Phoenix Evangelical Leaders Call For a Vote on Immigration Reform

 In Press Releases

Local Pastors to Fly to D.C., Meet with Members of Congress Tuesday

 **For a recording of today’s call click here.**

PHOENIX, APRIL 25, 2014 — On a press call today, top Phoenix evangelical leaders highlighted the biblical call to welcome the stranger and urge Congress to move forward with a vote this year on immigration reform.

The press conference featured local pastors who will discuss the moral imperatives for immigration reform, their efforts during the April congressional recess and their Tuesday #Pray4Reform trip to Washington, D.C., to meet with their members of Congress.

The following quotes are from Arizona pastors on today’s call:

Adam Estle, Arizona Church Mobilizer, Evangelical Immigration Table, Peoria:
“Next week will be the fifth time since December 2012 that evangelical pastors have headed to Washington to advocate for immigration reform on behalf of our immigrant brothers and sisters. As faith leaders, we believe we are mandated by God to stand for the vulnerable. As followers of Jesus, we are convinced that His words in Matthew 25 apply to this present opportunity to ‘welcome the stranger’ in our communities. We hope and pray that our members of Congress will lead on fixing our terribly broken immigration system as quickly as possible. Immigration reform is a matter of when, not if, and every day that passes without reform adds to the suffering of our communities.”

Bob Hake, Lead Pastor, Orangewood Church of the Nazarene, Phoenix:
“It’s my privilege to join hundreds of pastors from around the country in Washington, D.C., next week for the Pastors for Reform event. We’ll be meeting with members of Congress sharing our concerns over our nation’s broken immigration system. Every day I see in lives of my church members and community the harmful effects of a system that is so severely broken and in need of immediate reform. Extreme poverty, homelessness and hunger are the realities in my community resulting from our nation’s leaders’ reluctance to pass commonsense reform. We need Congress to act now voting on reform that address the crisis and stabilizes our families and community.”

Ryan Nuñez, Executive Pastor, Palm Valley Church, Goodyear:
“I am a product of immigration. My grandfather led churches for migrants and my grandmother was an immigrant from Canada. Immigration is part of my heritage, and yet for a long time I stayed on the sidelines on this issue because I have operated under the assumption that the church should stay out of politics. I still hold this view; however, I have become convinced that as a pastor I need to speak out on what the Bible says about certain issues. Immigration reform is one of these issues. Our role on this topic is clear from a Biblical perspective. There is a need for reform that balances the Biblical principles of compassion and care for the immigrant with the call to follow the rule of law and respect the authority placed over us. This is a complicated balance, but not impossible. People and families that God loves hang in the balance as meaningful reform is debated.”

Chris Schutte, Lead Pastor, Christ Church Anglican, Phoenix:
“As a pastor, I see the effects of our broken immigration system nearly every day. It’s well past time that our leaders come together to craft a solution that upholds the rule of law, respects the dignity and integrity of individuals and families, allows labor needs to be met in a way that honors both the employer and the worker, and, finally, finds a way to justly and compassionately allow hard-working and otherwise law-abiding folks who are undocumented to embark on an earned path to legalization and, eventually, citizenship.”

Join the conversation on Twitter using #Pray4Reform and #VoteOnReform.

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