Dear Members and Friends of Davidson College Presbyterian Church
At the June 20th Session meeting, the Session voted to affirm the June 16
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(see end of email) statement on separation of children from their parents at the southern US border by the Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Additionally, the Session is concerned for those fleeing violence from Central America and seeking asylum on the United State border. We believe these individuals have the right to, at the minimum, the following:
- due process of law
- the freedom to apply for political asylum and refugee status without fear of criminal charges being levied against them or their families being separated or children taken from them
- children should be reunited with their parents
- adequate judicial and legal resources to adjudicate these cases
While we welcomed the President’s Executive Order of June 20
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to stop the separation of families, this still does not address the larger issues of the zero-tolerance policy and the resulting indefinite incarnation of refugees at the border.
We realize these are complicated issues and people will have a variety of opinions and reactions to them. The Session encourages you to contact your elected officials in the federal government and share your opinions. You may use the above as talking points.
Federal Representatives
Senator Richard Burr – 202-224-3154
Senator Thom Tillis – 202-224-6342
Rep. Alma Adams (12
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Congressional District) – 202-225-1510
On Monday, June 25 at 7 pm in Lingle Chapel we will have prayer vigil for those children and families who have been separated at the border. Please join us.
The Session of Davidson College Presbyterian Church
Rev. Dr. Scott Kenefake
Rev. Robert Alexander
Rev. Dr. John Ryan
Rev. Claire George-Drumheller
Rev. Dr. Larry Lyon
OFFICE OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY J. HERBERT NELSON, II
STATED CLERK OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
100 WITHERSPOON ST. LOUISVILLE, KY 40202-1396
888-728-7228 ext. 5375
FAX 502-5698005
STATEMENT BY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (U.S.A.)
STATED CLERK The Reverend Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II
June 16, 2018
As Presbyterians gather for the meeting of our 223rd General Assembly, we are mindful of the many issues of justice, peace and compassion we face, both as citizens of the United States and members of the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ. While we face issues of peace on the Korean peninsula, tragic injustice in the Middle East, and the spectre of climate change in our nation and our world, there is nothing of more urgency than the tragedy that is unfolding at our borders, where children are ripped from their parents and placed in holding cells, while their frantic parents scream in agony at the separation. What has this nation become? How have we wandered so far from Jesus’ kind admonition, “Let the little children come to me … for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs”? How can this be happening in a nation in which so many claim the traditions of Christianity, Judaism and Islam and the critical importance of families to the fabric of our lives together? Perhaps the most egregious aspect of this policy is the willingness of the highest legal official of our nation to suggest that if a mother has fled violence in her own country to save herself and her children but has not had a chance to make a proper petition for safety in the U.S., she should be taught a lesson by having her children taken from her. It is almost incomprehensible that these acts should be used as a warning to others who would come. What makes matters worse is the audacity of quoting the Apostle Paul’s admonition to believers in Romans 13:1 to obey the law (presumably whatever the law says), while ignoring the higher scriptural demand that “love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:10). The crisis of tens of thousands of desperate people coming to the United States for relief seems almost overwhelming. But as the officials of our government attempt to address the crisis, we cannot afford to tarnish the highest values of our nation. We must not punish desperate parents
100 WITHERSPOON ST. LOUISVILLE, KY 40202-1396 888-728-7228 ext. 5375 FAX 502-5698005
by tearing their children away from them, leaving the parents without access to the children or assurance of their welfare. In the name of God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ: Stop!
In the faith we share,
Reverend Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II Stated Clerk of the General Assembly Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
