Baptist Call in Day for Dreamers:
Baptists across the U.S. are encouraged to call, email, or write their elected Senators and Representatives on March 1, 2018, in support of passing a “clean” DREAM (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) Act – one that only addresses the status of “Dreamers” (undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as minors) without contingencies or riders related to other proposed legislation – that will protect Dreamers from deportation and provide them a pathway to citizenship. Current protections for Dreamers are set to end on March 5, 2018, based on President Trump’s Sept. 5, 2017, announcement that the Obama-era executive order DACA program would end in six months.
- Sign the statement below, and voice your support on social media with the hashtags: #Baptists4Dreamers #DREAMAct #DACA #ShareJourney
- Read the press release announcing the Baptist Call to Action Day for Dreamers here.
- Find information about your representatives and how to contact them at GovTrack.us
- Learn about the Catholic Call to Action Day that inspired this Baptist initiative. Visit ShareJourney.org for resources.
Joint Statement for Dreamers:
U.S. Baptist leaders issued on February 26, 2018, the following statement:
Baptists have a deep-seated faith and conviction that compels us to advocate for the powerless and marginalized. Following the teachings of Jesus Christ, Baptists champion the human rights of all people as to where divine justice may be sought after and enacted on behalf of the ostracized. Baptists across the United States are calling upon members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to pass a clean DREAM (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) Act, in order for Dreamers to remain in the United States, protecting them from deportation and providing them a pathway to citizenship, before the deadline of March 5, 2018.
Sponsoring Signatories,
Jackie Baugh-Moore, Vice President, Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation
Elijah Brown, General Secretary, Baptist World Alliance
Pam Durso, Executive Director, Baptist Women in Ministry
Brian Ford, Executive Director, Churchnet
Steve Graham, Coordinator, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Oklahoma
Jeffrey Haggray, Executive Director, American Baptist Home Mission Societies
Larry Hovis, Executive Coordinator, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina
LeDayne McLeese Polaski, Executive Director/Directora Ejecutiva, Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America ~ Bautistas por la Paz
Hannah McMahan, Executive Director, New Baptist Covenant
Suzii Paynter, Executive Coordinator, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
R. Mitch Randall, Executive Director, EthicsDaily.com
Jesse Rincones, Executive Director, Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas
Lee B. Spitzer, General Secretary, American Baptist Churches, USA
Samuel C. Tolbert Jr., President, National Baptist Convention of America International, Inc.
John V. Upton, Jr., Executive Director, Baptist General Association of Virginia
Additional Signatories:
Alyssa Aldape, Associate Pastor, First Baptist Church of the City of Washington DC
Leea Allen, Park Avenue Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia
Robin Anderson, Pastor, Commonwealth Baptist Church
Amy Armstrong, Watts Street Baptist Church
Aaron Ashlock, Pastor, Oak Knoll Baptist Church
April Baker, Pastor, Glendale Baptist Church
Lindsay Bergstrom, Director of Operations and Communications, New Baptist Covenant
Elaine Bleakney
Phaedra Blocker, Director of Programs, New Baptist Covenant
John Mark Boes, Partnerships and Advocacy Specialist, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
Lauren Brown
Ryan Busby, Pastor, Bosqueville Baptist Church
Terri Byrd, Coordinator, Alabama CBF
Anyra Cano, Youth Minister, Iglesia Bautista Victoria en Cristo
Shauw Chin Capps, Moderator, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
Daniel Carro, Professor of Divinity, The John Leland Center for Theological Studies
Mia Chang, Senior Pastor, NextGen Church
Preston Clegg, Pastor, Second Baptist – Little Rock
Richard Clore, Retired Pastor, Orange Baptist Church
Janet Cole, Administrative Assistant, Crescent Hill Baptist Church
Robert Coleman, Deacon, Wilshire Baptist Church
Elizabeth Congdon, Reverend, Old First Church, Middletown, New Jersey
Matt Cook, Senior Pastor, First Baptist, Wilmington
Dorisanne Cooper, Pastor, Watts Street Baptist Church
Ruth Copley, First Baptist Church Birmingham, Michigan
Roberta Cordell, Friendship Baptist
Ronda Credille, Member, First Baptist Church, Bolivar, Missouri
Leah Grundset Davis, Pastor, Ravensworth Baptist Church
Jennifer Davidson, Associate Professor of Theology and Worship, American Baptist Seminary of the West
Emily Davis
Tyler Davis, Teaching Assistant, Baylor University
Zach Dawes Jr., Managing Editor, EthicsDaily.com
Paula Dempsey, Director of Partnership Relations, Alliance of Baptists
Charles Draper, Pastor, Beacon Hill Baptist Church
Aubrey Ducker, Esquire, Attorney, Sperling Ducker PLC
John Dunaway, Pastor, Mt Pleasant Baptist Church
Russell Edwards, Pastor, Greenwood Baptist Church, Hewitt, New Jersey
Jonathan Elsensohn, Reverend, First Baptist Church, Freehold, New Jersey
Teresa Ely, Pastor, First Baptist Church
Sharon Felton, Faith Baptist Church
Mark Ferrin, Reverend, Keene First Baptist Church
Corey Fields, Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church
John Finley, Executive Director, Baptist History & Heritage Society
Clark Frailey, Lead Pastor, Coffee Creek Church
Irene Gallegos
Josue Gomez-Menendez, President Board of General Ministries, American Baptist Churches, USA
Alice Greene, Interim Minister, Covenant Baptist UCC
Julio Guarneri, Lead Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church, McAllen, Texas
Rachel Gunter Shapard, Associate Coordinator, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Florida
David Gushee, Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics, Mercer University
Elizabeth Hagan, Pastor, Palisades Community Church
Mary Elizabeth Hanchey, North Carolina Council of Churches
Harriet Harral, Deacon, Broadway Baptist Church
Colin Harris, Member, Smoke Rise Baptist Church
H. William Hausler, First Baptist Churh, Madison, Wisconsin
J. Henry Hawkins, First Baptist Church of Greenwood
Daniel Headrick, Associate Pastor, Northside Drive Baptist Church
Neil Heath
Carrie Houston, Minister to Students, First Baptist Church, Austin, Texas
Lydia Hoyle, Associate Professor, Campbell University Divinity School
Erin Hutchison, Reverend
Charles Johnson, Founder and Co-Pastor, Bread
Charles Jones
Michael Joseph, Mission Co-worker to Colombia, Global Ministries
Brian Kaylor, Editor & President, Word & Way; Associate Director, Churchnet
Gerald Kersey
George Kimsey, Member, First Baptist Church, Indianapolis, Indiana
Stuart Lamkin, Pastor, Hickory Rock Baptist Church
Rick Lane
Jeff Langford, Executive Director, CBF Heartland
Michael Leathers, Copy Editor, EthicsDaily.com
Bill Leonard, Dunn Professor of Baptist Studies and Church History, Wake Forest University
Jennifer Lessard, Minister and Seminarian, Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School
Joe Lewis, Pastor, Second Baptist Church of Petersburg, Virginia
Susan Marshall, Administrative Support, Richmond’s First Baptist Church
Trisha Miller Manarin, Executive Coordinator, Mid-Atlantic Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
Mary Beth Mankin, Reverend
Michael-Ray Mathews, Director of Clergy Organizing, PICO National Network
Rebecca May, Pastor, Celebration Fellowship
Lauren McDuffie, Associate Pastor, First Baptist Church, Morehead, Kentucky
Craig McMahan, University Minister, Mercer University
Jennifer McMahan, FBC of Christ Macon, Georgia
Lester Meriwether, Executive Director, Literacy Connexus
Michael Mills, Pastor, Agape Baptist Church, Fort Worth, Texas
Bert Montgomery, Pastor, University Baptist Church, Starkville, Mississippi
Nancy Moore
Bob Mulkey, Pastor, New Covenant Baptist Church
Kristopher Norris, Calvary Baptist Church
Mae Dean Northam, First Baptist, Mooresville, North Carolina
Rubén Ortiz, Latino Field Coordinator, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
Bryan Partridge, Student Minister, NorthHaven Church
Wendy Peacock, Pastor, Fellowship Baptist Church, Americus, Georgia
Brandon Pendry, Minister of Youth and Missions, First Baptist Church of Athens
Julie Pennington-Russell, Senior Minister, First Baptist Church of the City of Washington DC
Marshall Peters, Executive Minister, Mid-American Baptist Churches
Bill R. Phillips, Nashville First Baptist
Brandon Pierson
Justin Pierson, Student, Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond
Lawrence Powers, Triangle Area Campus Minister, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina
Stephen Reeves, Associate Coordinator of Partnerships and Advocacy, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
Randy Ridenour, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Oklahoma Baptist University
Sheri Ridenour, Executive Ministry Associate, NorthHaven Church
Susan Rogers, Pastor, The Well at Springfield
Kimberly Salico-Diehl, Transitional Pastor, American Baptist Church, Fort Collins, Colorado
Kelly Sasser, Watts Street Baptist Church
Karen Selig, Reverend, Royersford Baptist Church
Nancy Skidmore
Greg Smith, Director, Immigration Legal Services, LUCHA Ministries, Inc.
Jason Smith, Congregational Engagement Specialist, Alliance of Baptists
Susan Snellings
Gary Snowden, Missions Mobilization Team Leader, Churchnet
Jim Somerville, Pastor, First Baptist, Richmond, Virginia
Stephen Stacks, Reverend, Greenwood Forest Baptist Church
Scott Stearman, Pastor, Metro Baptist Church of New York City
Sean Story, Green Hills Church
Justin Thornburgh, Reverend, Emerson Avenue Baptist Church
Bill Tillman, Coordinator, Center for Congregational Ethics
Pat Turner
Cliff Vaughn, Media Producer, EthicsDaily.com
Mary Vaughn, First Baptist Church
David Vaught, Member, McGregor Baptist Church
Doug Weaver, Professor of Religion, Baylor University
Natalie Webb, Pastor, Covenant Baptist Church
Susan West/Colding
David Wheeler, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church, Portland, Oregon
Ashley Williams, First Baptist Church, Savannah
Quan Williams, Minister, Mosby Memorial Baptist Church
Baptist Resources on Dreamers:
DREAMer — Itzayana’s Story from Cooperative Baptist Fellowship on Vimeo.
DREAMer — Jemima’s Story from Cooperative Baptist Fellowship on Vimeo.
Additional Resources:
Alliance of Baptists: Sanctuary and Immigration Resources
American Baptist Home Mission Society: Immigration and Refugee Ministries
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship: Immigration and Refugee Advocacy
EthicsDaily.com: Articles and Documentary
Evangelical Immigration Table: An Evangelical Coalition Seeking Immigration Reform
WelcomingImmigrants.org: A World Relief – National Immigration Forum Partnership
