Immigration

Volunteers carry a child ashore on a beach near Molyvos, on the Greek island of Lesbos, on Oct. 30, 2015, after a group of refugees crossed the Aegean Sea from Turkey in a small overcrowded boat provided by Turkish traffickers to whom the refugees paid huge sums. The refugees were received in Greece by local and international volunteers, then proceeded on their way toward western Europe. File photo by Paul Jeffrey/Life on Earth Pictures.

Fix broken migration policy, religious leaders say

Faith leaders cite a lack of commitment by European nations to either refugees or their local hosts.

The Rev. Orlando Gallardo Parra (right), pastor of Drexel United Methodist Church in Drexel, Mo., and a DACA recipient, has been married to his wife, Emily, for four years. “DACA has made it possible for me to be ordained in the United Methodist Church (and) to get a job as a pastor.” Photo courtesy of Rev. Gallardo Parra.

DACA decision brings joy, but battle not over

About 650,000 young people have gained temporary relief from deportation with U.S. Supreme Court decision to uphold Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.

Mission and Ministry

United Methodist deaconess Cindy Johnson regularly visits with migrants living in a tent camp in Matamoros, Mexico, while they seek asylum in the United States. Fear of the coronavirus has stopped people like Johnson from being able to minister to them face-to-face. Photo courtesy of Cindy Johnson.

Pandemic threatening ministry with migrants

United Methodists are helping but are hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic, which separates them from face-to-face interaction with migrants.

Mission and Ministry

Ruth Moreno shows her brother, Lino, how to keep his hands warm as the sun rises behind them on the Santa Fe Bridge over the Rio Grande in Juárez, Mexico. They make the two-hour cross-border journey each school day to attend the United Methodist Lydia Patterson Institute in El Paso, Texas. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Lydia Patterson Institute is a dream maker for young students

The United Methodist college-preparatory school is supported by the South Central Jurisdiction and many local churches and individuals provide scholarships.

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