Episcopal Church joins holiday postcard campaign for immigration reform
Episcopal News Service. November 16, 2009 [111609-01]
ENS staff
The Episcopal Church is joining the Interfaith Immigration Coalition postcard campaign, aimed at sending a holiday message to members of the U.S. Congress.
The message: "Help keep immigrant families together by supporting comprehensive immigration reform now."
An action alert from the Episcopal Public Policy Network (EPPN) said its goal is to collect 10,000 signed postcards "and send a strong message to Congress that people of faith want to see action on comprehensive immigration reform."
"Your participation in the Holiday Postcard campaign will help us remind Members of Congress that our broken immigration system is hurting immigrant families, and needs to be reformed now," the alert said. "It can also bring the important work of doing justice into the weekly worship life of your community."
Postcards can be downloaded here for printing. The alert urges people to fill out three cards, one for each of their two U.S. Senators, and one for their Representative. A map of congressional districts can be found here.
The Episcopal Church's stance on immigration reform is guided by the policies set out in Resolution B006 passed during the most recent meeting of General Convention in July. B006 continues the church's long-standing call for comprehensive immigration reform and urges an end to federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) strategies that break up immigrant families.
The EPPN's alert suggests ways to organize the postcard campaign in local congregations and then ensure that the cards get to the attention of federal lawmakers. The network asks that the cards not be sent individually to members of Congress because EPPN and the interfaith coalition plan to deliver them in early January.
"Our goal is to send a strong, unified message of support for immigrant families and for immigration reform, and delivering the postcards in-person, within a tight time-frame, helps us do that," the alert said.