Vital Conversations on Immigration
Introduction
The Vital Conversations on Immigration series was developed to help local churches explore a sacred calling: a Church that embodies justice, mercy, and hospitality.
With a study guide and accompanying videos, each session invites you into deeper reflection on the realities of immigration today, guided by the voices of faith leaders, theologians, advocates, and immigrants themselves.
Immigration is not merely a political issue—it is a theological and spiritual matter deeply rooted in our Christian faith. The United Methodist Church has spoken clearly on this matter. Our Social Principles affirm:
“We oppose all laws and policies that attempt to criminalize, dehumanize, or punish displaced individuals and families based on their status as migrants, immigrants, or refugees... We challenge policies that call for the separation of families... and we oppose the existence of for-profit detention centers for such purposes.””
We pray that this journey challenges you, transforms your understanding, and deepens your commitment to live out your faith in public. May these conversations help us become a Church that doesn’t just talk about welcome— but lives it.
Study Guide
This study is intended for group use—whether in Sunday School, small groups, or Bible studies—and is especially recommended for congregations who are already actively engaging in immigration justice.
We also recognize that congregations are in different places on this journey. That’s why we are developing two additional study guides:
Coming soon!
For congregations just beginning this work – created especially for communities who may be new to conversations on immigration, or who have wrestled with anti-immigrant perspectives in the past.
For immigrant congregations – designed to uplift the lived experiences, faith, and resilience of immigrant communities themselves.
Session 1: Immigration and the Bible (Karen González)
In this video, Karen González reframes the story of Ruth as one of migration, survival, and justice rather than a romantic tale. The speaker highlights Ruth’s commitment to Naomi in the midst of famine, widowhood, and forced emigration, paralleling the speaker’s own family’s migration from Guatemala during civil war and economic collapse. The narrative contrasts Ruth’s experience of welcome and provision in ancient Judah—where God’s laws ensured immigrants had access to work and dignity—with the harsh realities faced by immigrants today. It underscores the “blessed alliance” between Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz, where citizens and immigrants co-labor for the flourishing of the whole community. The speaker asks whether modern societies extend the same compassion and justice to vulnerable newcomers – ultimately challenging viewers to consider how faith requires welcoming and supporting immigrants in tangible ways.
Session 2: Why Do People Migrate? (Monalisa Tuitahi)
In this video, Monalisa Salakielu Tu’itahi highlights the current humanitarian crisis where millions of immigrants, including families and children, are fleeing violence, poverty, and political instability—often worsened by U.S. foreign policies and global inequities. Drawing on her own migration story from Tonga and encounters with asylum seekers like Juan and Julietta, the speaker underscores how migration is driven by a quest for life, dignity, and hope. Yet, instead of compassion, migrants are often met with militarized borders and dehumanization. The speaker tells followers of Christ that resistance to oppression is not optional but central to faith by: reminding the Church of its call to resist this evil, reclaiming its identity as God’s people, and actively opposing injustice in whatever forms they present themselves.
Session 3: Race, Culture, and Immigration (Precious Kufarimai)
In this powerful reflection, Precious Kufarimai, a 26-year-old Zimbabwean-American and second-generation immigrant, shares her deeply personal journey of navigating race, culture, and belonging within the Church. She challenges the Church to move beyond cultural comfort to embrace the fullness of Christ’s Kingdom, where every skin tone, accent, and story has a place. Precious calls for the Church to listen deeply to immigrant stories, expand leadership to include diverse voices, and repent of racial and cultural biases that fracture the Body of Christ. Ultimately, she offers a vision of the Church as a place of radical belonging, where layered identities are honored as gifts and communities reflect the beauty of Revelation 7:9’s vision of “every nation, tribe, people, and language” worshiping together.
Session 4: From Charity to Justice (Darlene DiDomenick)
In this video, Deaconess Darlene DiDomineck describes the Church’s calling as one that moves beyond acts of charity to pursue justice rooted in faith. Sharing her work at The Center in Philadelphia, Darlene illustrates how radical hospitality and public witness create a sanctuary for unhoused neighbors and immigrants alike, embodying the Church’s call to welcome all. She reflects on how charity addresses immediate needs, but justice dismantles the systems that perpetuate suffering. Drawing on biblical narratives and Wesleyan theology, Darlene calls the Church to embrace holistic, intersectional justice led by the voices of those most impacted. Ultimately, she urges us to share our migration stories, recognizing that movement is part of the human and divine story, and to be a Church that transforms mercy into lasting change.
Session 5: Connecting Faith, Race, and Immigration Justice (James Kang)
In this video, James Kang reflects on his journey of faith, belonging, and the Church’s role in welcoming immigrants. He shares a formative seminary experience where gratitude for their immigrant father’s theological achievements collided with a congregant’s dismissive comment about language barriers, leaving them questioning how churches truly bridge cultural divides. A later visit to South Korea revealed for the first time what it felt like to belong—free from the burden of explaining oneself— underscoring how shared cultural reference points create ease and connection. Grounding his reflection in Leviticus and United Methodist Social Principles, he challenges the Church to move beyond charity and into transformative relationships with immigrants. Practical suggestions include joining immigrant communities in their worship practices, cultivating spaces for honest conversations about difference, and creating church cultures that don’t just welcome diversity but desire it deeply.
Study Guide
Just in case you did not download at the top of this page, here it is again. This study is intended for group use—whether in Sunday School, small groups, or Bible studies—and is especially recommended for congregations who are already actively engaging in immigration justice.