Churches can do much in their communities to truly follow the gospel call to welcome the stranger. Here are some action steps and ideas for engaging your congregation on immigration:

• Form a committee with fellow study group members or other people interested in immigrant issues from the biblical perspective.

• Brainstorm ways to challenge your congregation to think about the issue of immigration theologically rather than politically.

• Set up a meeting with the pastor or leadership team at your place of worship to share about the Strangers in the Land study process and your interest in immigrant issues. See if you can identify some concrete ways to work together to bring this process to the larger congregation.

• Plan activities that could involve members of your congregation – examples are below. Some of these might have the potential to grow into thriving ministries.

• Organize a “Know Your Neighbor Sunday” or “Immigrant Sunday.” Show a video of an immigrant and her story, or invite someone you know to speak about their immigrant journey. Include multicultural songs and elements in your service. Host a panel of speakers after church who can lead a discussion on immigrants in your community.

• Host English classes in your church space. English as a Second Language (ESL) classes are increasingly hard to find and are a great opportunity to teach a valuable skill while creating relationships across cultural divides.

• Help immigrants prepare for citizenship tests. Meet with immigrants on a regular basis as they prepare for their written and oral exams.

• Learn about the legal system firsthand. Invite a lawyer or immigrant rights advocate to speak to your congregation about the realities of the current immigration system and the difficulties facing undocumented immigrants.

• Use connections within your church community to start a job training and employment network for immigrants seeking employment.

• Start a partnership with an immigrant church by having their pastor speak to your congregation. Host a joint potluck after your church services.

• Invite your church to go deeper into immigration and the Christian response. Consider reading and studying Christians at the Border: Immigration, the Church, and the Bible (www.bakeracademic.com) by M. Daniel Carroll R.

• Start a letter-writing campaign as a church to your elected officials, letting them know you support immigrant communities and believe in welcoming and compassionate immigration policies. For more on advocacy, see the CCIR toolkit.