to consider their special circumstances, and the attempt to reform this, the federal DREAM ACT, (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) which would offer a potential path to citizenship, once with bipartisan support, is now languishing in congress. This legislation would allow upstanding high school students without documents to obtain a temporary visa so they can attend school, travel and work legally, and after ten years apply for a green card and lawful permanent residency. DREAMers – our young people seeking a route to citizenship—-are not asking for special access or treatment. They seek to sing their songs of Zion, pursue their dreams of hope and justice freely, in a land they have come to know as home. To contribute to our country, to serve the United States, to be part of our collective American Dream. How long shall we — can we– defer their dreams? In the words of African American poet Langston Hughes- what happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore? And then run?… Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode?

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IDAHO

United Methodist Church, Bonners Ferry

Monastery of St. Gertrude’s, Cottonwood

ILLINOIS

Loyal University Chicago Campus Ministry, Chicago

Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, Chicago

United Methodist, Homewood

Unity Temple, Oak Park

North Shore Unitarian Church, Highland Park

Edison Park UMC, Chicago

Rockford Urban Ministries, Rockford

Downtown Islamic Center, Chicago

First United Methodist Church, Downers Grove

Ner Tamid Egalitarian Minyan of West Rogers Park, Chicago

Sisters of Mercy, Chicago

Queen of Peace, Chicago

United Methodist, Oak Forest

Chicago New Sanctuary Coalition, Chicago

Jewish/Hillel at Loyola, Chicago

Zion United Methodist Church, Hampshire

Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington, Bloomington

INDIANA

St. Bartholomew RC Church Peace and Justine Ministry, Columbus

Catholic, Huntingburg

Meridian Street United Methodist Church, Indianapolis

Speedway, Indianapolis

Seton Residence, Evansville

Unitarian Universalist Church, West Lafayette

Daughters of Charity, Evansville

The Dream Act,

A Sermon By the Rev. Charlie Davis for the

Unitarian Universalist Church

West Lafayette, IN

Imagine being deported to a country that you don't remember, where you don't know anyone and

possibly don't speak the language. Every year, tens of thousands of students face this situation.

These kids were brought to the U.S. without documentation by their parents and want nothing

more than the opportunity to give back to the only country that they've known. The

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Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act) would provide that

opportunity.

The DREAM Act 2010 passed the House of Representatives last December but fell just five

votes short in the Senate. The DREAM Act 2011 was reintroduced into the Senate on May 11 by

Harry Reid (D-NV). Members of the faith community, in close collaboration wth Sen Dick

Durbin (D-IL), announced DREAM Sabbath, where congregations will work to raise awareness

about the DREAM Act this fall (September 18 - October 9).

(From http://www.uua.org/immigration/reform/172151.shtml )

This is a Non partisan Bill

Republican Presidentioal Candidate Rick perry has defended instituting a similar policy in texas.

Indiana Repubican Senator Dick lugar was a co sponsor of the bill in 2009 But Hedecided

against the co-sponsoring in 2011 when it was re introduced.

When it passed the house 38 democrats voted against it When it failed in the Senate 5

republicans voted for it and and 5 Democrats voted against it

It is Clear that this id a live political issue.

But a church is not a political action group

I would not bring this issue before you unless it was a spiritual issue.

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained

angels unawares.

21.Christianity. Hebrews 13.1

The sage has no fixed [personal] ideas.

He regards the people's ideas as his own.

I treat those who are good with goodness,

And I also treat those who are not good with goodness.

Thus goodness is attained Taoism. Tao Te Ching 49

According to Anas, after the Messenger of God said, "Help your brother whether

he is oppressor or oppressed," Anas replied to him, "O Messenger of God, a man

who is oppressed I am ready to help, but how does one help an oppressor?" "By

hindering him doing wrong," he said.

20.Islam. Hadith of Bukhari

The human ethic behind these religious perspective is that it matters how we treat people.

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Kindness and hospitality are more than just being nice.

It is also practical.

Some do not want to provide education to immigrants.

Is it better to have ignorant immigrants.

On one hand they demand that immigrants speak English

On the other hand the refuse too teach them.

Some do not want to provide health care to immigrants.

Do they prefer that restaurant workers with untreated hepatitis prepare their food.

Some do not want work visas for immigrants

Do they prefer that immigrants turn to crime to make money.

Do they prefer that they work under the table so that they and their employers pay no taxes.

Some do not want to grant citizenship to children of immigrants who are born in this county.

Some people act as if Spanish speaking people in north America is some thing new.

If it is why are there so many Spanish place names in this country.

Why is Florida not called by its English name Flower land

The First European contact was mad in 1513 by the Spanish explorer ponce de Leon

Hernando Desoto reached Indiana in 1541

Las Vegas Nevada Refers to the meadows near the snow capped mountain

Los angeles is the city of the angels

Colorado refers to the red colored Colorado River.

Much of the West was Spanish before it was English

And native American before it was Spanish.

The fear of Immigrants taking over may be rooted in the guilt we feel about how our ancestors

took over this land.

We fear that the new immigrants will act like our families did when they arrived.

The dream act is not just about immigration

It is about Which education

Our country is also conflicted about.

Unitarian Horace man introduced public schooling for all children in Massachusetts in 1848

It was a struggle to get people to use tax money to fund school.

When Irish Catholics immigrated the wanted tax money for their schools in their churches.

This was forbidden by the blaina amendments

President Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877) in a speech in 1875 to a veteran's meeting, called for a

Constitutional amendment that would mandate free public schools and prohibit the use of public

money for sectarian schools. Grant laid out his agenda for "good common school education." He

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attacked government support for "sectarian schools" run by religious organizations, and called

for the defense of public education "unmixed with sectarian, pagan or atheistical dogmas." Grant

declared that "Church and State" should be "forever separate." Religion, he said, should be left to

families, churches, and private schools devoid of public funds.[1]

(Deforrest; Mark Edward. "An

Overview and Evaluation of State Blaine Amendments: Origins, Scope, and First Amendment

Concerns," Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, Vol. 26, 2003)

Though it never passed nationally many states adopted a version of it

Public school were designed to be equal for all .

This was undermined by the prctice of segregation

Which made separate and unequal education for black and white,

Public education was mandated in 1848 in Massachusetts

1849 The Massachusetts Supreme Court rules that segregated schools are permissible under the state's constitution. (Roberts v. City of Boston) The U.S. Supreme Court will later use this case to support the "separate but equal" doctrine.

This practice was deemed unconstitutional in 1954 brown versus bord of education,

Which required integration.

The first segregation academies were created in the late 1950s as a result of the U.S. Supreme

Court ruling Brown v. Board of Education, which required public school boards to eliminate

segregation "with all deliberate speed." Because the ruling did not apply to private schools, the

creation of segregation academies was a way to keep segregation intact.[2][3]

Private academies

operated outside the scope of the Brown v. Board of Education ruling and could therefore

effectively maintain racial segregation.[4]

While there is some debate about why whites pulled

their children out of public schools (with whites insisting that "quality fueled their exodus" while

blacks say "white parents refused to allow their children to be schooled alongside blacks")[5]

there is no debate that many white children were pulled out of public schools and instead

educated in private schools. Across the nation it is estimated that at least half a million students

were withdrawn from public schools between 1964 and 1975 to avoid mandatory

desegregation.[2]

As Archie Douglas, the headmaster of the Montgomery Academy (a school

reputed to have been founded in response to desegregation) has said, he is sure "that those who

resented the civil rights movement or sought to get away from it took refuge in the academy."[6]

A large number of Christian schools in the Southern United States began as segregation

academies.[8]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Segregation_academies#cite_note-Coulson-1

As a result the percentacgage of whites in public schools have declined.

As the proportion of minorities in public school has increased.

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Support for public schools has lessened.

January 2009 report from the Civil Rights Project at UCLA shows that amid the current national

climate of anticipation and hope, the U.S. is sliding backward toward segregated and highly

unequal schools.

Professor Gary Orfield, the author of "Reviving the Goal of an Integrated Society: A 21st

Century Challenge,"

The report states that 40 percent of Latinos and 39 percent of blacks now attend intensely

segregated schools, in which 90 to 100 percent of students are non-White. The typical Black or

Latino student attends a school where nearly 60 percent of the students are low-income,

creating a doubly-damaging race and poverty divide that is worsening the isolation felt by these

minority communities

So the pressure is on. Middle class whites are less inclined to support public schools now that

the minority population is rising.

It is like the people who have benefited from public education have grown uup and said.

We don’t want to spend our money on those people.

But Children belong to everyone.

IF we shut down educational opportunity

It harms every one.

The demographics of this country re changing,

Should we strive to create an educated working class our

Will we forsake their future.

If we do we forsake our own.

When I am old and in a nursing home

It is likely that I will be be depending on a minority person to give me care.

I want that person to be well educated and well paid..

What can we Do?

Tell your representative, your senator and your President to support th dream act.

Go to the uua Dream act site and learn more.

http://www.uua.org/immigration/reform/172151.shtml

The YWCA Greater Lafayette, Indiana supports the rights of immigrant people to safety, to legal

status, and to civil rights. We support policies that acknowledge the tremendous value that

approximately 11 million undocumented people bring to our labor force and to our communities.

We recognize that immigration policies are closely tied to the advancement of civil rights and

racial justice for all people based on the premise that skin color, native language, and issues of

assimilation are often intertwined in the larger immigration discussion.

39

The YWCA Greater Lafayette, Indiana supports legislation that upholds the following

conditions:

* A fast, efficient, legal pathway to unite immigrant families.

* Humane border security measures that afford immigrants due process through a fairly enforced

system.

* That undocumented immigrants are not criminalized for being in the United States, and that

people who extend health care, social services, education, or any other assistance are not

criminalized for these actions.

* Specific measures to protect immigrants who are victims of domestic violence or trafficking by

addressing their unique issues relating to safety and legal status.

Adopted by the Board of Directors

YWCA Greater Lafayette, Indiana

April 24, 2006

Prepare for UUA general assembly in 2012

We will partner with communities in Arizona to bring attention to the injustices and human

rights abuses they face. Our service will allow all participants to witness in ways that reflect our

commitment to justice, equity and compassion for all. We will also do hands-on work with our

community partners. Projects will take place in a variety of settings, and include

multigenerational teams and accessible venues.

October 9, 2011 “Dream Sabbath: Immigrant Rights” The Reverend Daniel Charles Davis

Unitarian Universalist Church 333 Meridian Street West Lafayette, IN 47906 October 9, 2011 “Dream Sabbath: Immigrant Rights” The Reverend Daniel Charles Davis Music for Gathering Centering Chime Welcome & Announcements Prelude Mountain Song, written by Holly Near, performed by Martha Gipson Unison Chalice Lighting When strangers sojourn with you in your land, you shall do them no wrong. The strangers who sojourn with you shall be to you as natives among you, and you love them as yourself. Song Humanity *Our Church Covenant Every one is important, I am. You are. We are together Todo es importante. Yo soy y usted. Estamos juntos. Love is the spirit of this church, And service is its law. This is our covenant: To dwell together in peace, To seek the truth in love And to help one another. Time for All Ages Children Depart for Religious Education Classes to Hymn #116, I'm On My Way to the Freedom Land

I'm On My Way to the freedom land (3x) I'm on my way great God I'm on my way. *Hymn #123 Spirit of Life Offering The theme for this year's Change for Change is "Caring for Children." All the loose coins

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in the Sunday offering will go to programs that help children. The Change for Change recipient in September and October will be Therapeion Therapeutic Riding Center in Brookston. Therapeion (pronounced ther-AP-ee-on) is a Greek word that means healing of body and spirit. Therapeion uses the healing nature of the interaction between humans and horses to help children and youth. Offertory Pastures Of Plenty by Woody Guthrie, performed by the House Band Responsive Reading #466 Religion by Vincent B. Silliman Special Music Sermon Dreams performed by Unitarian Universalist Church Choir, directed by Shellie Johnson Act for the Sake of Dreams The Reverend Daniel Charles Davis #318 We Would Be One We extinguish this flame may its warmth and light live in each one of us. May we be a beacon for all people who are seeking to fulfill their dreams. *Hymn *Chalice Extinguishing Unison Benediction This service is over. Our service has just begun. Postlude *Please rise in body and spirit as you are able Worship Associate: Kat Braz Pianist: Shellie Johnson Greeters: Amanda Estes, Amy French, Dorothy Hughes Newcomers’ Table: Dorothy Hughes Sound: Jerry Hunley Sanctuary Preparation: tba Coffee Ministry: volunteers needed Turn cell phones off or to “vibrate” during service. Please join us for refreshments in the

Fellowship Hall after service. Large print Orders of Service, Hymnals and Assistive Listening Devices are available in the Narthex.

jxÄvÉÅx4

Welcome to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Lafayette. We especially welcome all those who are here worshiping with us for the very first time—we are so glad that you are here. If you would like to be on our mailing list or learn more about our congregation and Unitarian Universalism, please fill out the information in the Visitors Notebook in the narthex. If you have questions or would like more information aboutourchurch,besuretovisittheNewcomers’TableintheFellowshipHall. Weinviteyoutostayforcoffee and tea in the Fellowship Hall each Sunday after service. Please plan to attend our Potluck the first Sunday of each month. Thank you. TuÉâà bâÜ V{âÜv{

Religious Education & Child Care Programs: Opportunities for Religious Education are available for nursery through senior high each Sunday during service. Special events, classes and groups for adults meet on variable days throughout the week, with schedules announced in advance. If you have any questions or would like to learn more about our Religious Education Program, please call the church office at 765.743.8812. History: Unitarian and Universalist ministers began speaking in the Lafayette area in 1838. A Universalist Church was formally established in Lafayette in 1850. The present Unitarian Universalist Church was organized in 1949. In 1976, the congregation purchased and moved into the former Ahavath Achim Congregation of Temple Israel, built in 1867 at 17 South 7th Street. In September of 2007, we moved to our new congregational home at 333 Meridian Street, West Lafayette Indiana, dedicated on

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November 18, 2007. OUR MISSION STATEMENT The Unitarian Universalist Church is a nurturing religious community that celebrates diverse beliefs and encourages spiritual growth through lifelong learning. Guided by our Unitarian Universalist Principles, we support each other in our life journeys and work toward social justice in the local and world communities. UU CHURCH STAFF The Reverend Daniel Charles Davis, Minister Sheila Garrett, Director of Religious Education Karin D. Bergman, Administrative Assistant Shellie Johnson, Choir Director and Pianist UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH

333 Meridian Street, West Lafayette, Indiana 47906-2603 Phone: (765)743-8812 (UU12) Email: [email protected] Web Site, Calendar, Sermons On-Line:

www.uulafayette.org On-line link to Lighted Chalice Newsletter: http://uulafayette.org/Library/Newsletter/NewsletterCurrent.pdf

IOWA

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames, Ames

Epworth United Methodist, Des Moines

First UMC, Des Moines

Wakonda Christian Church, West Des Moines

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Quad Cities, Davenport

Unitarian Universalist Society of Iowa City, Iowa City

Trinity UMC/Las Americas, Des Moines

Epworth United Methodist, Des Moines

Luther College Student Congregation, Decorah

Salem, Cedar Rapids

Cornell College, Mount Vernon

Simpson United Methodist Church, Des Moines

The bill, “Development, Relief & Education for Alien Minors (DREAM Act),” gives undocumented students a chance to earn legal status if they came here as children, have good moral character, and complete two years of college or military service.

This is essentially the plan Rick Parry proudly declared that Texas has passed to allow these students to stay in school.

The Bill as proposed by Senator Dick Durbin would allow upstanding high school graduates brought here as children to obtain a temporary visa to attend school, travel, and work legally. After 10 years, they could apply for a green card.

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To qualify students would have to be under 30 years old; brought to the U.S. before they were 16; have been here for at least 5 years; graduated from High School; and have a criminal-free record.

They have to complete two years of college, trade school, or military service to then adjust their status to lawful permanent residency and pursue a pathway to citizenship.

As Durbin says, ““Across ideological and partisan lines, we can agree that punishing children for their parents actions violates our most deeply held moral values,”

Between September 16 and Oct. 9 Interfaithimmigration.org is encouraging bipartisan support. Write President Obama and your D.C. senators asking them to pass this bill.

Elaine Kresse 563-391-4361

Co-facilitator of Immigration of Lost Bridge

The Sound Files: interviews and other sound talk from central Iowa

Crossing Borders

Gini Courter has been the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist

Association since 2003. In her professional life, she is an information technology consultant,

author of twenty-eight books, and a nationally recognized speaker on collaboration and

productivity software.

This sermon was given as part of DREAM Sabbath, an initiative of the Interfaith Coalition for

Immigration Reform to have congregations of many faiths promote federal legislation called the

DREAM Act, also known as the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act. Gini

talks about the need for immigration reform and explains the circumstances DREAM students

face, their hopes and contributions to our communities.

September 18, 2011

at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames, Iowa

UU Society of Iowa City

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UU Society of Iowa City

In June of 2011 I was co-leader of our congregation’s intergenerational service-learning

trip to Guatemala. We worked in the community of San Martine Jilotepeque, a

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community north of Antigua. We worked with community members to mix concrete to

build a new entryway into the school. While there we heard the stories of two men who

had come to the US illegally to work. We heard their stories of borrowing and saving of

money for the trip, the long trek north to Mexico, the perilous crossing of the border, and

then the injustices and racism they experienced while working in our country. We

listened as they talked about living in crowded living quarters, of being afraid of being

caught and deported, of experiencing racism because of their brown skin, of not being

paid their fair wage.

We listened as they talked of their preference to stay in Guatemala and work in their

homeland and to be with their families. But there is not enough work. There is not

enough food. There is not enough money. It is out of desperation that people come to

this country to work.

As I listened to these stories, I kept thinking about the Guatemalan workers from

Postville whose workplace was raided in 2008. These people had come to work, make

a living, and send money home. That’s all. Since the raid, some of these workers live

in other parts of Iowa. I know some of these individuals - I have listened to their stories

– they are always worried about being deported, often short of money, missing their

families, but being told that they should not go home because there is not enough food

or work. So they stay.

Then I started to think about some of my students at South East Junior High where I

teach Spanish. Every year I have several “Heritage Speakers” of Spanish. The schools

do not ask for social security numbers so I do not know if a student is documented or

not. I know that some of them must be undocumented – brought by their parents

looking for a better life. I have former students that I wonder about. Ivonne, Miguel,

Jose, Luz. Do they have the “right” paper – a social security number to go to college?

Will they be able to continue their education after finishing at City High? I don’t know.

And I wonder.

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We can all agree that we need immigration reform, a formidable task. The DREAM Act

is one small part. Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors.

Each year, approximately 65,000 bright and ambitious high school graduates are

prevented from attending college or working legally due to their undocumented

immigration status. Many of these students are in Iowa. Our immigration laws currently

have no mechanism to consider their special circumstances.

The DREAM Act would correct this inequity by allowing high school graduates who were

brought to the United States as children to obtain a temporary visa so they could attend

community college or serve in the military.

To qualify the students need:

To have been brought to the United States before they were 16; To have been here for

at least five years; to have graduated from High School; and have a criminal-free record

and good moral conduct.

Then, they need to complete two years of college, trade school, or military service.

After 10 years, they can apply for a green card and eventually apply for citizenship

The DREAM Act has passed the House but was narrowly defeated in the Senate in

December of 2010. It is no surprise that Senator Tom Harkin supports this bill and is

one of the co-sponsors. Senator Grassley does not support this bill.

I believe that punishing children for their parents’ actions violates our most deeply held

moral values. I believe that talented and hardworking youth should have the opportunity

to contribute to their country through higher education or to serve their country in the

military. It is not right to deport children who haven‘t done anything wrong to a country

they don’t remember. We need to work to pass this bill.

Deb Schoelerman

UUSIC

(Iowa City)

46

Order of Service for September 25th, 2011

Bell: Christie

Prelude: Joseph

Welcome: Mary (Mary will be the Worship Associate)

Opening Words: Zebby:

Opening Hymn: We’ll Build a Nation

Chalice Lighting:

Emma: We come together to reminds ourselves to treat people kindly because they are our

brothers and sisters, to take good care of the earth because it is our home, to live lives full of

goodness and love so that we can make the world the best place it can be.

Avery: Nos juntamos para recordar que debemos tratar bien a la gente porque son nuestros

hermanos y hermanas; cuidar bien la Tierra porque es nuestro hogar; vivir una vida llena de

bondad y amor para que podamos hacer del mundo el mejor lugar posible.

Intergenerational Focus: Celebrate diversity. Christie and Deb

Cycle of Life: Steven (minister)

Meditation: based on the 4 cardinal points plus the center and colors. Christie, Kathy, Kaylee,

Emma read from the 4 sides of the sanctuary. Each person will have a candle the color of their

direction. After the reading, each will place their candle in the candle holder at the front of the

sanctuary.

Kaylee: North –white; wind from the north

Emma: South – yellow; rain from south, gives life

Christie: West – black; not the negative, but night provides time to rest.

Kathy: East – red; sun comes from the east, energy of life

Will: Center earth/cosmos, green and blue

Solo:

I Am an Immigrant by John McCutcheon

Sung by Avery Mossman Larry Mossman, guitar

Offering: Mary

Joseph to play (on piano) Imagine by John Lennon.

Stories from participants; about 3 minutes long, each with a theme.

Sally – intro and making tortillas “Burdens”

Emma – comment about shopping- how much do we need?

Will – challenge of new culture, not knowing the language

Kate – working w/o complaining, seeing how hard others worked

47

Lois – world community

Avery - family

Deb – trip and Dream Act

Call to Action: Diana. As Unitarian Universalists, our responsibilities include working for justice,

equity, and compassion. What is the need here? What will we do here in Iowa City?

Closing Song: Led by Sally Keep on Moving Forward

By Emma’s Revolution

Closing Words: Kate

“Let us embrace the possibilities before us. Let us be guided by love and hope. We are people

who have always affirmed human diversity. We have always looked to the future and seen new

possibilities. We must do so again. Let us be the people who break down the arbitrary barriers

that divide us from them. We are one.” (Peter Morales)

And now may we go forth to continue growing in mindand spirit, to care for all of creation, to

work for justice and peace, and to transform the world with our love.

May it be so and Amen.

Bill,

I am writing to report the activities held at Walnut Hlls United Methodist in Urbandale, Ia

for the Dream Sabbath event. On Sunday Oct. 3 we had four of our youth read stories

from the materials that you had included in the packet. Our pastor also filled in with

information about the dream act and invited people to attend a Sunday School class on

this topic on the following Sunday.

Oct. Sunday Oct. 10 we invited several people from Marshalltown, Ia that are active in

the area of Immigration. One of them was a 23 hear old Latino woman, who told her

story. She is undocumented and came to the U.S. when she was seven years old. She

told of how she had completed 2 years of Community College but because of her status

would not be able to further her education without a change in the laws. There were 30

persons in attendance and based on their interest and concern I have no doubt we have

added support to this initiative.

Jim Thomas, Central District Co-Chair of the Immigration Task Force

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KANSAS

Immigrant Justice Advocacy Movement, Kansas City

N-Evangelica United Methodist Church, Garden City

UU Fellowship of Topeka, Topeka

Congregation of St. Joseph, Wichita

KENTUCKY

Unitarian Universalist Church, Bowling Green

First Unitarian Church, Louisville

Loretto Community, Louisville

Voices of the DREAM

A Program

by Jan Garrett, Katrina Phelps, and Allies for the DREAM

Presented at the Unitarian Universalist Church

of Bowling Green, Kentucky

October 2, 2011

KATRINA PHELPS—Opening Words

Today we will put ourselves in the shoes of others. The shoes of young people who were brought

to this country by their parents, raised in American communities, fully integrated into schools,

clubs, volunteer programs and honors societies, but they are at risk. Due to the circumstances in

which their parents brought them here, they are undocumented immigrants. Every day these

young people risk being locked up in federal detention centers and deported to a country they

have never known. The DREAM Act would stop this injustice by giving students who have

grown up and graduated from high school in the United States the opportunity to earn legal status

through higher education or military service.

Let me provide you with a few of the details lest you think this is a free ticket. Each year,

approximately 65,000 high school graduates are prevented from attending college or working

legally due to their undocumented immigration status. Our immigration law currently has no

mechanism to consider their special circumstances, and even if they leave the U.S. in an effort to

enter legally, they are barred from re-entry for up to 10 years since they have been here in an

undocumented status. The DREAM Act would correct this inequity by allowing upstanding high

school graduates who were brought to the United States as children to obtain a temporary visa so

they could attend school, travel, and work legally. After 10 years, they could apply for a green

card, and eventually apply for citizenship. To qualify for the temporary visa, students would

have to prove they are under 30 years old; were brought to the United States before they were 16;

have been here for at least five years; have graduated from High School; and have a criminal-free

record and good moral conduct. Then, they would have to complete two years of college, trade

49

school, or military service to… adjust their status to lawful permanent residency and pursue a

pathway to citizenship." (DREAM SABBATH TOOLKIT, 16)

On this day, October 2, 2011, we are joining together with many different denominations and

congregations across the country to take part in a DREAM Sabbath, dedicating our church

service to raising awareness of and support for the federal DREAM Act, which has a chance of

passing into law if enough activists make their voices heard. We Unitarian Universalists are a

gentle, angry people, and together, we raise up our voices for social justice, for standing on the

side of love, and to honor the inherent worth and dignity of every human being.

1) MEAGAN HARRIS

Mayra Hidalgo is a DREAM student from Lakeland, Florida. She sent out this message to

Standing on the Side of Love supporters on Thursday, August 18, 2011.

Sources:

Carens, Joseph H., 2010. Immigrants and the Right to Stay. Cambridge MA: The MIT Press

(Boston Review Book).

Hidalgo, Mayra, 2011. Take Part in the DREAM Sabbath. (Standing on the Side of Love

website).

Interfaith Immigration Coalition, 2011. DREAM SABBATH 2011 TOOLKIT (a 74-page

document).

LOUISIANA

Holy Spirit Sisters, Lake Providence

Unitarian Universalist, New Orleans

La Semilla Hispanic/Latino Center for Education Development, New Orleans

MAINE

UMC Brunswick, ME

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MARYLAND

Calvary United Methodist Church, Fredrick

SSND, Baltimore

Emmanuel, Beltsville

The Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, Baltimore

Episcopal, Columbia

Catholic/Pax Christi USA, Mount Rainier

St. Mark’s on the Hill, Pikesville

Grace UMC, Takoma Park

B-W Conference United Methodist Women, Mitchellville

MASSACHUSETTS

Episcopalian, Jamaica Plain

First Parish Cambridge Unitarian Universalist, Cambridge

St. Matthew’s UMC, Acton

St. Matthew’s UMC, Stow

St. Patrick’s, Somerset

MICHIGAN

St. Stephens Episcopal, Troy

Stockbridge Avenue United Methodist Church, Kalamazoo

Universalist Unitarian Church of East Liberty, Clarklake

Clawson UMC/JFON-SEMI, Clawson

Diocese of Grand Rapids, Hispanic Ministry Coordinator Region IV, Ionia

United Methodist, Schoolcraft

Unitarian Universalist, Chaska

Unitarian Universalist Church of Minnetonka, Wayzata

51

MINNESOTA

Guardian Angels Catholic Church, Oakdale

St. Anthony Park Lutheran Church, St. Paul

ELCA/Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Minneapolis

Queen of Angels Catholic Church, Austin

Roman Catholic, Fairfax

Gustavus Aldolphus College, Spanish Composition Classes, St. Peter

Mayflower Community Congregational Church, Minneapolis

Church of All Nations, Columbia Heights

First Unitarian Society, Minneapolis

St. Anthony Park Lutheran Church, St. Paul

El Milagro/The Miracle Lutheran Church, Minneapolis

Minnesota College Leads the Way on DREAM Sabbath Campaign

LIRS BLOG

NOVEMBER 8TH, 2011

Last month, students at Gustavus Adolphus College in Saint Peter, Minnesota dedicated a week to educate and raise awareness among their classmates about the DREAM Act. Students in Spanish Composition classes taught by Professors Mayra Taylor and Maria Kalbermatten led efforts to involve the Lutheran college in the national DREAM Sabbath Campaign.

The dedicated group of students spent time tabling outside of the cafeteria to distribute educational material about the DREAM Act. The film “Papers: Stories of Undocumented Youth” was shown prior to a discussion with a representative from The Advocates for Human Rights. Congressional petitions and letters were passed around to collect signatures demonstrating support for the DREAM Act. Completing the week, in a fitting tribute to legislation that has significant support from faith communities, a chapel service was dedicated to the DREAM Act.

While students in the classes set out to educate and raise awareness on the broader campus, many gained new insights themselves: “Before this semester, I didn’t know that undocumented children could not attend college or work without being deported. I didn’t know we were punishing children for the actions of their parents”, wrote one student in a reflection about the event.

As is the power of education, the impact of the on-campus activities will extend far past the week: “Now that I can vote, this is something I will take into consideration.”

LIRS, in partnership with the Interfaith Immigration Coalition, is encouraging Lutheran churches across the nation to join with Gustavus Adolphus College, the broader Lutheran community and other faith traditions this fall as part of the DREAM

52

Sabbath campaign. To get your church involved, visit lirs.org/dream for information and resources.

Spanish 250 classes focus on service-learning: DREAM Act

By Victoria Clark Editor-in-Chief | September 30, 2011 | News

Students of Spanish Composition this semester are about to launch their service-learning

project, which is centered around an immigration reform bill called the Develop, Relief and

Education for Alien Minors Act or “DREAM” Act.

The classes have teamed up with other student organizations like the Diversity Center,

OLAS, Crossroads and Spanish Club to provide the campus community with a full spread of

events for the week of Oct. 3 through 7 to educate and foster dialogue about the potential

passage of the bill.

The week will start off Monday, Oct. 3 with students tabling outside Evelyn Young Dining

Hall, providing educational materials to students and faculty about what the DREAM Act is

and how they can support it. Petitions and letters to send to members of congress will also

be available for people to sign.

There will be a film showing Thursday, Oct. 6 in Confer 127. The film, entitled, Papers will

be followed by a discussion led by Rev. Gutterman, Volunteer Liaison to Faith Communities

from The Advocates for Human Rights based out of Minneapolis, Minn.

The week’s activities will wrap-up with a homily given by Senior Sociology and

Anthropology and Political Science Major Irma Marquez and First-year Antonio Gomez

during the Friday morning Chapel Service.

53

Rallies occur across the nation each year in support of the DREAM Act.Creative Commons.

Professors of Spanish Mayra Taylor and Maria Kalbermatten, who teach the two sections of

the class, chose the DREAM Act as their service-learning focus for this semester, because

they felt students would be able to connect with the issue since the legislation is geared

towards undocumented, college-aged students who are seeking higher education

opportunities.

“We were looking for a service-learning project that was meaningful to the students;

something that they could identify with. We thought the DREAM Act was something close

to home [and is a topic] they could really be empathetic about,” Taylor said.

“There are people who have graduated from Gustavus and haven’t been able to get jobs or

pursue graduate school, because they don’t have legal status,” Taylor said.

Although both professors stand behind the DREAM Act, they do not force the students to

participate in the outreach part of the project if they are opposed to it.

“We don’t force the students [to participate]. If they feel they don’t agree with the law, they

can talk with us and decide not to take part in the outreach,” Kalbermatten said.

The DREAM Act also ties well with the text the students are reading for the class; a novel

entitled Cajas de Cartón (The Circuit) by Fransisco Jiménez, which tells the story of a young

boy who crosses the border from Mexico and works as an undocumented migrant worker.

54

“We thought that was a good opportunity for students to learn about the DREAM Act and

compare the situations [between the book and current events,]” Taylor said.

In addition to the novel, students are reading other contemporary news articles and other

texts related to the topic.

Students have enjoyed the opportunity to learn about Latino culture through a service-

learning lens.

“Learning about the culture is equally as important as learning the language,” Sophomore

Pyschology Major Zeynep Tuzcu said. “You need to be culturally aware in order to

appreciate the language.”

Both professor Taylor and Kalbermatten said that service-learning is an over-arching goal

for the entire department this year, and other classes are engaging in projects with the

broader Latino community of St. Peter.

“It’s important that [students] know that there are people in the St. Peter community and at

Gustavus who would benefit from the DREAM Act,” Taylor said.

Students who hadn’t heard of the bill before this semester expressed feelings of surprise

upon learning about the DREAM Act.

“They were sort of shocked when they realized they haven’t known anything about this

huge issue. But once they heard the stories, saw the films and learned about these people,

they couldn’t believe this is happening right here around them. It really makes a huge

impact on them,” Taylor said.

Those involved in the project hope that they will gain support for the bill and that it will

encourage dialogue about the DREAM Act both on campus and in the wider community.

“We hope that [those who engage in the project] will be advocates of the cause, help

educate other students and maybe relate this topic to other classes,” Taylor said.

Documentary to Feature Stories of Undocumented Youth

Posted on October 5th, 2011 by Tom Lany '12

The Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures will be sponsoring a showing of the film Papers: Stories of Undocumented Youth on Thurs, Oct. 6 at 7:00 p.m. in Confer 127 on the Gustavus Adolphus College campus. The film tells the story of the 65,000 undocumented children who graduate from high school each year in the United States, and about the hardships they face without the ability to work, drive, and in many cases, attend college.

55

After seeing the hardships faced by model students, a discussion will be facilitated by Rev. Guttermann, Volunteer Liaison to Faith Communities from The Advocates for Human Rights.

Students enrolled in Spanish Composition with Assistant Professor Marisa Kalbermatten and Visiting Instructor Mayra Taylor planned this movie showing, as they seek to educate others about the language they are studying and about issues faced by those who speak the language. “We want to [give] them a cultural background [and expose them to] things that are part of the community,” Taylor said.

Students in the course are concerned about the struggles undocumented students face. “We complain because we have to get up in the morning for class. They don’t get to go to class. We have so much handed to us because we were born in America. They don’t get that because they weren’t born here, so they have to work harder for the same results,” Senior Psychology major Nikki Green said.

Spanish Composition students prepare posters with information about the DREAM Act.

In addition to showing examples of the hardships undocumented children face, the students hope to educate others about the DREAM Act. The act, currently in congress, would allow students who were brought to the United States when they were young the ability to attend college “Basically, it’s a legal avenue for undocumented children who were brought to this country,” Taylor said. The act has been through congress several times, being introduced most recently in May.”

The Spanish Composition students believe others need to know more about the DREAM Act. “A lot of people are misinformed about what the DREAM Act represents. It’s important for people to realize that this is our opportunity to give someone else an opportunity to reach a successful future,” first-year student Marcela Lopez said.

56

“I am sad that more people don’t do [anything] when they learn about this. At the same time, you feel that ‘I’m just one person, what can I do,’” Green said.

Community members will have the ability to take action and show their support for the DREAM Act by signing a letter to congress outside the Market Place on Thursday and Friday, being held in conjunction with the film.

In addition, students Irma Marquez and Annabel Landaverde will be speaking to the campus about the issues undocumented children face in Christ Chapel at 10 a.m. Friday.

If you have questions about these events, contact Kalbermatten at (507) 933-7386 or Taylor at (507) 933-7646.

MISSOURI

St. Paul School of Theology, Kansas City

Homes Skilled Necessary, Bridgeton

Catholic, O’Fallon

Catholic Sisters of the Most Precious Blood, O’Fallon

Loretto Community, Kansas City

Loretto Community, St. Louis

MONTANA

Grace United Methodist Church, Missoula

NEBRASKA

Unitarian Church of Lincoln, Lincoln

United Methodist, Chambers

57

NEVADA

Desert Spring UMW, Las Vegas

Heritage United Methodist, Las Vegas

Green Valley United Methodist Church, Henderson

United Methodist Church, North Las Vegas

Valley Outreach Synagogue-P’nai Tikvah, Las Vegas

Desert Spring United Methodist Church, Las Vegas

University United Methodist Church, Las Vegas

First Filipino-American United Methodist Fellowship, Las Vegas

Griffith United Methodist Church, Las Vegas

Griffith United Methodist Women, Las Vegas

Trinity UMC, Las Vegas

NEW JERSEY

Unitarian Universalist Church, Cherry Hill

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Hamilton Square

The Unitarian Society of Ridgewood, Ridgewood

Catholic Community of Christ Our Light, Cherry Hill

Trinity UMC, Highland Park

NEW MEXICO

Las Vegas (NM) UU Fellowship, Rociada

Loretto Community, Albuquerque

58

NEW YORK

Grace Episcopal Church, Millbrook

Methodist Church, Dobbs Ferry

Interagency Task Force on Immigration, New York

Queens Congregations United for Action, New York

Canisius College, Buffalo

Judson Memorial Church, New York

Caton United Methodist Church, Coming

St. Sylvester Parish Outreach, Medford

Catholic, Rockville Centre

Roman Catholic Church of Rochester, Rochester

Roman Catholic, Crestwood

Catholic/Casnisius College, Buffalo

St. Joseph University RC Parish, Buffalo

UU Congregation of Queens, Flushing

Brockport Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Rochester

St. Paul’s UMC, Middletown

Sloatsburg UMC, Sloatsburg

United Methodist Women, New York

Daughters of Charity, Albany

NYS Youth Leadership Council, Queens

St. Paul’s UMC, Middletown

Goshen UMC, Middletown

UUCSR, Flushing

AsianJournal.com: NY DREAMers and religious leaders launch faith-led DREAM

solidarity initiative, joined by Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Jose A. Vargas

September 16, 2011

http://www.asianjournal.com/fil-am-news/3-filamnews/12649-ny-dreamers-and-religious-

leaders-launch-faith-led-dream-solidarity-initiative-joined-by-pulitzer-prize-winning-

journalist-jose-a-vargas.html

Faith leaders, joined by Jose Antonio Vargas, Pulitzer prize-winning journalist and founder of

Define American, and other DREAMers, launched a statewide initiative called, “New York State

Congregations in solidarity with DREAMers,” as part of a national DREAM Sabbath initiative

spearheaded by Senator Richard Durbin in order to increase support for the DREAM Act.

Across the country, religious leaders will be holding DREAM Sabbath services. To date, 10

DREAM Solidarity events have been scheduled across the state of New York and 200 have been

scheduled across the country.

A recent policy change by the White House might offer some relief to DREAMers who are

currently in proceedings; while it’s a good first step, more remains to be done to bring the

hundreds of thousands of other young people who are not in proceedings out of the shadows.

59

Today’s gathering served to emphasize that faith communities and other supporters would not

give up on their goal of DREAM legislation.

Diane Steinman, Director of NYS Interfaith Network stands with faith leaders, NY DREAMers,

Chung-Wha Hong of NYIC, and Jose Antonio Vargas of Define American “Sen. Dick Durbin

knows, and we know in New York, that strong faith community advocacy for the DREAM Act

can increase support in Congress,” said Diane Steinman, Director of the New York State

Interfaith Network for Immigration Reform. “That’s why he has launched the national DREAM

Sabbath initiative, and why the NYS Interfaith Network for Immigration Reform is urging

congregations to participate in NYS Congregations in Solidarity with DREAMers in New York.”

Jose Antonio Vargas, Pulitzer prize-winning Journalist and founder of Define American “We at

Judson Memorial Church are called by the teachings of our faith to hold a DREAMers Solidarity

Service as part of this important initiative,” said Reverend Michael Ellick, Minister of Judson

and Co-Chair of the Interfaith Network. “According to scripture, we must pursue justice, act with

compassion, and welcome and honor the strangers among us. I urge other congregations to hold

a Solidarity Service and declare their support for DREAMers and the DREAM Act.”

NY DREAMers, Lucia Allain and Cesar Vargas stand with Chung-Wha Hong, Executive

Director of NYIC and Diane Steinman, Director of NYS Interfaith Network “Ultimately,

Congress has to pass the DREAM Act, to provide a path to citizenship for young people who

grew up here without status,” said Chung-Wha Hong, Executive Director of the New York

Immigration Coalition. “The gathering today aims to keep the spotlight on DREAMers and to

make clear that Congress might be in a state of paralysis now, but that doesn’t mean we are; the

fight for DREAMers goes on.”

Jose Antonio Vargas, Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalist and Founder of Define American makes

his remarks “Real immigration reform cannot be achieved solely by undocumented immigrants

and DREAMers like me,” said Jose Antonio Vargas, founder of Define American. “Indeed, we

need the help of American citizens -- our educators, our faith leaders -- who have been standing

up in stalwart support to elevate the conversation about immigration.”

Inquirer Global Nation: 100,000 Americans Join Vargas’ Immigration Drive

September 17, 2011

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/12707/10000-americans-join-vargas%E2%80%99-

immigration-drive

More than 100,000 people across the United States have joined an immigration drive began by

Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas, a Filipino who admitted to being an

illegal immigrant in the US.

“I am overwhelmed by the response: 100,000 Americans from different backgrounds and from

all over the country coming together to spark a powerful new dialogue about what it means to be

an American,” he said.

60

Vargas, 30, revealed in a 4,300-word article published in The New York Times magazine on

June 22 that he is an undocumented immigrant and has been hiding it for nearly 20 years.

He said he was speaking out now in a bid to drum up support for the DREAM Act, a bill which

would provide young immigrant students with the possibility of gaining US citizenship.

“The only way to solve a problem is to tell the truth about it, and I wanted to share that truth

about my own story, as well as the stories of immigrants and the communities they live in

nationwide,” he said.

Following the publication of the article, Vargas started the Define American project and

launched the commitment drive on Change.org, asking Americans to pledge, listen and

participate in a “new conversation on immigration, as well as offer their own definitions of what

it means to be an American.”

“The time has come for to strike up a more civil, inclusive, common sense debate about

immigration in America,” said Vargas, who left The Washington Post in 2009 and briefly joined

The Huffington Post.

Vargas, originally from the Philippines, said his mother put him on a plane for the United States

in 1993, when he was 12, to live with his grandparents in the San Francisco area.

He said he discovered he was living in the United States illegally when he attempted to get a

driving license at the age of 16 and was told by a clerk to go away because his papers were fake.

The campaign said the “enormous response of the online pledge” includes 10,000 signatures and

over 4,363 comments.

“This fall, Define American is planning to launch initiatives to spread the unique stories of

ordinary Americans defining what it means to be American in different ways,” said Change.org

in a statement.

“What Jose Antonio Vargas and Define American have accomplished in just a few months is

astounding,” said Change.org director of organizing Jackie Mahendra.

“Jose has already changed the US immigration debate by courageously sharing his story, and he

has involved hundreds of thousands of Americans in that conversation through his pledge on

Change.org. It’s incredible, the power one story and one campaign can have.”

Vargas was part of the Washington Post team that won the Pulitzer Prize in 2008 for coverage of

the Virginia Tech massacre. He had also interned for The San Francisco Chronicle and the

Philadelphia Daily News, and most recently was a senior contributing editor at Huffington Post.

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Latin American News Dispatch: Jose Antonio Vargas and Immigration Activists Launch

DREAM Act Initiative

September 16, 2011

http://latindispatch.com/2011/09/16/jose-antonio-vargas-immigration-activists-launch-

dream-act-initiative/

Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas and a number of faith-based immigration

activists launched an initiative to pass the DREAM Act Thursday in New York.

Speaking at Judson Memorial Church in New York City, Vargas and other activists including

Chung-Wha Hong of the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), promoted the “New York

State Congregations in Solidarity with DREAMers.” The initiative, which is part of the national

DREAM Sabbath initiative led by Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL), aims to spur on the passage of

the DREAM Act.

“I can’t think of a more fitting place to have this conversation than a church,” said Vargas, a

journalist who won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting and

later stirred up controversy over his admission in the New York Times Magazine that he was an

undocumented immigrant. “[The immigration debate] is not just about undocumented

immigrants like me. It’s about faith leaders, about educators.”

The controversial piece of legislation known as the DREAM Act, an acronym for Development,

Relief and Education for Alien Minors, was first introduced in 2001 to the U.S. Senate and most

recently was re-introduced in May of this year. Among other things, the bill would provide a

path to citizenship to undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States before age 16,

can prove they have lived in the United States for at least five consecutive years since their date

of arrival and have graduated from a U.S. high school, obtained a GED or were admitted to an

institution of higher education.

“Ultimately, Congress has to pass the DREAM Act, to provide a path to citizenship for young

people who grew up here without status,” said Chung-Wha Hong, NYIC executive director. “The

gathering today aims to keep the spotlight on DREAMers and to make clear that Congress might

be in a state of paralysis now, but that doesn’t mean we are; the fight for DREAMers goes on.”

When the DREAM Act was introduced to the Senate in 2011, some Republicans who originally

supported the measure – such as John McCain (R-AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) – withheld

their votes, arguing that the bill should not be passed unless paired with a law enforcement

component. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said he would consider adding the

government’s Internet-based work eligibility verification system, E-Verify, to the DREAM Act.

Vargas criticized the government’s delay in passing the DREAM Act, calling the 10 years since

the bill was first introduced a “lost decade.”

“We’re talking to people in their late 20s or early 30s who could have been doctors,” he said.

“Instead they have to live a shadow life…I don’t see why their education is a threat to anyone.”

62

Vargas also drew comparisons between today’s immigration debate and the Civil Rights

movement in the United States, saying that the movement of the 1950s and 60s was not just

about African-Americans in the U.S. but about all Americans. Along with being a journalist,

Vargas is the founder of Define American, an organization that attempts to use citizens “to fill in

where our broken immigration system fails.”

“From principals to pastors, these everyday immigrant allies are simply trying to do the right

thing.” Define American’s website stated.

In addition to Vargas and immigration activists, a diverse cast of religious leaders from around

New York spoke to a crowd of about 50 people inside the church.

“We at Judson Memorial Church are called by the teachings of our faith to hold a DREAMers

Solidarity Service as part of this important initiative,” said Reverend Michael Ellick, Minister of

Judson and Co-Chair of the Interfaith Network. “According to scripture, we must pursue justice,

act with compassion, and welcome and honor the strangers among us. I urge other congregations

to hold a Solidarity Service and declare their support for DREAMers and the DREAM Act.

The New York State Youth Leadership Council is taking the New York Dream Act on the

road and directly to you! We want to meet immigrant youth, parents, teachers and those

that support their educational and civil rights. This Queens townhall is a safe space

where you can share your immigrant story, come out as undocumented and unafraid,

learn your rights as an undocumented New Yorker, hear from allies that stand with you,

and find out ways you can help make the New York Dream Act a reality.

Elected officials, pro-immigrant organizations, community members and undocumented

youth will be joining this gathering. The public will be informed on the requirements,

benefits and effects of the state bill. The New York DREAM Act was introduced in

March 2011 by State Senator Bill Perkins and Assemblyman Guillermo Linares. This bill

would provided certain benefits to qualifying New York undocumented immigrant youth,

such as driver’s licenses, work authorization, access to health care and state-granted

financial aid for college.

Since its inception, the New York DREAM Act has continuously garnered co-sponsors

in both chambers in Albany, and several organizations, including 1199 SEIU and the

Arab American Association of NY, have endorsed it.

Organized by the NYS Youth Leadership Council in collaboration with the Immigrant

Movement International, this townhall meeting is the third in the New York State series

of meetings, in which the community will learn about the NY DREAM Act with facts and

63

stories of undocumented youth.

As a bill that would improve the economy of the state as well as aid a significant portion

of its immigrant community, the New York DREAM Act has and needs further bipartisan

support. We extend an open invitation to the community to join us!

What: Townhall meeting to discuss the New York DREAM Act Who: Community leaders, undocumented youth and elected officials (invited) Where: 108-59 Roosevelt Avenue. Take the 7 train to 111th street When: Sunday, October 2nd, 2011 at 2pm

DREAMers Hope To Pressure Congress With Religious Arguments

By Sarah Kate Kramer

Girl holding sign at a 2010 DREAM Act rally in New York. (Photo: Sarah Kate Kramer)

64

NEW YORK—The coalition pushing for the passage of both a state-level and national DREAM Act to provide additional rights, freedoms and opportunities for young undocumented immigrants is plotting a new course of social action this fall—faith movements. From September 16 – October 9, religious communities across the country are hosting “DREAM Sabbaths” to raise awareness for the plight of young people eligible for the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act. The effort is being spearheaded by Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL). On Thursday in Manhattan, Jose Antonio Vargas, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who recently revealed himself as an undocumented immigrant and founded Define American, joined young DREAMers and the New York Immigration Coalition in their kick-off event with interfaith leaders. The event was held at the Judson Memorial Church, which has a deep history of aiding immigrants. “According to scripture, we must pursue justice, act with compassion, and welcome and honor the strangers among us. I urge other congregations to hold a Solidarity Service and declare their support for DREAMers and the DREAM Act,” said Reverend Michael Ellick, Minister of Judson and Co-Chair of the Interfaith Network, in a press release. The Obama Administration recently announced policy changes that allegedly protect DREAM Act eligible youth from deportation, but critics say they do not guarantee protection nor offer needed rights to undocumented youth. The national DREAM Act offers certain undocumented immigrants under 35 an opportunity to apply for citizenship after two years of college or military service. The New York State bill cannot alter immigration status but would ease their lives by providing additional financial aid for students, access to health care, the ability to obtain drivers licenses and work authorization. The New York State Youth Leadership Council also held a town hall meeting in Brooklyn this weekend to promote the state bill with elected officials and community leaders. Over 200 “DREAM Sabbath” events are planned, and the activists’ hope is that pressure from faith communities will move Congress to support the bill, which was defeated in the Senate last fall.

http://news.feetintwoworlds.org/2011/09/19/dreamers-hope-to-pressure-congress-with-religious-arguments/

65

NORTH CAROLINA

St. Peter’s Catholic Church, Charlotte

Temple Or Olam, Concord

City of Refugy, High Point

Episcopal Church, Boonville

Episcopalian, Southern Pines

Spring Hill UMC, Lillington

United Methodist, Salisbury

Unitarian Universalist, Mebane

St. John’s Presbyterian Church, Durham

Galloway Memorial Episcopal Church, Elkin

General Board of Church and Society UMC, Lake Junaluska

Episcopal Campus Ministry, Raleigh

Raleigh Youth Action Forum, Raleigh

St. John, Eden

Chapel Hill, Reidsville

Watts Street Baptist Church, Durham

La Vela Lutheran Church, Greensboro

St. Mathew Catholic Church, Charolette

Mission Team Meeting, Swansboro

North Carolina Faith Communities Launch DREAM Sabbath, Call it “A Campaign for

Compassion and Justice” Press Call Featuring North Carolina Leaders Kicks Off Campaign of 10 Events in North Carolina

As Part of 300+ Event Nationwide Campaign to Push for DREAM Act’s Passage North Carolina – On a press call today, representatives from North Carolina communities of

faith kicked-off DREAM Sabbaths a part of a nationwide effort to urge leaders in Congress and

North Carolina to pass the DREAM Act. Last year, the DREAM Act came a mere 5 votes short of

passage in the U.S. Senate, and now faith communities are uniting with DREAM eligible youth

to once again sound the clarion call of compassion and justice and push for immigration policies

that do not unfairly punish youth for the acts of their parents. Speakers on today’s call highlighted the 10 upcoming North Carolina events in Charlotte, High

Point, Boonville, Southern Press, Lillington, Salisbury, Mebane, Durham and Elkin, as part of

the national DREAM Sabbath campaign that features 300+ events in 45 states across the

nation. Over the course of the next three weeks in North Carolina and throughout the nation, a

diverse array of religious communities across the theological and ideological spectrum will offer

prayers in support of the DREAM Act and lift up the personal stories of young people in their

own communities who would benefit from the DREAM Act – details pertaining to a selection of

the North Carolina are listed below.

66

Involving nearly every major religious denomination in America, DREAM Sabbath is being

organized by the Interfaith Immigration Coalition in partnership with the United We Dream

Network, the grassroots movement of undocumented immigrant youth, and longtime DREAM

Act champion and sponsor, U.S. Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL). The DREAM Act would provide opportunities for young people who grew up in America and

want to give back to the country they call home the chance to earn legal status and a path to

citizenship if they meet a set of stringent criteria and attend college or enroll in the U.S.

military. On today’s call, North Carolina DREAM-eligible student Moises Serrano, who came to

the United States as a small child, told his story. Said Moises, "The Declaration of

Independence says that ‘we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,

that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights. That among these are

life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.’ I have lived in the United States for 21 years. I am an

American in every way and aspect imaginable. This quote for me is life defining, I am a

DREAMer and I fight for Liberty. Nine Social Security numbers should not stand in the way of my

being able to reach my full potential as an American.” In the midst of an increasingly divisive political environment, and with the backdrop of record

numbers of deportations and family separations, the voice of the faith community is more

important than ever in speaking out on behalf of young people across our country who deserve

the chance to give back to the only country they know. According to Reverend David Fraccaro, “Members of our diverse faith communities in North

Carolina are powerfully connected to the NC Dreamers. By listening to their stories and

witnessing their tremendous courage and resiliency, we have awakened to the tremendous

leadership and character Dreamers offer our country and we believe that they should be fully

welcomed with open arms" Similarly, Jane Motsinger, Outreach Chair, Galloway Memorial Chapel Episcopal Church, said,

"If we profess to be a nation founded upon Christian principles, then it is not sufficient to

simply talk the talk. More importantly, we Christians must walk the walk and follow Jesus'

command to love each other the way he loves us. This means we must respect the dignity and

humanity of every human being, treat each other with compassion and mercy and strive for

justice, equality, and freedom for all people in our great nation." Rabbi Andy Koren, concluded “When we embrace our new diversity and allow it to flourish we

become a better nation. I have no doubt the spirited and talented young men and women from

the NC Dream Team will continue to make tremendous contributions to this country, especially

at a time when we need brave new voices and ideas to move us forward. Passing the DREAM

Act is in the best interest of all Americans.” Rev. John Richardson, Regional Minister, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) added, "[The

North Carolina faith leaders’] statement affirms that the roots of all religious traditions that

trace their origins to Abraham—Jews, Christians and Muslims—hold hospitality, care of the

67

oppressed and justice for all people as high values. We believe the decency of the American

people reflects these same ideals, and we strongly urge leaders of government and citizens

everywhere to embrace a fair and positive direction for all the young people who live in our

country.” These are some of the events Faith groups are holding in North Carolina: Galloway Memorial Episcopal Church Sunday September 25

th 2011

312 West Main Street Elkin, NC 28621-3314 (336) 526-2172

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Lake Norman Sunday, October 9

th 2011

Prayer and preaching about the DREAM Act during Sunday service

135 Woodlawn School Loop Mooresville, NC 28115 For more information on DREAM Sabbath and events across the nation visit: http://www.interfaithimmigration.org/index.php/2011/07/01/dream-sabbath-launch/ For a recording of today's call visit: http://supportimmigrationreform.org/blog/dreamsabbath/ ###

Winston-Salem Journal: DREAM Sabbath 2011 highlights cause By Bertrand Gutierrez September 23, 2011 http://www2.journalnow.com/news/2011/sep/22/houses-of-worship-give-dreamers-a-voice-ar-1421482/

About 300 houses of worship, including churches in Winston-Salem, Elkin and Boonville, are joining a national campaign to raise awareness about young educated immigrants who have grown up mostly in the U.S. but are not authorized to be in the country.

The campaign, known as DREAM Sabbath 2011, is named after the DREAM Act, proposed legislation that would give a pathway to legal residency status to such immigrants. In North Carolina, 10 churches have signed up to participate during September and October, according to the Washington-based advocacy group Interfaith Immigration Coalition, which is organizing the event.

68

Among the churches are Centro Refugio in Winston-Salem, the Divine Redeemer Parish in Boonville and Galloway Memorial Episcopal Church in Elkin. Young immigrants who would likely qualify for the DREAM Act are being invited to houses of worship to speak about their experiences, said Jane Motsinger, the director of the outreach program at Galloway Memorial.

"If we profess to be Christians in this country, and a lot of us do, then it's not just enough to talk the talk. We feel very strongly that we need to walk the walk, and in doing so follow Jesus where he wants us to go. Sometimes those places are uncomfortable, and sometimes those places are not where we want to go. But he calls us to go anyway, and he

commands us to love one another," Motsinger said Thursday.

The case of the "dreamers" highlights the complexity of the immigration debate.

Many Democratic and Republican lawmakers, as well as the Obama administration, agree that illegal immigrants who pose a danger to public safety should be deported and that border security should be tightened. But divisions become clearer when the discussion focuses on young educated immigrants who would qualify for the DREAM Act.

Opponents of the DREAM Act say that such immigrants should be deported. They say that "dreamers" take jobs, and they burden taxpayers by driving up public education costs. In addition, they say, allowing such immigrants to correct their legal status is tantamount to giving them amnesty — and that would create an incentive for other immigrants to come to the U.S. illegally.

In North Carolina, there are about 51,000 "dreamers," less than 1 percent of the state population, according to the Migration Policy Institute, a nonprofit research group based in Washington, D.C.

69

One of those immigrants will be the guest speaker Sunday at Galloway Memorial in Elkin, which is in Surry County. Moises Serrano, a straight-A student who graduated from Starmount High School in Yadkin County, will talk about his experiences as a once-stellar student who now faces limited options.

Because Serrano is not authorized to be in the United States, he cannot get a driver's license in North Carolina. And although he has lived in Yadkin County nearly all of his life and could likely get into the state's top colleges and universities, he is not enrolled full time because he cannot afford the out-of-state tuition that he would be required to pay.

"It's important to reach out to the community to educate them on issues of the immigrant population. I have seen that not many people know what the DREAM Act consists of. They don't want to vote on it or want to know anything about an issue if they don't put a face on it," said Serrano, who is a member of the immigrant advocacy group El Cambio, based in Yadkinville.

David Velez, the pastor at Ciudad Refugio in Winston-Salem, heard about the DREAM Sabbath campaign recently and is planning to invite an immigrant such as Serrano to his church, he said.

"If you look at the (immigration) issue from a legal point of view, you could say that they're illegal. But if you look at it from the point of view of a human being, I think that isn't right. I'd say that this country is made up of immigrants," Velez said.

Associated Press: NC churches participate in DREAM Sabbath 2011 September 23, 2011 http://www.chron.com/news/article/NC-churches-participate-in-DREAM-Sabbath-2011-2185042.php

Ten North Carolina churches are among 300 houses of worship nationwide that are participating in a campaign to raise awareness about young educated immigrants who are not authorized to be in the United States even though they grew up here.

The Winston-Salem Journal reported (http://bit.ly/oxKBO9) the DREAM Sabbath 2011 is named after the DREAM Act, proposed legislation to give such immigrants a way to become legal residents.

The Washington-based advocacy group Interfaith Immigration Coalition is organizing the event and says the churches will participate during September and October.

Among the churches is Galloway Memorial Episcopal Church in Elkin. The director of the outreach program there says young immigrants who would likely qualify for the DREAM Act are being invited to houses of worship to speak about their experiences.

70

Fox News- North Carolina: Some Triad Churches To Raise DREAM Act Awareness

September 23, 2011

http://www.myfox8.com/news/wghp-some-triad-churches-to-raise-dream-act-awareness-

20110923,0,3335357.story

Churches in Winston-Salem, Boonville and Elkin have signed up to be part of a national

campaign to keep young educated immigrants in the United States.

DREAM Sabbath 2011 has 300 churches nationwide, including 10 in North Carolina. The

sabbath involves the DREAM Act, which is proposed legislation that would give children of

illegal immigrants legal residency status.

Moises Serrano, who would qualify for the DREAM Act, will speak at Galloway Memorial

Episcopal Church on Sunday. He was born in Cancun but moved with his parents to North

Carolina when he was 1 1/2 years old.

He graduated from Starmount High School in Yadkin County with straight A's four years ago,

but despite his success, he could still be deported.

"I am a man with no nation, and we are all dreamers without a nation. We can't go back to a

country that we don't know, and we are not being permitted to stay in a country that we love,"

Serrano said.

Jane Motsinger, director of the outreach program at Gateway Memorial, said she has a strong

compassion for those like Serrano.

"I understand how they feel, and I can understand how it would feel if I was in his shoes,"

Motsinger said.

There are about 51,000 so-called "dreamers" in North Carolina, which accounts for less than 1

percent of the state population.

Fox News Latino: North Carolina Churches Join DREAM Sabbath to Focus on Plight of

Undocumented Students

September 23, 2011

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2011/09/23/ten-north-carolina-churches-are-

observing-dream-sabbath-to-focus-attention-on/#ixzz1Z1tRth9Q

It's dubbed DREAM Sabbath 2011.

It is a nationwide campaign to draw attention to the difficulties faced by undocumented youth

when they try to attend college, which often is cost-prohibitive for them because they are at

times charged out-of-state tuition.

71

Ten North Carolina churches are among 300 houses of worship nationwide that are participating

in the campaign.

The Winston-Salem Journal reported the DREAM Sabbath 2011 is named after the DREAM

Act, proposed legislation to give such immigrants a way to become legal residents.

The Washington-based advocacy group Interfaith Immigration Coalition is organizing the event

and says the churches are participating during September and October.

Among the churches is Galloway Memorial Episcopal Church in Elkin.

Jane Motsinger, the director of the outreach program at Galloway Memorial, there says young

immigrants who would likely qualify for the DREAM Act are being invited to houses of worship

to speak about their experiences.

"If we profess to be Christians in this country, and a lot of us do, then it's not enough to talk the

talk," Motsinger is quoted as saying in the Winston-Salem Journal. "We feel very strongly that

we need to walk the walk, and in doing so follow Jesus where he wants us to go. Sometimes

those places are uncomfortable, and sometimes those places are not where we want to go. But he

calls us to go anyway, and he commands us to love one another."

Winston-Salem Journal: DREAM Sabbath 2011 highlights cause

By Bertrand Gutierrez

September 23, 2011

http://www2.journalnow.com/news/2011/sep/22/houses-of-worship-give-dreamers-a-voice-

ar-1421482/

About 300 houses of worship, including churches in Winston-Salem, Elkin and Boonville, are

joining a national campaign to raise awareness about young educated immigrants who have

grown up mostly in the U.S. but are not authorized to be in the country.

The campaign, known as DREAM Sabbath 2011, is named after the DREAM Act, proposed

legislation that would give a pathway to legal residency status to such immigrants. In North

Carolina, 10 churches have signed up to participate during September and October, according to

the Washington-based advocacy group Interfaith Immigration Coalition, which is organizing the

event.

Among the churches are Centro Refugio in Winston-Salem, the Divine Redeemer Parish in

Boonville and Galloway Memorial Episcopal Church in Elkin. Young immigrants who would

likely qualify for the DREAM Act are being invited to houses of worship to speak about their

experiences, said Jane Motsinger, the director of the outreach program at Galloway Memorial.

"If we profess to be Christians in this country, and a lot of us do, then it's not just enough to talk

the talk. We feel very strongly that we need to walk the walk, and in doing so follow Jesus where

he wants us to go. Sometimes those places are uncomfortable, and sometimes those places are

72

not where we want to go. But he calls us to go anyway, and he commands us to love one

another," Motsinger said Thursday.

The case of the "dreamers" highlights the complexity of the immigration debate.

Many Democratic and Republican lawmakers, as well as the Obama administration, agree that

illegal immigrants who pose a danger to public safety should be deported and that border

security should be tightened. But divisions become clearer when the discussion focuses on young

educated immigrants who would qualify for the DREAM Act.

Opponents of the DREAM Act say that such immigrants should be deported. They say that

"dreamers" take jobs, and they burden taxpayers by driving up public education costs. In

addition, they say, allowing such immigrants to correct their legal status is tantamount to giving

them amnesty — and that would create an incentive for other immigrants to come to the U.S.

illegally.

In North Carolina, there are about 51,000 "dreamers," less than 1 percent of the state population,

according to the Migration Policy Institute, a nonprofit research group based in Washington,

D.C.

One of those immigrants will be the guest speaker Sunday at Galloway Memorial in Elkin, which

is in Surry County. Moises Serrano, a straight-A student who graduated from Starmount High

School in Yadkin County, will talk about his experiences as a once-stellar student who now faces

limited options.

Because Serrano is not authorized to be in the United States, he cannot get a driver's license in

North Carolina. And although he has lived in Yadkin County nearly all of his life and could

likely get into the state's top colleges and universities, he is not enrolled full time because he

cannot afford the out-of-state tuition that he would be required to pay.

"It's important to reach out to the community to educate them on issues of the immigrant

population. I have seen that not many people know what the DREAM Act consists of. They don't

want to vote on it or want to know anything about an issue if they don't put a face on it," said

Serrano, who is a member of the immigrant advocacy group El Cambio, based in Yadkinville.

David Velez, the pastor at Ciudad Refugio in Winston-Salem, heard about the DREAM Sabbath

campaign recently and is planning to invite an immigrant such as Serrano to his church, he said.

"If you look at the (immigration) issue from a legal point of view, you could say that they're

illegal. But if you look at it from the point of view of a human being, I think that isn't right. I'd

say that this country is made up of immigrants," Velez said.

73

Associated Press - North Carolina: NC churches participate in DREAM Sabbath 2011

September 23, 2011

http://www.chron.com/news/article/NC-churches-participate-in-DREAM-Sabbath-2011-

2185042.php

Ten North Carolina churches are among 300 houses of worship nationwide that are participating

in a campaign to raise awareness about young educated immigrants who are not authorized to be

in the United States even though they grew up here.

The Winston-Salem Journal reported (http://bit.ly/oxKBO9) the DREAM Sabbath 2011 is named

after the DREAM Act, proposed legislation to give such immigrants a way to become

legal residents.

The Washington-based advocacy group Interfaith Immigration Coalition is organizing the event

and says the churches will participate during September and October.

Among the churches is Galloway Memorial Episcopal Church in Elkin. The director of the

outreach program there says young immigrants who would likely qualify for the DREAM Act

are being invited to houses of worship to speak about their experiences.

Associated Press - North Carolina: NC Churches Join Push for Immigration Reform

September 25, 2011

http://www.chron.com/news/article/NC-churches-join-push-for-immigration-reform-

2187876.php

A campaign to change U.S. immigration laws to help young immigrants earn an education is

taking to the pulpit in North Carolina churches.

Ten North Carolina churches are among 300 houses of worship nationwide participating in the

DREAM Sabbath 2011 campaign on Sunday and through October 9th.

Young immigrants likely to qualify for the DREAM Act federal immigration reform tell

congregations about growing up in the United States after their parents brought them here.

Members of Galloway Memorial Episcopal Church in Elkin expect to hear from Moises Serrano,

who was brought to North Carolina from Mexico when he was a baby. He graduated four years

ago from Starmount High School in Yadkin County with straight A's, but still faces deportation.

About 51,000 North Carolina youths are in similar circumstances.

74

Winston Salem-Journal: Church hears speakers for DREAM Act

By Bertrand Gutierrez

September 26, 2011

http://www2.journalnow.com/news/2011/sep/26/wsmain01-church-hears-speakers-for-

dream-act-ar-1430798/

Moises Serrano, a Mexican immigrant who was raised mostly in the United States but is not

authorized to be in the country, didn't choose to cross the U.S. border.

Serrano was less than 2 at the time. His parents made that decision while fleeing poverty and

violence about two decades ago — ultimately to pick tobacco fields as migrant workers in North

Carolina, Serrano said Sunday in a small church in Elkin.

"My mom blames herself every day for bringing me here. She says, 'It's my fault.' … But I tell

her not to blame herself. The people that I love are here. This is my country," Serrano said.

Now 21, Serrano told his story as one of two guest speakers taking part in a national campaign

known as DREAM Sabbath 2011.

About 300 houses of worship, including 10 in North Carolina, are participating in the campaign

during September and October to raise awareness about the DREAM Act, proposed federal

legislation that would give young, educated immigrants such as Serrano a pathway to legal

status.

Opponents of the DREAM Act say, among other things, that such immigrants take jobs and that

allowing them to correct their legal status is tantamount to giving them amnesty and will

encourage more illegal immigration. Supporters say immigrants such as Serrano should not be

punished for something their parents did and that these young people are assets to society.

Standing in front of the congregation at Gallaway Memorial Episcopal Church, Serrano said his

parents had no food for him when he was an infant in Mexico, and that's why they made a

treacherous journey on foot, walking across a desert for three weeks to make the crossing when

Serrano was about 18 months old, he said.

The family ended up in Yadkin County, he said. Meanwhile, Serrano attended elementary,

middle and high school in the county and graduated with stellar grades. Along the way, he said,

he was a member of several school and civic clubs, including Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Now, he speaks with a hint of a Southern accent, and he is no stranger to saying such phrases as

"yes, sir" and "yes, ma'am." It wasn't until he was about 16 that he started picking up other terms.

"They called me a 'coconut' — brown on the outside and white on the inside," he said, referring

to his school days. He also started hearing the word "undocumented." Its meaning truly hit him

when he graduated, Serrano said.

75

"My best friend was going to go off to college to be somebody, and I was going to stay here and

be nobody," he said.

"We are not criminals," Serrano continued. "All we want to do is get an education and give back.

… I want to own a house. I want to settle down."

One of the goals of the DREAM Sabbath, which was organized by the Washington-based

advocacy group Interfaith Immigration Coalition, is to dispel what immigrant advocates say are

myths about "dreamers."

After the service, some of those issues were raised. Several church members gathered in a house

next door for lunch, with two long tables offering such plates as deviled eggs, chicken, barbecue,

green beans, salad, rolls and several types of dessert. While eating, church members asked

questions.

One asked what percentage of "undocumented immigrants" pay taxes, which prompted church

member Karin Littlejohn, a tax attorney, to respond that the percentage is surprisingly higher

than some people may think.

They pay sales, property and income taxes, she said.

Many use an ITIN, or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, she said. The Internal

Revenue Service issues these numbers to certain individuals who are not eligible to obtain a

Social Security number, according to the IRS. The ITIN is issued regardless of immigration

status.

Littlejohn expressed her support for the DREAM Act by citing Texas Gov. Rick Perry, the

Republican presidential candidate who has drawn fire for supporting the DREAM Act and

saying to those who oppose it: "I don't think you have a heart."

"It's true," Littlejohn said. "You don't have a heart."

Although church officials said there are differences of opinion within the church on the DREAM

Act, most of the church members at the lunch seemed to support the legislation. For example,

Ann Mayberry of Elkin said she was willing to get involved.

76

"Now what do we do? I'm 81, almost, so I'm not marching," she said, joking.

Martin

Rodriguez,

who recently

participated

in a sit-in

protest in

Charlotte,

said

contacting

members of

Congress is

one step.

Wooten

Gough, a

U.S. citizen

who helped

start the

advocacy

group El

Cambio in

Yadkinville, said voting is another way to get involved.

Llewellyn Churchill of Yadkinville told Serrano and Rodriguez not to give up hope, noting the

resistance Irish immigrants met during the turn of the last century.

"Our history is full of problems accepting new families. Cheer up! This isn't the first time this

has happened," Churchill said.

On Sunday, a similar DREAM Sabbath event will take place at the Divine Redeemer, a Catholic

parish in Boonville. Next month, Ciudad Refugio, a small church in Winston-Salem, plans to

host one, too.

Winston-Salem Journal (Editorial): Rick Perry is right on Dream Act, though it may cost

him

By JournalNow Staff

September 28, 2011

http://www2.journalnow.com/news/opinion/2011/sep/28/wsopin01-editoiral-rick-perry-is-

right-on-dream-ac-ar-1437915/

We don't agree with Republican presidential hopeful Rick Perry on a lot of things, but his

support of equal higher-education opportunities for the children of illegal immigrants brought to

this country is right and moral.

77

One need only see the faces and learn the names of some of these bright young people to

understand that they yearn for higher education so they can become productive citizens of the

only country they've ever known.

Journal reporter Bertrand Gutierrez introduced us on Sunday to one. Moises Serrano, 21, spoke

at Gallaway Memorial Episcopal Church in Elkin as part of the national campaign called

DREAM Sabbath 2011, organized to raise awareness of the DREAM Act, federal legislation that

would provide students like Serrano a path to legal status.

"My best friend was going to go off to college to be somebody, and I was going to stay here and

be nobody," Serrano told the congregation.

Rick Perry's support of Texas legislation that allows students like Serrano who live in Texas to

attend a state university and pay in-state tuition brought him boos at last week's Republican

debate and probably contributed to the GOP frontrunner's poor showing in the Florida

Republican presidential straw poll two days later. It could cost him the Republican nomination.

But Perry is in good Republican company when it comes to his moderate stance on illegal

immigration. Ronald Reagan supported amnesty for illegal immigrants, a word so despised by

the right today that no one dare utter it. In a debate with rival Walter Mondale in 1984, Reagan

said, "I believe in the idea of amnesty for those who have put down roots and lived here, even

though sometime back they may have entered illegally." You have to believe Reagan would have

wholeheartedly endorsed the DREAM Act. And George W. Bush proposed reasonable and

compassionate immigration reform.

Perry has argued that the Texas in-state tuition policy is compassionate and practical, and that to

deprive children of illegal immigrants an education increases the likelihood that they will

become a burden on society. Qualified illegal immigrants are allowed at public community

colleges and universities in North Carolina but pay out-of-state fees, which is reasonable.

"All we want to do is get an education and give back. I want to own a house," Serrano said. "I

want to settle down." He said he told his mother, who blamed herself for bringing him to the

United States, that all the people he loves are here. "This is my country," he said.

Let's support the DREAM Act and not deny these young people a bright future.

Winston-Salem Journal: (Letter to the editor): DREAM Events

September 30, 2011

http://www2.journalnow.com/news/opinion/2011/sep/30/wsopin01-the-readers-forum-

friday-letters-ar-1446085/

Thank you to the Journal and staff, especially reporter Bertrand Gutierrez and photographer

Bruce Chapman, for your excellent coverage of recent DREAM Sabbath events and for your

support of the DREAM Act ("Church hears speakers for DREAM Act," Sept. 26). Passage of

this act will make it possible for undocumented young men and women to further their education

78

and establish a process whereby they can attain legal status. It is not only the right thing, but also

a wise thing to do.

Most of these young people have already made many positive contributions to their schools, faith

communities and neighborhoods; for sure, they will continue to do so. Let's give them the chance

to pursue their dreams, and let's support them in their efforts.

OHIO

Methodist Theological School in Ohio, Delaware

Broad St. United Methodist Church, Columbus

Rum Creek United Methodist Church, Quincy

Unitarian Universalist Church of Kent, Kent

Oberlin Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Oberlin

North Broadway UMC, Columbus

St. Paul United Methodist Church, Dayton

Powell United Methodist Church, Powell

The United Church of Granville, Granville

St. John’s UU, Cincinnati

St. Paschal Baylon, Highland Heights

Catholic Sister of Charity, Mt. St. Joseph

Olmstead Unitarian Universalist Congregation, North Olmstead

Summit, Columbus

MaCi Correctional Institutional, Columbus

WKSU: Religious Leaders Call for Immigration Reform

By Anna Staver

September 16, 2011

http://www.wksu.org/news/story/29438

This weekend, more than 200 religious organizations across the country will hold special

services to support immigration reform, including events in Cleveland and Kent.

The so called Dream Sabbath is intended to push support for passage of a federal bill that would

create paths to citizenship for immigrants who graduate from U.S. high schools and go onto

college or the military.

The act failed in Congress last December, and Cincinnati pastor Troy Jackson says since then

Ohio’s focus has been on an unrelated fight over the state’s collective bargaining law. Jackson

says he sympathizes with the unions, but there has to be room for other priorities.

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Cincinnati.com: DREAM Sabbath Campaign Pushes for Immigration Reform

By Mark Curnutte

September 18, 2011

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20110918/NEWS01/110918020/Dream-Sabbath-

campaign-pushes-for-immigration-reform?odyssey=tab|mostpopular|text|FRONTPAGE

The Dream Sabbath campaign started Sunday nationally by faith leaders will push for

legalization for thousands of undocumented immigrants brought illegally to the United States as

children.

The campaign takes its name from federal legislation, introduced repeatedly in Congress for the

past 10 years, that would provide a path toward naturalization to young people brought to the

United States illegally as minors. Collectively, such young people refer to themselves as

Dreamers, and they could move toward citizenship though higher education or military service if

the bill became law.

As many as 65,000 undocumented immigrations – not just Hispanics – graduate each year from

U.S. high schools.

Dream Sabbath events were held beginning Sunday across Ohio and the country – including

those in Kent, Oberlin and Columbus – as part of an organized interfaith effort to urge state and

national leaders to support the Dream Act.

No events were held in Greater Cincinnati, yet the movement to support the Dream Act and

immigrations reform has grown in this area.

A group of Dreamers have organized and call themselves Committee Oscar Romero, named in

honor of the slain El Salvadoran archbishop.

In June, the leaders of 16 local religious denominations and organizations – with a collective

congregational membership in the hundreds of thousands – made a unified call for a civil and

just approach to the contentious issue of immigration in Ohio. Members of the Metropolitan

Religious Coalition of Cincinnati (MARCC) support a five-point declaration of principles that

they want to guide discussion and policy. From origins in Southwest Ohio, organizers plan to

gather support throughout the state and hope to come up with an Ohio Compact, similar to the

Utah Compact formed in December.

The Dream Sabbath movement has support in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.

“We recognize that nations have a need and right to regulate the flow of migrants into the

country; this is a matter of social justice in itself,” said Tony Stieritz, director of the

archdiocese’s Catholic Social Action Office. “At the same time this right for nations to regulate

migrants must be balanced with the right of migrants to go wherever they need to in order to

provide for their life and human dignity as well, as that of their own family. We also recognize

that the family unit is the pinnacle of human society and organization. The Dream Act is most

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important in all of this because we recognize that the Dreamers throughout this country have

known no other home than this country.”

The United States Catholic Bishops Conference supports comprehensive immigration policies

that combine valid enforcement laws with fair and generous legalization measures.

Dream Sabbath events are scheduled for Oct. 2 in Columbus, Oct. 9 in North Olmsted and Oct.

16 in Dayton. Additional events may be scheduled in Greater Cincinnati, organizers said.

Dream Act critics refer to it as amnesty that rewards illegal behavior and say it will promote

more illegal immigration, lead to family members of students becoming permanent U.S.

residents and reduce college financial aid resources that would be otherwise available to U.S.

citizens.

Nationally, public opinion polls are mixed toward immigration.

A 2010 Washington Post-ABC News poll showed that 58 percent of Americans supported an

Arizona-type law that would give police additional powers to check residency papers of

suspected illegal immigrants. Yet 57 percent of Americans favor a pathway to citizenship for

illegal immigrants in the United States if they pay a fine or meet other requirements, the poll

showed. The issue remains highly contentious in Congress.

An estimated 60,000 undocumented immigrants live in Greater Cincinnati and Northern

Kentucky. Many are Eastern Europeans and Africans, whose appearances physically blend into

the Caucasian and African-American populations.

Hispanic population more than doubled in the past 10 years. It is now 53,384, according to the

U.S. Census, up from 21,867 in 2000. Cincinnati’s Hispanic population has grown from 4,230 to

8,308 in the past 10 years. Regionally, Butler County has experienced the largest growth in

Hispanic population – more than tripling, from 4,771 to 14,670. Overall, the 2010 numbers show

that Hispanic people are now 2.67 percent of the total eight-county population. The percentage in

2000 was 1.16.

I thought both of you might be interested in the following announcement in the MTSO student

email today:

Campus News & Events

Faculty support passage of the DREAM Act

The following statement on the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act has

been issued by the faculty of MTSO.

As an expression of our institutional heritage of standing for justice and hospitality, the faculty

at the Methodist Theological School in Ohio support the immediate passage of the DREAM Act.

The DREAM Act would allow young adults who were brought to the U.S. as children by their

undocumented parents a path to U.S. citizenship in exchange for two years of college or

military service. The DREAM Act would permit undocumented young adults whose home is the

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U.S. to continue to live and work here without fear of deportation during their service and/or

education. Because we believe that education is a critical component of the common good both

for the church and the broader society, we support the immediate passage of the DREAM Act.

In our mission as a theological school training leaders for the church and world, we understand

that a statement is inadequate without action. On Dec. 5, we will hold a teaching session on the

DREAM Act and how to offer a DREAM Sabbath in local congregations as a response to the Jan.

6 reading at the beginning of the liturgical season of Epiphany.

Additional resources regarding the DREAM Act Sabbath are available from the Interfaith

Immigration Coalition<http://www.interfaithimmigration.org/> and the United Methodist

Board of Church and Society<http://www.umc-

gbcs.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=frLJK2PKLqF&b=4909851&ct=11130113>.

OKLAHOMA

Good Shepherd Lutheran/DREAM Act Oklahoma, Tulsa

Lawton Wesley Foundation, Lawton

Good Shepherd Lutheran/DREAM Act Oklahoma, Tulsa

DREAM Act Oklahoma presenta foro informativo sobre nuevo projecto Juan Miret

[email protected]

Hispano de Tulsa

TULSA, Oklahoma – La organización estudiantil DREAM Act Oklahoma, con el patrocinio

de los Servicios Luteranos de Inmigración y Refugiados, presentó un foro informativo el

pasado 5 de noviembre sobre el significado de dicha propuesta reformista, así como el

testimonio de algunos de sus dirigentes y promotores.

El evento se llevó a cabo en la iglesia luterana El Buen Pastor, ubicada en la 8730 E.

Skelly Dr.

“Esperamos que ustedes puedan ver aquí sus vidas reflejadas o la historia de algunos

de sus amigos”, dijo Tina Peña, la consejera del grupo, momentos antes de iniciar el

evento con un video que recopilaba las acciones nacionales de la asociación fundada en

Tulsa. “La historia de éstos jóvenes es la de muchos otros más”.

Tracey Medina, miembro del grupo local, le dijo a la audiencia que la propuesta del

DREAM Act ha ido evolucionando y salvando obstáculos, especialmente en la campaña

de ‘Indocumentado, Sin Miedo’, la cual busca informar a la comunidad mediante el

relato de las historias de los jóvenes estudiantes. ““Esto enseña, inspira y motiva a

otros a la acción”, dijo Medina, agregando que “el momento de éste movimiento es

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ahora”.

Seneca Scott, representante demócrata, del área de Kendall Whittier, correspondiente

al distrito 72 de la legislatura estatal, también estuvo presente en el evento. “Estos

eventos nos ayudan a nosotros, los legisladores, a entender algo tan importante”, dijo.

“Sigan adelante”.

Una historia

“Me llamo Isaac y soy indocumentado. Vivía en las sombras, pero ya estoy cansado”.

Esas fueron las palabras dirigidas a los asistentes por parte de un joven universitario,

nacido en Guadalajara, México, quien a pesar de carecer de “nueve números

del seguro social”, estudia para recibirse como especialista en justicia criminal y algún

día convertirse en policía, “para proteger a mi ciudad y a mi comunidad”.

� Isaac había descartado la posibilidad de proseguir una educación superior una

vez que terminó la preparatoria. Sin embargo, un viaje a Washington, D.C., con

el DREAM Act Oklahoma, lo motivó para seguir adelante. “Gracias a esa decisión,

mi vida cambió”, dijo, y le agradeció a Medina el haberlo invitado a esa travesía

de 1.200 millas.

El joven abordó el tema de la radicalización del discurso sobre el DREAM Act por

parte de algunos sectores. “No somos ilegales. Somos humanos, somos

estudiantes, somos americanos, con o sin documentos”, dijo.

Hasta el momento, ninguno de los 7 miembros de la delegación federal de

Oklahoma, apoya el DREAM Act. Además, durante la votación del proyecto en

diciembre del 2010, se opusieron en su totalidad.

DREAM Act

La versión más reciente del DREAM Act, la S. 952, fue presentada por el senador

demócrata de Illinois, Dick Durbin, en la cámara alta y en la cámara baja – H.R.

1842 – por el representante demócrata de California, Howard Berman y la

republicana de la Florida, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. Ambos proyectos se introdujeron

en mayo pasado.

Requisitos generales para calificar:

Haber ingresado a los Estados Unidos antes de los 15 años de edad.

La edad límite para ser beneficiado son 35 años. La versión de la cámara de

representantes indica 32 años.

Haber residido continuamente en los Estados Unidos, por al menos 5 años antes

de la entrada en vigencia del DREAM Act.

Haberse graduado de una preparatoria estadounidense.

No tener antecedentes criminales.

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Hablar inglés.

¿Sabía usted que?

De acuerdo con el Instituto Urbano, cada año se gradúan de las escuelas

preparatorias, a nivel nacional, unos 65 mil jóvenes indocumentados.

Tom Coburn, senador republicano de Oklahoma, le expuso al Hispano de Tulsa

en una ...

carta fechada el 26 de mayo que se opone a la propuesta de reforma

inmigratoria para jóvenes estudiantes, conocida como el DREAM Act, por

considerarla como una forma de “amnistía”. Sin embargo, Coburn sugiere que

“quizás una visa nueva y especial para éstos niños podría ser parte de una

solución viable”.

El senador indicó que “el DREAM Act colocaría un aproximado de 2.1 millones de

inmigrantes ilegales en el camino para la ciudadanía y les daría tarifas de

matrículas con descuentos estatales”. Además agrega que se opone al proyecto

por varias razones: “Primero, creo categóricamente que otorgar amnistía y crear

incentivos financieros para inmigrantes ilegales no es la solución para el

problema inmigratorio de América. Los inmigrantes que obtengan amnistía por el

DREAM Act tendrían el derecho legal de inmigrar a sus familiares, incluyendo a

sus hermanos adultos y a los padres que ilegalmente los trajeron o los enviaron

a los Estados Unidos”.

YouTube videos of this event: Tina Peña introduces the event: http://bit.ly/sZpSaX Tracy Medina speaks about the DREAM Act in general: http://bit.ly/sWaGb6 “Isaac” shares his story as a DREAM student: http://bit.ly/utVHEr

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OREGON

Interfaith Advocates for Peace with Justice, McMinniville

Portland Mennonite Church, Portland

Coburg United Methodist Church, Eugene

Faith United Methodist Church, Troutdale

St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, Portland

Trinity & UCC, Ashland

Portland Mennonite Church, Portland

Cherry Park UMC, Portland

United Methodist, Portland

PENNSYLVANIA

Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, Pittsburgh

St. Nicholas Church Social Concerns, Wilkes-Barre

Sisters of IHM, Scranton

Sisters of St. Francis, Philadelphia

United Methodist, Altoona

Solid Rock UMC, Philadelphia

HIAS Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

Circle of Hope Broad and Washington, Philadelphia

First United Methodist of Bristol, Bristol

St. Luke UMC, Yardley

Iglesia Metodista Unida El Buen Samaritano, West Chester

Iglesia Metodista Unida La Mesias, Philadelphia

Iglesia Metodista Unida El Redentor, Lancaster

Iglesia Metodista Unida Nueva Jordana, Reading

Iglesia Metodista Unida Espiritu Santo, Philadelphia

Iglesia Metodista Unida La Trinidad, Allentown

Iglesia Metodista Unida Nuevo Nacimiento, Lebanon

Iglesia Metodista Unida Fuente de Amor, Lancaster

Iglesia Metodista Unida Genesis, Reading

Ministerio Latino Casa del Pueblo, Hatboro

Journey of Faith, Philadelphia

Central Baptist Church, Wayne

Arch Street UMC, Philadelphia

Community UMC, Lancaster

Grandview UMC, Lancaster

St. Luke Church, Bryn Mawr

St. Phillip’s United Methodist Church, Philadelphia

Lehman Church, Hatboro

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Pennsylvania Faith Communities Launch DREAM Sabbath, Call it “A Campaign for Compassion and Justice” Press Call Featuring Pennsylvania Leaders Kicks Off Campaign of 7 Events in Pennsylvania As Part of 220 + Event Nationwide Campaign to Push for DREAM Act’s Passage Washington, DC – On a press call today, representatives from Pennsylvania communities of faith kicked-off DREAM Sabbath as a part of a nationwide effort to urge leaders in Congress and Pennsylvania to pass the DREAM Act. Last year, the DREAM Act came a mere 5 votes short of passage in the U.S. Senate, and now faith communities are uniting with DREAM eligible youth to once again sound the clarion call of compassion and justice and push for immigration policies that do not unfairly punish youth for the acts of their parents. Speakers on today’s call highlighted the 7 upcoming events in Pennsylvania, including ones in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre as a part of the national DREAM Sabbath campaign that features 220 + events in 42 states across the nation. Over the course of the next three weeks in Pennsylvania and throughout the nation, a diverse array of religious communities across the theological and ideological spectrum will offer prayers in support of the DREAM Act and lift up the personal stories of young people in their own communities who would benefit from the DREAM Act –specific events in Pennsylvania listed below. Involving nearly every major religious denomination in America, DREAM Sabbath is being organized by the Interfaith Immigration Coalition in partnership with the United We Dream Network, the grassroots movement of undocumented immigrant youth, and longtime DREAM Act champion and sponsor, U.S. Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) The DREAM Act would provide opportunities for young people who grew up in America and want to give back to the country they call home the chance to earn legal status and a path to citizenship if they meet a set of stringent criteria and attend college or enroll in the U.S. military. On today’s call, Pennsylvania Jorge, DREAMer who came to the United States at a young age, told his story. Said Jorge, "Hope that our DREAM will come true has never wavered. I am positive our hard work will be rewarded, and our potential will be realized." In the midst of an increasingly divisive political environment, and with the backdrop of record numbers of deportations and family separations, the voice of the faith community is more important than ever in speaking out on behalf of young people across our country who deserve the chance to give back to the only country they know. According to Rev. Annette Bolds, Western PA United Methodist Immigration Task Force and Dormont UMC, “All major faith traditions teach us to honor the divinity in every person. Faithfulness to these teachings compels us to compassionately welcome these young people by giving them an opportunity to become legal residents.”

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Similarly, Sister Eileen Marnien, Sisters of Saint Joseph Welcome Center,

Philadelphia, reminded DREAMers, “Have HOPE we have not abandoned you! We

will work together to speak on your behalf! We will call on our ancestors - those

immigrants who brought us to this land - and beg them to instill in our leaders

compassion and justice so that you will have a future filled with hope.” Pastor Lilian L. Cotto, Casa del Pueblo, Latino Ministry of Lehman Lehman UMC, Hatboro, PA added "The dreamers are here not to just take, but to give back to this country in the way of leadership, productivity, service and appreciation for cultural diversity. But they want to have the chance to do just that.

Below is one of the events Faith groups in Pennsylvania are holding:

St. Nicolas Church Social Concerns Saturday, September 24, 2011 226 South Washington Street Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania 18701-2897 Contact: Patrick McCormick Phone number: 570.823.7736 For more information on DREAM Sabbath and events across the nation visit: http://www.interfaithimmigration.org/index.php/2011/07/01/dream-sabbath-launch/

SOUTH CAROLINA

United Methodist Church, West Columbia

Well on Green- Green Street UMC, Columbia

Mt. Zion UMC, Columbia

United Methodist, Rowesville

Methodist Student Network or Wesley Student Foundation at USC, Columbia

Whaley Street, Columbia

SOUTH DAKOTA

Trinity Episcopal Church, Winner

TENNESSEE

Black Methodists for Church Renewal, Inc., Nashville

Just Faith Grad, Nashville

Belmont UMC-Kairo SS class, Nashville

Wesley Chapel UM Church, Jackson

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TEXAS

First United Methodist Church of Bishop, Bishop

Grace United Methodist Church, Dallas

United Methodist Church, Waco

United Methodist Women, San Antonio

Methodist Federation for Social Action, Georgetown

Projecto Juan Diego, Brownsville

University Catholic Center, Austin

UU Church of Oak Cliff, Dallas

Unitarian Universalist Church of Oak Cliff, Dallas

Community Unitarian Universalist Church of Plano, Plano

First United Methodist Church, Conroe

Texas Tech Wesley Foundation, Lubbock

El Divino Salvador UMC, San Antonio

UMW, Stephenville

La Trinidad, Austin

University of Texas Wesley Foundation, Austin

Loretto Community, El Paso

Dominican Sisters of Houston, Houston

The University of Texas-Pan American: Dream Act Sabbath Planned

By Susan Gonzalez

September 22, 2011

http://www.panamericanonline.com/dream-act-sabbath-planned-1.2635073

A DREAM Act Sabbath will take place from Sept. 23-25 across the country in an effort to

promote involvement and discussion of the pending law. Sen. Dick Durbin and Sen. Michael

Bennet, of Illinois and Colorado respectively, initiated the event in order to raise awareness for

the act, whose real name is The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, and

enlist involvement from faith and spiritual organizations.

The DREAM Act is a bill that is designed to give undocumented students the opportunity to earn

legal status if they came to the United States as children, are long-term residents, have good

moral character, and complete two years of college or military service in good standing. The bill

was first introduced to legislation on Aug.1, 2001 and was reintroduced to the Senate on May 1,

2011. So far it has not managed to gain enough traction to become law.

Now faith leaders such as UTPA Baptist Student Ministry director Robert Rueda are commonly

in support of the controversial statute.

"As a college pastor I pray for students that are affected by not being able to experience the

American dream," Rueda said. "I support and pray for the passage of the DREAM Act. There are

no documented and undocumented college students in the eyes of God. Only college students

88

that God loves. I have faith that the day will come when students will no longer have to live in

fear or feel trapped because they don't have their legal status resolved. I can't wait to see all

college students having access to all the opportunities and experiences that a college education

affords."

This opinion is also shared by BSM intern Tom Centrella.

"I think that it is really unfair that people who have lived here their whole lives would get

deported," said Centrella, who is originally from New Jersey. "Obviously if you commit a crime

and you're an illegal citizen, then that's a different case. But if you're here and you've grown up

here and you go to school here, and your whole life has been in the United States, and they

happen to catch you, then that's unfair."

As of now, BSM does not have any plans to participate in the DREAM Act Sabbath, but like

many religious organizations, they try to view the situation from a spiritual standpoint.

"In Jesus's ministry he would say to be good to the alien and treat them with respect," Centrella

explained. "Treat brothers and sisters with love and respect. I think that Jesus would look at the

situation in a similar way. And to treat those people that are here, even if they are illegal, with

respect and love and to help them in any way we can.

"I think it's very different here. This is an immigrant country, and the laws need to somehow be

fairer. But faith does play a large role in treating them with dignity and respect. Loving them no

matter where they come from, their background, nationality, country. If they're here we need to

show them that love."

UTPA students have expressed their opinions on the DREAM Act since 2010. Josse Alex

Garrido, an undocumented student who had lived in the United States for nine years, spoke out in

favor of the bill last September in a widely publicized act. In addition, the Coalition for

Educational Opportunity led a march along University Drive in October to support the cause.

This same organization also held a food strike and food drive in November.

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A conversation about the

RE

Deve l opmen t , Re l i e f a nd Edu ca t i on f o r A l i e n M i no r s

with Lorenza Andrade Smith Formerly pastor of Westlawn UMC in San Antonio, Rev. Smith has been appointed to ministry with the poor and marginalized, advocating for justice as an elder in the United Methodist Church.

l

Join us as we consider how to prepare congregations for a Jan. 6 DREAM Sabbath, and how we can address the broader issues of

immigration, naturalization and human rights in our churches.

This Monday, Dec. 5

5 p.m.

Coffee Shop MTSO Methodist Theological School in Ohio

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UTAH

Cache Valley UUs, Logan

Congregation Kol Ami, Salt Lake City

VERMONT

Champlain Valley Unitarian Universalist Society, Middlebury

VIRGINIA

Catholic, Arlington

Episcopal, Just Episcopalians, Reston

UUC Roanoke, Roanoke

Episcopal, Reston

Methodist, Annandale

Episcopal Church, Covington

UU, Roanoke

Our Lady Queen of Peace, Arlington

Stephens City UMC, Winchester

Jollivue United Methodist Church, Stauton

Try Grace of Arlington Church, Falls Church

United Methodist Women, Chesapeake

Culmore United Methodist Church, Falls Church

St. Anne’s Episcopal Church, Reston

WASHINGTON

Fall City United Methodist Church, Fall City

St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church, Camano Island

Church of the Ascension, Seattle

La Iglesia Episcopal de la Reurreccion, Mount Vernon

UMC, Vancouver

Ellensburg UMC, Ellensburg

Riverton Park United Methodist Church, Tukwila

Highland Park United Methodist Church, Spokane

Christ Episcopal Church, Anacortes

Hillel, Seattle

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WEST VIRGINIA

St. James Episcopal, West Virginia

Church World Service: Stories From the DREAM Sabbath

September 29, 2011 http://www.churchworldservice.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=13191&news_iv_ctrl=1223

When the Rev. Mary Ellen Finegan of Central United Methodist Church in Fairmont, W.Va.,

stood up to preach this past Sunday, she knew that her message would be controversial with

some members.

She was about to speak out in support of the DREAM Act, a bipartisan bill that would provide a

path to citizenship for some undocumented youth. (Read her sermon here.)

Central’s Sept. 25 service is counted among the more than 350 “DREAM Sabbath” observances

– many of them listed at www.dreamsabbath.org – taking place in 45 U.S. states Sept. 16

through Oct. 9. A diverse array of faith communities and DREAM-eligible youth are uniting in

this national effort to urge Congress to pass the DREAM Act.

As Pastor Finegan shook hands with congregants after service, she was pleased to receive

affirmations of support from people who previously had opposed the DREAM Act. “Thanks for

explaining the difference between the DREAM Act and amnesty,” one said.

Another told Pastor Finegan: “Well, if the DREAM Act is really the way you presented it, with

all these facts, I am for it! Who wouldn't want children who grew up with our children to have

the same rights that citizenship can afford?”

General Board of Church and Society of the Methodist Church: DREAM Sabbaths

Underway

October 4, 2011 http://www.umc-gbcs.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=frLJK2PKLqF&b=4909851&ct=11259891

FAIRMONT, W.Va. — When the Rev. Mary Ellen Finegan of Central United Methodist Church

in Fairmont, W.Va., stood up to preach on Sept. 25, she knew that her message would be

controversial with some members. She was about to speak out in support of the DREAM Act, a

bipartisan bill that would provide a path to citizenship for some undocumented youths.

Central UMC’s service is among the more than 350 “DREAM Sabbath” observances — many of

them listed at www.dreamsabbath.org — taking place in 45 U.S. states through Oct. 9. Half of

the events involve United Methodist churches.

A diverse array of faith communities and DREAM-eligible youths are uniting in this national

effort to urge Congress to pass the DREAM Act.

Thanks for explaining the difference between the DREAM Act and amnesty.

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As Finegan shook hands with congregants after service, she was pleased to receive affirmations

of support from people who previously had opposed the DREAM Act. “Thanks for explaining

the difference between the DREAM Act and amnesty,” one said.

Another told Finegan: “Well, if the DREAM Act is really the way you presented it, with all these

facts, I am for it! Who wouldn’t want children who grew up with our children to have the same

rights that citizenship can afford?”

The DREAM Act would allow some undocumented immigrant students the opportunity to earn

legal status if they came to the United States as children, are long-term U.S. residents, have good

moral character and complete two years of college or military service. Last year, the bill came a

mere five votes short of passage in the U.S. Senate.

Last year, the bill came a mere five votes short of passage in the U.S. Senate.

DREAM Sabbath is being organized by the Interfaith Immigration Coalition in partnership with

the United We Dream Network, the grassroots movement of undocumented immigrant youths,

and long-time DREAM Act sponsor, U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill.

DREAMer Lupe was among speakers Sunday, Sept. 25, at Meridian Street United Methodist

Church in Indianapolis. Brought to the United States as a small child, she spoke English fluently

by the third grade and excelled in her studies through eighth grade. Then she found out that she

was undocumented.

“It was heartbreaking,” Lupe said. “I started freshman year. My grades were really bad. I didn’t

think there was a point of trying.” She failed three classes.

During her sophomore year Lupe got involved with the Latino Youth Collective. When she

learned about the DREAM Act, she began to have hope again.

“My goal is to become a social worker,” Lupe said. “I love helping people. I don’t know how

long it is going to take, but eventually I will get there. The DREAM Act would really help.”

Meridian Street United Methodist Church’s DREAM Sabbath service also featured a selection of

Bible passages, with the reader noting: “Welcoming the stranger is the most repeated

commandment in the Old Testament with the exception of the command to worship God.”

Guest preacher Bill Mefford, director of Civil & Human Rights at the United Methodist General

Board of Church & Society in Washington, D.C., warned against reducing people to such labels

as “illegal.” Instead, he said we need to listen to people’s whole story, then engage in the story.

Mefford pointed out that poverty and oppression are not the fault of the poor and oppressed. He

said they are the result of the unjust distribution of resources and abuse of power.

Mefford called for “political engagement on behalf of those who are vulnerable” and

transformation of unjust systems like the U.S. immigration system.

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Church World Service, through its Immigration & Refugee Program, is a sponsor of DREAM

Sabbath as part of its broader advocacy for the DREAM Act and fair, humane reform of the U.S.

immigration system.

Why do I support the DREAM Act? Because I care about young people and I care about their

future.

“Why do I support the DREAM Act? Because I care about young people and I care about their

future,” said the Rev. John McCullough, executive director and CEO of Church World Service.

“My wife and I are parents of three daughters, two of them college graduates and one still in

college. There’s nothing we want more for them than for them to thrive.”

McCullough’s daughters are the same age as many of the young people who would benefit from

the DREAM Act, who he described as “an educated generation of promising immigrant students

who have demonstrated a commitment to hard work.”

DREAM Act students consider the United States their home and want to contribute their talents

to this country, according to McCullough, a United Methodist. “They are a vital and valuable

asset to this nation,” he emphasized.

Many DREAM Sabbath events feature as speakers undocumented young people who would

benefit from the DREAM Act. “DREAMer” Moises Serrano was one of four undocumented

youths who shared their stories at Galloway Memorial Episcopal Church in Elkin, N.C.

Serrano was less than two years old when his parents brought him north to escape poverty and

violence in Mexico. He grew up in Yadkin County, N.C., and graduated high school with a high

grade-point average.

DREAMers “are not criminals,” Serrano said. “All we want to do is get an education and give

back. … I want to own a house. I want to settle down.”

There is still time to organize your own DREAM Sabbath observance.

• Full information including a “toolkit” are available at DREAM Sabbath. Be sure to add

your event to the DREAM Sabbath map.

• Tell your members of Congress that you support the DREAM Act. Urge them to work

for a common sense, moral resolution to the U.S.’s broken immigration system.

• Visit Church World Service Refugees and Support Immigration Reform.

• Support your local refugee resettlement agency or denominational refugee and

immigration program.

• The Rev. Mary Ellen Finegan’s sermon is available at Finegan Sermon.

• More about Galloway’s observance is at DREAM Sabbath

• Local faith leaders have hosted DREAM Sabbath press calls over the past week in

several states, including Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida and North Carolina. Links to

recordings are at Support Immigration Reform.

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WISCONSON

Wisdom, the Gamaliel Foundation in Wisconsin, Milwaukee

St. Norbert Abbey, De Pere

United Methodist, Madison

ELCA, Hudson

Catholic, Cedarburg

Salem, Waukesha UMW, Brookfield

Merrimac United Methodist Church, Merrimac

Council of Catholic Women, Ojibwa

Episcopal, Sparta

United Methodist, Fairmont

WYOMING

First Presbyterian Church of Cheyenne, Cheyenne

NATIONAL

DREAMer Gaby

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Reverend Joe Nangle, Franciscan Friar

3 Weeks. 350+ Events. Tens of Thousands of Supporters.

Diverse Faith Communities Nationwide Launch

DREAM Sabbath Campaign

Washington, DC – Tens of thousands of America’s faithful from 45 states around the country

will be participating in DREAM Sabbath, which began last week and will span through early

October. The national effort to urge Congress and the President to pass the DREAM Act

features states, including worship services, prayer meetings, conferences and educational events.

Throughout the nation, a diverse array of religious communities across the theological and

ideological spectrum will offer prayers in support of the DREAM Act and lift up the personal

stories of young people in their own communities who would benefit from the legislation.

Last year, the DREAM Act, a bill that would allow some undocumented immigrant students the

opportunity to earn legal status if they came to the United States as children, are long-term U.S.

residents, have good moral character and complete two years of college or military service, came

a mere 5 votes short of passage in the U.S. Senate. This fall, faith communities are uniting with

DREAM eligible youth to once again sound the clarion call of compassion and justice and push

for immigration policies that do not unfairly punish youth for the acts of their parents. The

DREAM Sabbath represents an unprecedented show of support for immigrant youth from

diverse religious communities across the country. The movement not only encompasses leaders

and congregations from every major U.S. faith tradition, including Catholic, Protestant,

Evangelical, Jewish and Muslim, but it also involves events and participation from far outside

traditional centers of support. Throughout the 3-week campaign, faith communities will hear the

stories of DREAM eligible youth in communities as diverse as Elkin, North Carolina; Cincinnati,

Ohio; Davenport, Iowa; Lincoln, Nebraska; Salt Lake City, Utah; and San Diego, California.

A sample of DREAM Sabbath events over the past week include:

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� On September 15, Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas, immigration

activists and DREAM Act supporters launchedDREAM Sabbath at Judson Memorial

Church in New York City. Vargas shared his personal story about coming out publicly as

an undocumented immigrant and stressed the importance of the continued fight for the

DREAM act within the religious community. His calls for passage were echoed by an

audience of national faith leaders and DREAM Act-eligible students.

� DREAM Act eligible student, Daniel Rodriguez, addressed more than 1200 Evangelical

pastors in Tucson, Arizona, on Wednesday, September 21, as part of the National

Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference immigration summit. Pastors heard about the

DREAM Act and steps they can take to raise awareness about the issue in their

congregations and with members of Congress.

� On Friday, September 23, Tikkun Leil Shabbat – a Jewish egalitarian group in

Washington, DC that emphasizes teachings about social justice issues – featured a d’var

tikkun about the DREAM Act. Local advocates provided background on the issue and

spoke about the Jewish community’s widespread support for the DREAM Act. Then

Diana Villa, one of the leaders of the United We DREAM Coalition, shared her story of

coming to the U.S. at age 3 from Mexico, and she spoke about the incredible network of

DREAM-eligible youth across the country who are fighting for the passage of this

important legislation.

� Gallaway Memorial Episcopal Church in Elkin, North Carolina, lifted up DREAMer

Moises Serrano at their Sunday, September 25, service as one of 10 churches statewide

participating in DREAM Sabbath. Serrano shared his story of coming to the United

States as an infant to escape poverty and violence in Mexico and emphasized the

importance of his education and his desire to give back to the country he calls home.

Over the next two weeks, events will take place across the country, including:

� On Saturday, October 1, the First United Methodist Church of Conroe, Texas, will hold a

candlelight vigil for the DREAM Act. Participants will include DREAM students, local

politicians and several area Hispanic congregations.

� On October 14, congregations from around San Jose, CA, will come together for

“DREAM Appaloosa”. Faith leaders, state and local elected officials and hundreds of

participants from local congregations will gather in the park behind St. Joseph’s

Cathedral to celebrate with music, songs, prayer, poetry and DREAM testimonies.

Participants will continue the call for the National DREAM Act and are hopeful to also

celebrate the anticipated signing of the second half of the CA DREAM Act legislation.

� Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) plans to observe the DREAM Sabbath at a number of

places in his home state. For example, on October 15, he will join the Anshe Sholom

B’nai Israel Congregation, a Modern Orthodox temple, in hearing a local DREAM Act

student address the congregation.

In addition to hundreds of events, local leaders have hosted press calls over the last week in

several states, including, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, and North Carolina, where clergy and

DREAM eligible youth are highlighting the events in their state as a part of the national DREAM

Sabbath campaign. Involving nearly every major religious denomination in America, DREAM

Sabbath is being organized by the Interfaith Immigration Coalition in partnership with the United

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We Dream Network, the grassroots movement of undocumented immigrant youth, and longtime

DREAM Act champion and sponsor, U.S. Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL).

U.S. Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL), said, “For the last ten years I have been working on the

DREAM Act, there has been one constant: strong support from the faith community. The

DREAM Act is based on a fundamental moral principle that is shared by all the faith traditions -

it is wrong to punish children for the actions of their parents. In the coming weeks, congregations

around the country will put their faith into action when they observe the DREAM Sabbath. They

will put a human face on the plight of undocumented students and mobilize support to pass the

DREAM Act.”

Bishop Minerva Carcano, United Methodist Church, joined the effort, saying “United

Methodists have participated in DREAM Sabbath services by the thousands. Our churches and

Wesley Foundations stand alongside DREAM Act students and call upon Congress to pass the

DREAM Act. Our actions have been an expression of faith for the passage of the DREAM Act

is a moral cause. We call upon Congress to take the moral and right first step to much needed

humane immigration reform by passing the DREAM Act.”

With over 40 Dioceses in the Catholic Church participating in the effort, Cardinal Theodore

McCarrick, Archbishop Emeritus of Washington, expressed his support at the launch of the

campaign, saying, "These young persons, who are for all practical purposes Americans like all of

us, love this country so much that they risk deportation in order to advocate to become American

citizens. Why would we not want to embrace their dedication, energy, talents, and courage--

characteristics that have made our nation great? It would be to our detriment to forsake them."

Rev. Richard H. Graham, Bishop of the Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America said, “Last year I joined Lutheran Immigration and Refugee

Service and Lutheran leaders to urge Congress to pass the DREAM Act. Although I was

disappointed that the Senate failed to pass the bill, I stand committed to working with

congregations in my synod to advance just and humane solutions for these ambitious and

talented young people.”

Imam Mohamed Magid, President of the Islamic Society of North America said, "I do believe

the American values and the American principle is to welcome the stranger. Although these

young people are not strangers. They are American like anyone else. The know no other culture

but the American culture. They listen to American music. They play football….and therefore,

they deserve better treatment. I really respect that all my colleagues from the religious

community speak in one voice to show that we stand together for those moral values."

Gideon Aronoff, President and CEO of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), stated that

“as Jews, we support policies that fulfill the Torah's mandate to ‘welcome the stranger,’ as we

know that effective immigration policies often have made the difference between life and death,

between oppression and the opportunity for success. The DREAM Act is sensible and humane,

and it responds to the needs of vulnerable young immigrant students and the communities in

which they live.”

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According to Stephan Bauman, President/CEO of World Relief, “The DREAM Sabbath is a

time when communities of faith across our country are invited to remember the challenges, pain,

and suffering of many immigrant young people. As we stand together in courage with people all

across our great nation, let's believe our prayers will inspire us to keep pressing for justice within

our immigration system, and trust our collective voice will reverberate throughout the halls of

Congress."

Sr. Simone Campbell, NETWORK: A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby, said “Our faith

calls us to hold up the dignity and worth of everyone, especially people who suffer at the margins

of society. Among the most vulnerable in our nation are young people, who, as young children,

who were brought here without authorization. Their right to envision and work toward a brighter

future has been dimmed through no fault of their own. The DREAM Act would allow them to

earn through hard work a pathway to U.S. citizenship and full, productive lives. These young

people deserve the right to dream and work hard like anyone else, and Congress must pass the

DREAM Act now.”

According to Rabbi Lisa Grushcow, Congregation Rodeph Sholom, “In the Jewish tradition,

Shabbat (Sabbath) is seen as a taste of the world to come and an opportunity to imagine a world

not that is, but that should be. And so on the DREAM Act Sabbath, I pray and I know that we

will join together to commit to and to work towards that world that should be. A world in which

the DREAM Act is not a dream.”

Sam Rodriguez, Jr., President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference said, “The National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, the Hispanic

evangelical association and our 34,000 churches proudly support and endorse the DREAM

Sabbath. Our Christian and biblical worldview compels us to protect the innocent, especially the

children. Accordingly, we stand committed to the integration of innocent young people who

were brought into this nation by no will of their own but who have grown and matured within the

American experience. So let us pray and fast for our children, for the innocent and for a viable

solution to the immigration debate.”

According to Reverend Marc Fallon, Catholic Social Services and PICO National Network,

"The uncertainties of the global economy along with domestic and household financial

uncertainties cause us to emphasize, rather than avoid, the potential for economic contribution

and growth in the faces of undocumented young people. Children of immigrant parents

understand sacrifice and preparing for the future. The DREAM Act allows them to develop their

capabilities so they can become our leaders of the next generation."

Rabbi Noam Maran, Director of Interreligious and Intergroup Relations, American Jewish Committee, joined by saying “The Dream Act is essential as a most basic element of

immigration reform and the Dream Sabbath initiative empowers the faith community to come

together in their respective traditions in support of a path to legalization for young adults brought

to America as children. The religious community is thereby demonstrating moral leadership in

enabling our youth, who aspire to higher education or military service in their adopted country,

the opportunity to fulfill their American dream which benefits us all.”

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Rev. John L. McCullough, Executive Director and Chief, Church World Service, said “Why

do I support the DREAM Act? Because I care about young people and I care about their future.

My wife and I are parents of three daughters, two of them college graduates and one still in

college. There's nothing we want more for them than for them to thrive. Our daughters are the

same age as many of the young people who would benefit from the DREAM Act -- an educated

generation of promising immigrant students who have demonstrated a commitment to hard work.

They consider the United States their home and want to contribute their talents to this country.

They are a vital and valuable asset to this nation.”

Rev. Craig C. Roshaven, Witness Ministries Director, Unitarian Universalist Association, said

“There are thousands of young men and women who would qualify for the Dream Act, if it were

passed. They are our neighbors, in every sense of the word. They are our children just as much

as the children of citizens are our children. It's time for us to invest in all our children. It's time

for us to face up to our moral responsibility to care for the stranger. As it says in the book of

Leviticus, “When a stranger lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The stranger living

with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were

strangers in Egypt.”

According to Reverend Luis Cortes, Jr., President of Esperanza, “By taking a Sabbath day -

which is intended for reverence and reflection on our commitment to God and to faith – and

focusing our prayers on the DREAM Act and on all those who would benefit from its passing,

we are giving it the due attention it deserves as a matter of both justice and Christ-like

compassion. Providing safety and opportunities for the young people who have been long-

standing members of our communities, who are pursuing education and becoming contributing

members of our society, is not just a matter of economic expediency, it is a moral imperative.

We encourage support of DREAM Sabbath, and look forward to the day when our public

policies will reflect the moral heart of our nation.”

Thousands of DREAM eligible youth share stories just like those of Cesar Vargas, who came

with his family from Mexico at the age of 5, and considers himself to be an American in every

way but paperwork: “No piece of legislation will ever define the American spirit that dwells in

me. Nevertheless, the DREAM Act is vital because it would allow me, and other young people

like me, to wholly devote my legal education and strength to lift this nation from our current

economic and social turmoil. Religious leaders have been there to unite people and give spiritual

guidance in difficult times. Their leadership again is needed as our nation's future and faith is too

precious to bury the DREAM Act in politics.”

Sr. Anne Curtis, from the Leadership Team of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas said, "The

Sisters of Mercy, who came to the United States ourselves as immigrants more than 150 years

ago, have a long history of serving immigrants in schools, hospitals, parishes and social service

ministries. Our Sisters witness daily the gifts brought to this country by immigrants, and the

suffering caused because of our broken immigration system. We continue to work for just and

humane immigration reform and for a future for the young people who pin their hopes on the

DREAM Act. Everyone will profit from this legislation. The DREAM students will be able to

pursue their education and careers, and all Americans will benefit economically and socially

from their talents, skills and dedication to their communities and country."

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Similarly, Father Richard Smith from Evangelist Episcopal Church, San Francisco, CA and

member of the PICO Immigration Task Force said, "The DREAM students in my neighborhood

are bright, hard-working, and courageous. They're fighting for basic justice and human dignity --

not just for themselves, but for their families and communities as well. Here in San Francisco, our

faith communities are with them every step of the way. They make us very proud."

Father Jon Pedigo of St. Julie Billiart Parish and Member of the PICO National Network Immigration Steering Committee said, "DREAM students are among the most motivated and

talented students I have ever come across. I live and work in Silicon Valley, I believe that these

students will inject new life and energy into all sectors of research and development and will be

an incredible boost to our economy."

For more information on DREAM Sabbath and events across the nation

visit: http://www.interfaithimmigration.org/index.php/2011/07/01/dream-sabbath-launch/

DREAM Act Sabbath Held on Capitol Hill

LIRS ON THE HILL

OCTOBER 14TH, 2011

This fall, LIRS is participating in the DREAM Act Sabbath campaign in partnership with the Interfaith Immigration Coalition. This campaign is a nationwide movement to invite faith communities from every tradition to reflect on and humanize issues surrounding the passage of the federal DREAM Act. Over 300 events are taking place across the country; on October 5, LIRS attended a DREAM Sabbath on Capitol Hill.

As is happening at DREAM Act Sabbaths everywhere, a DREAM student shared her personal experiences as an undocumented student. Gaby Pacheco spoke movingly about the significance of the DREAM Act for her hopes of becoming a special education teacher. After readings from Christian and Hebrew holy texts, Joe Zogby, counsel from Senator Durbin (D-IL)’s office spoke. Senator Durbin is the sponsor of the DREAM Act and a long-time champion for the bill.

Having supported Senator Durbin’s work on the DREAM Act for many years, Joe spoke about the significant tradition of faith communities’ advocacy for the DREAM Act and recalled the flurry of advocacy activity prior to the DREAM Act vote in December 2010. He shared Senator Durbin’s frustration when he heard from a Senate colleague who planned to pray for the undocumented people who came to this country as children but vote against the DREAM Act.

After the vote failed to pass by a margin of only five votes, Joe thought of that senator while watching the DREAM students in attendance walk out of the Senate gallery, many with tears in their eyes. In sharing this memory, Joe reminded those

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congregated that while prayer and support are powerful forces, taking action to fix our broken immigration system is a critical part of the equation to bring about change.

The Capitol Hill DREAM Act Sabbath ended with the singing of “This Little Light of Mine.” The hymn echoed both Gaby’s hopes to work as a teacher and the inspiration that hundreds of DREAM Act Sabbath events across the country are providing for those involved in this movement.

To join the campaign and further the hopes of undocumented youth, consider asking your church to hold a DREAM Sabbath or visit the LIRS Action Center to tell your elected officials you support the DREAM Act.

October 20, 2011 President Barack Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20500 Dear President Obama, As faith leaders we are deeply concerned about the future of our nation’s youth. Record youth

unemployment, erosion of public education and growing barriers to higher education are putting

the American Dream of a better life outside the reach of children from all backgrounds,

especially Latino and African-American youth. No group is more at risk than youth who were brought to this country as children, worked hard to

graduate from high school, but are now unable to go to college, find a job or join the military.

That is why we are writing to you today with the urgent request that you take proactive steps to

protect DREAM eligible youth. Your Prosecutorial Discretion announcement on August 18, 2011 provided hope to families and

congregations across the United States. On paper, the policy promises protection to our youth,

but in practice we are continuing to see the deportation of DREAM eligible young people.

Moreover the policy is being applied in an illogical way, since it requires youth to be arrested,

detained, and put in removal proceedings before they get protection. On its face this makes no

sense. That is why we urge you to protect DREAM eligible youth by providing them with an

opportunity to come forward and get the same protection they would receive if they were in

removal proceedings.

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The strength of our nation has always been tied to our willingness to provide a pathway to

opportunity to all of our youth. DREAM eligible youth are among the best organized young

people in the United States and are at the cutting edge of a rising youth movement that promises

to reshape our nation. We urge you to meet with them, feel their pain and take responsibility to provide protection to

them so that they can contribute to building their country.

Sincerely, Fr. Jon Pedigo, PICO Immigration Steering Committee, PICO National Network

Gordon Whitman ▪ Director of Policy

PICO National Network ▪ Unlocking the Power of People

www.piconetwork.org ▪ [email protected] 110 Maryland Avenue, NE Suite 407, Washington, DC 20002

O (202) 730-0846 ▪ M (202) 427-2992 ▪ F (202) 315-3568

Investors.com: Durbin Applauds Faith Leaders for Holding DREAM Sabbath

September 27, 2011

http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Newsfeed/Article/136348338/201109270958/D

URBIN-APPLAUDS-FAITH-LEADERS-FOR-HOLDING-DREAM-SABBATH.aspx

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) commended religious leaders from a broad variety of faith

traditions today for celebrating the DREAM Sabbath - an initiative enlisting churches,

synagogues, mosques, and temples around the country to dedicate time during their regular

weekly worship service to a conversation about the DREAM Act. The nationwide event began

this weekend, and will continue into the fall.

The DREAM Sabbath was created to build on the broad grassroots support for the DREAM Act,

focusing particularly on faith communities. There are currently more than 320 observance events

planned in 44 states, including services in the Chicago land area this Sunday at: St. Mary of the

Woods, Chicago; Church of the Holy Spirit, Schaumburg; Immaculate Conception, Chicago; St.

Leonard, Berwyn; and St. Agatha, Chicago. In the upcoming weeks, DREAM Sabbath events

will also be held at a variety of locations across the Chicago Metropolitan area including: Oak

Park Unitarian Universalist Church, Oak Park; Loyola University Hillel, Chicago; and Worth

United Methodist Church, Worth. For more information on local events, please visit:

http://www.dreamsabbath.org.

"For the last ten years I have been working on the DREAM Act, there has been one constant:

strong support from the faith community," Senator Durbin said. "The DREAM Act is based on a

fundamental moral principle that is shared by all of our nation's faith traditions - it is wrong to

punish children for the actions of their parents. Beginning this weekend, and for the next several

weekends, congregations around the country will put their faith into action when they observe

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the DREAM Sabbath. They will put a human face on the plight of undocumented students and

mobilize support to pass the DREAM Act."

The DREAM Act is a narrowly tailored bill that would give undocumented students a chance to

earn legal status if they came here as children, are long-term U.S. residents, have good moral

character, and complete two years of college or military service in good standing. Introduced for

the first time in 2001, the DREAM Act has been reported out of committee by a wide bipartisan

majority, passed the House of Representatives, and received a bipartisan majority vote in the

Senate, only to fall because of a filibuster.

Loretto’s “DREAM Act Sabbath” Services By Val Novak SL From September 16 through October 9, “DREAM Act Sabbath” prayer services were held at the Loretto Motherhouse and the St. Louis and Denver Centers, during fall community groups, and other Loretto gatherings throughout the country. (The prayer service was sent in the October community mailing.) Over 10 years ago Senator Dick Durbin, D-IL, introduced the DREAM Act in the Senate. (DREAM: Development, Relief, Education for Alien Minors). This legislation would give undocumented students brought to the United States as children or even infants the opportunity for college or military service and an eventual path to citizenship. Senator Durbin has worked tirelessly for the passage of the DREAM Act ever since. It was he who requested the Interfaith Immigration Coalition (IIC) to organize a nationwide DREAM Act Sabbath for faith members in churches, synagogues, and mosques. Senator Durbin told the Coalition that the DREAM Act must pass—and it will pass when our country’s faith communities see it as a moral issue (rather than a political one) and demand its passage. Loretto’s Latin America/Caribbean Committee, in cooperation with the IIC, prepared the prayer service for Loretto’s use from the coalition’s vast array of interfaith resources. In each location the service was adapted as necessary but was reported as a moving experience. The high point was the testimonies of DREAMers, young people whose lives are on hold until this legislation passes. Service in St. Louis During our September 25 DREAM Act Sabbath, Nerinx Hall junior Lupita Vargas presented the testimony of DREAMer Gaby Pacheco and then later shared the touching story of her own cousin. Later, we signed letters to the Fairfax, Virginia, Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) field agent to stop the deportation of a DREAMer named Matias to Argentina slated to happen at the end of September. Matias is a founding board member of the DREAMers “United We Dream,” and was picked up by ICE as he left his board meeting. (This took place about two weeks after President Obama supposedly put a “hold” on deportations of non-criminals.) Later that week Matias received a “stay” of

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deportation for six months. We are following his case and will keep Loretto Community members informed. DREAM Act Sabbath Service in Denver, Reported by Maureen Flanigan CoL Our DREAM Act Sabbath Service opened with a touching song from Maxine Delgado sung directly to our DREAM students about following their dreams. Leidy Robledo, a college student at the Auraria Campus in Denver, DREAMer and leader with Padres y Jovenes Unidos, promised us three DREAMers for our event but seven came to share their stories of heartbreak, hard work, and hope. Gentle giant Jose Cordova has studied to be a chef, and little spitfire Sonia Gutierrez will become a journalist and broadcaster, we have no doubt. Our other students, Cindy Carmargo, Yvonne Ontiveros, Sarahi Hernandez, and Marco Dorado made us laugh, then made us cry. We recounted the story of the “illegal” Joseph sold into slavery, then rising to save his people. We reflected, prayed, and encouraged a fast and letters to our political leaders. Maxine closed with the song, “Hero”—fitting, because these students truly are our heroes. Note from the Editors of Interchange As most of the Loretto Community probably knows, Interchange has three editors: Kim Klein, Mary Ann McGivern, and Lillian Moskeland. We have an excellent copy editor/designer/producer in Martha Alderson, with final copy editing done by Ann Pat Ware and final production, printing, and distribution handled by Joy Gerity. For all of us, this is a wonderful, collaborative endeavor. We really appreciate the members of the community that send us ideas, articles, notes, pictures, and the like. If you would like to contribute to Interchange, please do so. If you have an idea, but don’t want to do the writing, please suggest it to us and we will pursue a writer. And, above all, if you send something to us and it does not appear in the NEXT issue, please write or call! Once in awhile, something falls through the virtual cracks of our e-mail, our correspondence with each other, or just a slip up in our brains. We would never intentionally leave out something submitted by a community member! As with voting in Chicago, we look forward to hearing from you early and often, and we will be seeking more stories from people we don’t often hear from for upcoming issues. Church Center for the United Nations Greetings! On Sunday, October 9, 2011, Women’s Division directors and guests held a DREAM Sabbath during the Annual Meeting of the Women’s Division, at the Church Center for the United Nations. We joined over 200 United Methodist Churches who have held DREAM Sabbaths to learn about the reality of undocumented students in the US, and to call for passage of the bi-partisan DREAM Act. During our worship UMW directors led us in reflecting on what Reconciliation (the theme of our 2011 Spiritual Growth Study) means in the context of DREAM Students. We heard words from Deaconess Jeanne Roe Smith, who works with many DREAM

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students at the Wesley Center, UCLA. We heard a poem written by a UCLA DREAM student. We saw two amazing short videos produced by Rethink Church and UMCOM, about United Methodist students facing family separation due to current US policy. We heard about Victor, a DREAMer in Birmingham, AL who shared with us during National Seminar, and who now faces a draconian new anti-immigrant law in Alabama. We celebrated the signing this week of a state DREAM law in California which will enable DREAMers to access in-state tuition. And we created a litany as part of our worship, to lift up our prayers and concerns. I want to encourage you to consider doing a DREAM Sabbath in your church if you have not done so. It can be a brief mission minute, or a whole service. We are happy to resource you and share materials. A planning tool kit is available from Interfaith Immigration. If you do a service, please register the event at www.interfaithimmigration.org so you can be counted! And please let me know as well! I am attaching a hand out we shared on how UMW can take action around the DREAM Act as well as a new HOW TO about the 365 Day Fast in Solidarity with the DREAMers. The rolling Prayer and Fast continues, and we encourage you to join us! Please help to circulate these resources widely, and encourage women to act. We encourage you to connect with conference Immigration Task Forces (known as Rapid Response Team) if you have not done so, to collaborate on these efforts. Thank you so much for all you do! Carol Barton UMW Immigrant/Civil Rights Initiative DREAM Sabbath: TAKE ACTION! What are we calling for? 1. Administrative relief: The Obama Administration can act now, without legislation, to change enforcement policies as they apply to migrant youth and all detainees. They can cease de- taining and deporting migrants based on immigration status. 2. Pass the federal DREAM Act: The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act has been reintroduced by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL). This bipartisan bill would enable a path to legalization for migrant youth without documents brought into the United States as chil- dren if they enroll as students or serve in the military. We are also calling for a non-military- service option for those who are not pursuing higher education. 3. Pass state bills that would enable migrant youth to attend college with in-state tuition, health care, transportation and other support that citizen youth have in a given state. Background To see Harriett Jane Olson and Inelda Gonzalez’s 2010 letter to United Methodist Women members about the DREAM Act, visit www.unitedmethodistwomen.org/media/pdf/dreamactlet- terdec2010.pdf. For a DREAM Sabbath endorsement by the United Methodist Council of Bishops, visit http://immigration.umwonline.net/general/dream-act1/umc-council-of-bishops-endorse-dream- sabbath. What can we do? 1. Join the 365 Day Fast in Solidarity with the DREAMers first organized by United Methodist Women. Publicly fast for

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one or more days in the coming year. Go to www.wix.com/365dreamfast/365-dream-fast to register. For additional information, go to the United Methodist Women online community: http://immigration.umwonline.net/general/dream-act1. 2. Sign the online pledge at “United We DREAM” calling on President Obama to take administrative action to end detentions and deportations of migrant youth now: http://wfc2.wiredfor- change.com/o/8496/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=365. 3. Host a DREAM Sabbath in your church. Lift up the stories of DREAM students with biblical reflections and United Methodist Communication videos (www.umcom.org/site/c. mrLZJ9PFKmG/b.7554071/k.9BDC/Rethink_Church__Immigration.htm) and use the DREAM Sabbath tool kit (www.interfaithimmigration.org). 4. Explore United Methodist Women resources, especially “How Tos” at: www.unitedmethodistwomen.org/act/howto. 5. Become an Immigrant Welcoming Congregation or United Methodist Women unit. Find ways to directly support and accompany migrant congregations or migrants in your community. This may be by partnering through Justice for Our Neighbors clinics or English as a second language classes or with Hispanic, Korean, Tongan or other congregations. It may mean visiting detention centers on a regular basis. It may mean helping families affected by detention and deportation through direct material assistance and spiritual and emotional support. Let your conference United Methodist Women and the conference “Rapid Response Team” know what you are engaged in! 6. Urge Congress to pass the DREAM Act, a bipartisan bill that would provide a six-year path to permanent residence and eventual citizenship for undocumented children brought to the United States more than five years ago. Contact your senators and representatives. 7. Support INTERFAITH IMMIGRATION CAMPAIGN “Let My People Stay” by mobilizing in support of specific DREAM students. Go to: www.interfaithimmigration.org. 8. Let us know what United Methodist Women are doing! We are documenting action on immigrant and civil rights by United Methodist Women members across the country! Contact Carol Barton at [email protected]. United Methodist Women Immigrant/Civil Rights Initiative 777 United Nations Plaza, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10017 212-682-3633 [email protected] unitedmethodistwomen.org [email protected] immigration.umwonline.net HOW TO...Pray, Fast and Advocate for DREAM Students Join the 365 Day Fast in Solidarity with the DREAMers: • Join a spiritual fast to support DREAMers’ call for federal and state legislation addressing needs of migrant youth in the United States. • Bring your faith to this act of personal commitment and public advocacy for migrant rights. • Speak out and act to make visible the crisis situation of thousands of migrant youth across the country and to pressure for immediate administrative relief by President Obama and Secretary Janet Napolitano and for federal legislation offering migrant students options for legalization. In December 2010, as the fate of the DREAM act was debated by Congress, a group of United Methodist Women and deaconesses began a 365 Day Fast in Solidarity with DREAM students. (See Facebook page “365 Day Fast in Solidarity with the DREAMers: http://www.facebook.com/groups/176134225738078?ap=1). This fast continues, and you can join in by selecting at least one day you will pray and fast for the rights of migrant youth and make your action public through Facebook. Some have chosen to fast the same day ev- ery month. Please help make the fast visible nationally: join the fast, post to social media networks, enlist the participation of others, and advocate for

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action for the rights of migrant youth. To see Harriett Jane Olson and Inelda Gonzalez’s 2010 letter to United Methodist Women members about the DREAM Act, visit www.united- methodistwomen.org/media/pdf/dreamactletterdec2010.pdf. Why a Fast? Prayer and fasting is part of our spiritual tradition as United Methodists. It recognizes the power of prayer and self-sacrifice linked to action for justice in bringing about a just world—personal holiness and social holiness. It recognizes that for societal change to take place we need change to happen both internally, through personal acts of prayer, reflection and witness, and systemically, by addressing policy and systemic practices. Thus, as people of faith we come together across faith traditions to make a personal witness through prayer and fasting; and a public witness through advocacy. What Are We Calling For? 1. Administrative Relief: The Obama Administration can act now, without legislation, to change enforcement policies as they apply to migrant youth and all detainees. It can cease detaining and deporting migrants based on immigration status. 2. Pass the federal DREAM Act. This has been reintroduced by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL, http://durbin.senate.gov). This bipartisan bill would enable a path to legalization for migrant youth without documents brought into the United States as children if they enroll as students or serve in the military. We are also calling for a non-military-service option for those who are not pursuing higher education. 3. Pass state bills that would enable migrant youth to attend college with in-state tuition, healthcare, transportation and other support that citizen youth have in a given state. Find out what YOU can do! Join the Facebook group “365 Day Fast in Solidarity with the DREAMers.” Share with friends. Post on your organizational website. A Brief History In November 2010, a group of University of Texas students in San Antonio fasted for more than 20 days in sup- port of the DREAM Act, then being debated by Congress. On November 29, 12 students, a professor, a pastor and a former city councilwoman in an act of civil disobedience held a sit-in in Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison’s San Antonio office, urging the senator to support the DREAM Act. When the protestors ultimately left the site, the Rev. Lorenza Andrade-Smith, a United Methodist pastor, opted to go to jail instead of leaving voluntarily. She spent a week in jail, where she fasted, prayed and provided pastoral support for many inmates. On leaving jail, she agreed to end her own hunger strike as others offered to participate in an ongoing fast for the DREAM-ers, to keep their issues visible and to build pressure for policy changes. The Facebook page was created, and United Methodist Women and United Methodist deaconesses were the first to respond, with many others joining the fast. The fast is now expanding nationwide, with the support of many faith groups and DREAM student organizations across the country. Join us! Advocate for state and federal legislation in support of DREAM students. Let your elected officials know of your views. Tell them you have joined the fast and will continue to pray and act on behalf of DREAM students. Sign the online pledge at “United We DREAM,” calling on President Obama to take administrative action to end detentions and deportations of migrant youth: http://wfc2.wired- forchange.com/o/8496/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=365.

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Participate in the fast and enlist others to participate. Tell people what you are doing and why you are doing it. Use this as an opportunity to talk about the stories of migrant youth affected by current immigration policy and to advocate for policy changes. Have your circle, unit, church or organization endorse the fast. Post to your organizational website.

United Methodist Women Litany for DREAMers

Created by Women’s Division Directors and Conference Guests

Sunday, October, 9, 2011, DREAM Sabbath

The land belongs to God. Why do we claim to control it… God’s love knows no borders.

Lord, have mercy.

Lord, help us to be reconcilers and justice-seekers today.

Forgive us Lord, when we put obstacles in the way of your children’s security.

We fail to welcome the stranger. And Jesus wept.

Lord, help us to be reconcilers and justice-seekers today.

We pray for those young men and women forced into decisions to join the Armed Forces

because there are no other options.

Forgive us for we know not what we do. Open the doors that were previously closed.

Lord, help us to be reconcilers and justice-seekers today.

We are all just migrating through this world.

To criticize is easy and separates us. Their blood is the same as our blood. We must find a way

to walk together.

Lord, help us to be reconcilers and justice-seekers today.

Because lies abound, we commit to speaking truth.

More prayer gives us even more power.

Lord, help us to be reconcilers and justice-seekers today.

We need to be grace-filled and open as we consider these issues.

If only that we might love one another as Christ loved us.

Lord, help us to be reconcilers and justice-seekers today.