An EthicsDaily.com documentary on immigration will be screened during the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., on Sept. 4 at Saint Peter’s Catholic Church.
An ecumenical panel of bishops will speak from a moral perspective to the urgency of addressing the issue of immigration after viewing the 31-minute version of “GospelWithoutBorders.”
The panel of bishops includes: MinervaCarcaño, bishop of the Desert Southwest Conference of the United Methodist Church; JulianGordy, bishop of the Southeastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; and AnthonyTaylor, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Little Rock.
CliffordJones, pastor of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Charlotte, is also on the program. Jones will welcome delegates, party officials and members of the faith community to the event.
Taylor is an interviewee in “GospelWithoutBorders.”
“We want to provide a witness of Christian leaders to political leaders, offering a clear and compelling message about the moral imperative to prioritize the plight of undocumented immigrants,” said Robert Parham, executive director of the Baptist Center for Ethics and co-producer of the documentary. “We want this to be a moral challenge to the Obama Administration and to Democratic officials.”
Parham said: “Holding an event in a Catholic church for a Baptist-produced documentary that was funded primarily by a Methodistfoundation with an ecumenical panel of bishops speaks to the unity within Christianity about the imperative to seek justice for the undocumented.”
Peter Jugis, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte, welcomed the event in Charlotte.
In a statement to EthicsDaily.com, he said that the “United States Conference of Catholic Bishops continues to support immigration reform.”
“GospelWithoutBorders” explores the issue of immigration through interviews with Christians in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Iowa and North Carolina.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops mailed a DVD copy of the documentary to every Catholic bishop in September 2011, encouraging them to use the documentary in their parishes.
A United Methodist Church bishop also mailed the DVD to every active Methodist bishop.
A number of goodwill Baptist organizations, including the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina, have distributed the DVD to their leadership.
SaintPeter‘sCatholicChurch is the oldest Catholic parish in Charlotte, established in 1851. It is located in downtown Charlotte across the street from the convention center.
More details will be forthcoming.
“Gospel Without Borders” Trailer from EthicsDaily on Vimeo.
