Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America

The Chicago New Sanctuary Coalition (CNSC) invites congregations and faith communities to journey together to become Immigrant Welcoming Congregations. Through prayer, reflection, education, relationship building and action we will welcome immigrants and collectively work to bring that welcoming spirit to the whole community.

Click here to read about the Congregations who have delcared that they are Immigrant Welcoming Congregations

The Journey to Become an Immigrant Welcoming Congregation

1. Exploring our Faith:
Start with your faith.  Have an opening session with a group from your congregation to learn about what your faith says about welcoming immigrants and how to talk about immigration issues.

2. Education to Open our Hearts and Minds
Host an educational event in your congregation to expand your understanding of immigration issues and demystify common misconceptions about immigrants and immigration policies.

3. Relationships of Transformation
Create spaces to get to know people directly affected by current
immigration policies and begin to build relationships grounded in love and respect.

4. Prayerful Action
Through prayer and religious practice, find ways to be present with our immigrant sisters and brothers.

5. Affirming Our Commitment
Have a service that blesses and affirms your congregation's commitment to being an "Immigrant Welcoming Congregation" that engages the larger congregation, celebrates leaders who will help carry the ministry forward, and commit to be a part of the wider interfaith movement working for immigrant justice.

Living Out Our Commitment to being an"Immigrant Welcoming Congregation"

1. Emergency Response
Deportation leads to broken families, children without parents, and families without breadwinners. As people of faith, we have a duty to respond and support the immigrant community in concrete ways.

2. Public Action
When and where we see cases of injustice we will use our collective voice to actively take a public, moral stand for immigrant justice and human rights.

3. Continued Education and Relationships for Transformation
We know that learning is a continuous process and that living out our faith is never complete and we will continue to explore our faith, learn about current immigration issues and build relationships with our immigrant sisters and brothers.

Please see the attached document for a more detailed description of the process

Click here to return to the CNSC main web page