ELCA Sanctuary action 1: ELCA declares "Sanctuary Church"

When the church does something that the public notices, misinterpretations are bound to happen. Let's look at two actions taken by the ELCA's Churchwide Assembly, which met in Milwaukee last week, which made national news. These were a protest march to ICE headquarters in Milwaukee, and then the official pronouncement by the assembly announcing the ELCA as a "Sanctuary" church. The second action even made the television show, “Fox and Friends”. This caused a stir in media accounts.  

In this post and the following two posts ("ELCA sanctuary action 1, 2 and 3"), I hope to have provided a resource that will contextualize what this does and does not mean for us. To start, let's look at some letters by 4 bishops, including our own New Jersey Synod bishop, the Rev. Tracie Bartholomew, which help interpret these events. 

-Our Presiding Bishop, the Rev. Elizabeth Eaton’s post-Assembly letter:

Read it here. The text provides a link to a set of “Talking Points” that are very helpful for understanding what the assembly’s action means.

-Our New Jersey Bishop, the Rev. Tracie Bartholomew’s post-Assembly letter:

Read it here. In the fourth paragraph, she writes, “…Because we are church in three expressions (congregations, synods, and churchwide) the decision made at the Churchwide Assembly to become a sanctuary church body, only applies to the churchwide expression. Any congregation or synod wishing to become a sanctuary entity is free to decide to do so, or not. No congregation or synod is compelled to take on that designation. If a congregation wishes to become a sanctuary entity, it should also decide what that will mean.”

-Rocky Mountain Synod bishop, the Rev. Jim Gonia, has written a letter, here.  He writes about the sanctuary decision, “…The fact that the story of our (Lutheran) church is rooted in the experience of Lutheran refugees and immigrants who came to this country faith seeking a better life is what continues to empower our church’s unwavering commitment to accompany refugees and immigrants today.”

-Here is a letter from the bishop of the Pacifica Synod, the Rev. Andy Taylor, which includes a link to a video showing how Lutheran work in Honduras is helping those who have been denied asylum in the US to have a future with hope in their home country. 

I hope these expressions of "sanctuary" help you understand what it can mean. Did you watch the video linked in Bishop Taylor's letter? It's a wonderful testament to the ways the Lutheran World Federation is carrying out "sanctuary" for migrants in its broadest sense among the people of Honduras.