Room at the Inn

Friends,

ʹTis the season to prepare room. In the midst of this sacred Advent season—a time of anticipation, hope, and holy expectation—I write to you as fellow Christ-followers from every corner of this country. My heart is full as I share about a movement deeply rooted in the Gospel: the Advent Welcome: Room in the Inn campaign, a nationwide call to prayer and compassionate witness for the human dignity and humane treatment of immigrants, asylum seekers, and refugees.

Advent is the season in which we prepare our hearts to receive the Christ child anew. It is a season of welcome. The theme Room in the Inn emerges directly from the Christmas narrative itself. Scripture tells us that when Mary was ready to give birth, “there was no room for them in the inn (Luke 2:7).” Into this reality of displacement, uncertainty, and vulnerability, Jesus—Emmanuel, God with us—came into the world. Jesus’s family experienced what millions of families today endure: seeking safety, searching for welcome, longing for a place to call home.

This is why the Advent Welcome campaign is rooted not in politics, but in Scripture. The Christmas story is a story of God entering the world through a family in need of hospitality. As followers of Jesus, we are invited to recognize the image of God in every person and to see the journey of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers through a distinctly biblical lens. When we choose welcome, we join the angels in announcing good news. When we make room for our vulnerable neighbors, we honor the Christ who identified Himself with “the stranger” and taught us that in welcoming them, we welcome Him.

In this moment in our nation’s life—marked by division, fear, and often harsh rhetoric—God is calling us to what I call “Faith Raising”: the raising of faith over fear; faith over scarcity; faith over the temptation to see others as threats instead of as beloved children of God. Advent Welcome challenges us to live out the radical hospitality at the heart of the Gospel. It urges us to shine a compassionate witness that reflects the kingdom of God rather than the anxieties of the age.

The Advent Welcome: Room in the Inn campaign invites churches, small groups, families, and individuals to join in sustained prayer throughout Advent; praying for children separated from their families, for mothers and fathers searching for safety, for refugees rebuilding their lives, and for wise, humane policies that honor both the rule of law and the dignity of every person. Prayer is not passive. Prayer is formative. Prayer shapes our hearts so that our actions may follow the heart of Christ.

But this campaign calls us not only to prayer, but also to compassionate presence and Christian hospitality. This may look like supporting local ministries serving immigrants and refugees, advocating for fair policies, learning the stories of our immigrant neighbors, or extending simple acts of friendship. In every case, the call is the same: to make room—spiritually, emotionally, and practically—for those who bear the burdens of displacement.

During this holy season, I invite you to reflect anew on the God who chose to come into the world as a refugee child. Let us be the Church that lives out the welcome we proclaim. And let us together declare that there is and must always be room in the inn. Friends, you too are invited to join the Advent Welcome campaign.

I’d invite you to join me and others from throughout the country in this Advent Prayer:

Lord Jesus, we thank You that You entered our world through a humble, vulnerable family.

As Evangelicals committed to Your Word, we remember that You were born to those who were traveling, turned away, and later seeking safety.

You are the God who makes room for us.

So this Advent, teach us to make room for others.

Open our eyes to the dignity of every image-bearer.

Open our hearts to welcome the stranger with wisdom, compassion, justice and love.

Remove fear from us, and fill us with the hope, peace, joy, and love that come from Your presence.

May our churches and institutions be places where Your welcome is felt and Your light is seen.

This Advent, let us be the Inn that opens its doors.

Let us be the people who say ‘Yes’ where others say ‘No room.’

And let our hospitality become a witness to Your Gospel.

In Your holy name, Jesus, we pray. Amen.

May your Advent be filled with hope, light, and the courageous compassion of Christ.

In the peace of Emmanuel,

Rev. Dr. Gabriel Salguero
President, National Latino Evangelical Coalition (NaLEC)