June 2019 Prayer Partner: Praying for the Vulnerable
Dear friends,
Like you, I’ve been deeply upset by reports of unsafe and unsanitary conditions in which children are being held along the border in U.S. government custody. I wince to see the horrific image of a 23-month-old girl gripping her father – both deceased in the river after a failed border crossing. I can’t help but grip my own 23-month-old daughter tight, and pray to God: What should I be doing?
At the Evangelical Immigration Table, we wanted to highlight a few ways that you might be called to respond. Yesterday, leaders of the ten denominations and organizations the lead the Table sent a letter to the White House and to Congress, urging them to ensure that adequate resources are deployed quickly and that laws designed to protect the vulnerable – particularly children – are respected.
We encourage you to add your name to this message to our elected officials. Once we’ve gathered a significant number of signatories, we’ll re-send the letter, underscoring that concerns for asylum-seeking children and families are not just coming from national leaders, but also from evangelical Christians throughout the country. Please also share the invitation to sign on with other concerned believers whom you know.
We also know many are asking what more they can do. While not a comprehensive list, in a recent blog post pastor Alan Cross noted several ministries, churches and organizations that are serving immigrant families on both the U.S. and Mexican sides of the border. Would you prayerfully consider how you might support these ministry efforts?
Several of our leadership organizations are also responding: Bethany Christian Services connects unaccompanied immigrant children to caring foster families. World Relief has resources for churches to engage their congregations and provides legal counsel for asylum seeking families. World Vision is addressing the root causes of poverty and violence that leave many feeling they have no choice but to flee Central America.
It can be easy to turn a blind eye in these circumstances. But I believe God wants us to respond – and to do so in a way sustained by prayer. This week, would you join me in praying for vulnerable children and families? Pray that God would provide for and protect these vulnerable people made in His image – and that His church would be a part of the way He answers those prayers.
In Christ,
Matthew Soerens
National Coordinator, Evangelical Immigration Table
