Our Church is a Sanctuary for All

This month, we will host another round of citizenship classes for immigrants seeking the same rights and privileges that we enjoy in this country. Some of those students, as well as some of our honored guests who worship with us on Sundays, may feel anxious about stepping through our doors due to the new administration giving immigration agents more leeway to make arrests in houses of worship. The historic tension here is that “religious freedom” includes the church’s ability to minister to all people, including migrants who may be in the United States illegally. As the Most Rev. Sean Rowe, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, said recently, “We cannot worship freely if some of us are living in fear” (Dallas Morning News, 2/12/25).

This is a serious matter—one that will be taken up by our Church Council next month in order to formulate a response that is representative of FUMC Plano. In the meantime, I have directed our staff, our volunteers, and our Weekday Program staff not to allow any immigration agents into our building, nor to discuss any matters with them over the phone. The odds of this being necessary are small, but preparation, with a clear plan, is essential in the name of love. The church, at its best and from its beginning in the Roman Empire, has been a haven for the oppressed over the centuries: slaves, women, Jews, Black people, Hispanics, and LGBTQ+ individuals. The church has been a sanctuary—a place of unconditional love and safety—for all. FUMC Plano has this stance in its history.

When there was rumor and anxiety in the 1960s that some of Martin Luther King Jr.’s trained peace advocates might show up one Sunday for a sit-in during worship while we were at our 18th Street location, the ushers asked the respected Head Usher and churchman Alex Schell what they should do. Alex told them simply, “You know where I sit; have them come sit with me as our guests.” That was the end of the controversy—our church would be a sanctuary for all. We follow a God and a Christ who always emphasized particular care and regard for the immigrant, sojourner, and alien. “You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt” (Exodus 22:21, NRSVUE). Christ simply called them “neighbors,” and we know how to welcome them. Thank you for that—in the name of Love