On December 2, join an interfaith event in Lansing that includes United Methodist support and calls for speaking out on behalf of our immigrant neighbors. In the spirit of Advocacy Day and moral witness, you’ll meet with legislators and law enforcement groups to urge them to support laws that protect the vulnerable.
Strangers No Longer, a Roman Catholic advocacy group that works to “support our immigrant neighbors and to advocate for a comprehensive and humane immigration policy,” has invited United Methodists to join hands in solidarity and compassion on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, at the State Capitol in Lansing.
They are gathering to “lift the moral voice of faith communities in Michigan to express our common tradition of welcoming the stranger and treating all our neighbors, including immigrants, as brothers and sisters,” as stated in a newsletter announcement. This event, called an Interfaith Act of Hope: Posadas, will be held at Lansing: Central UMC, where the Michigan Conference’s Advocacy Day is held each year, from 9 am to 2 pm ET.
Download the flyer in English and Spanish to learn more. Complete this form to register for the event. The event with lunch is free, and training will be provided, but registration is required. Limited transportation to and from Oak Park (Detroit area) and Brighton is available.
Strangers No Longer invites all persons of faith to this event. Participants will include leaders and members from Roman Catholic, Jewish, Episcopal, and other Christian denominations. The Michigan Conference Board of Justice has endorsed this event and invites all United Methodists to join their interfaith siblings in this day of faithful action.
Participants will urge state senators to study and support Senate Bills 508, 509, and 510, recently introduced by Senators Mary Cavanagh, Stephanie Chang, and Jeremy Moss. The bills would prohibit ICE officers from wearing masks, using unmarked cars, or making intrusions into sacred or sensitive places (such as churches, schools, hospitals, and courts) without a judicial warrant. Learn more about these bills in this press release.
Participants will also visit the Associations of Police Chiefs and Sheriffs to advocate against the signing of 287(g) agreements, which effectively federalize local police officers to seek out and arrest immigrants.
Odalis Perales, the Manager of Strategic Partnerships and Organizer with Strangers No Longer, is a DACA immigrant from Guerrero, Mexico, and welcomes United Methodists to join them for the Interfaith Act of Hope.
“This event is special to me as an immigrant from Mexico,” said Pereles, “because we will be advocating in the spirit of Posadas, which are the Latin American celebrations that happen for nine nights leading up to Christmas. In this tradition, people come together to commemorate Mary and Joseph’s search for a welcoming inn, or posada, a place where they can rest and wait for the coming of baby Jesus. Similarly, we will be going to Lansing to knock on senators’ doors to ask them to open their hearts to our message of compassion.”
This theme of posadas will carry over in the special festive luncheon that participants will take part in at Lansing: Central UMC. Register now to reserve your seat.
Leaders of Strangers No Longer invited Bishop David Bard and Bishop Bonnie Perry of the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan to accompany them to Lansing on November 6 to testify before the Michigan Senate in support of these three bills. Read Bishop Bard’s testimony.
Exemplifying how faith leaders and our collective power can make an impact, the bishops and several other Strangers No Longer leaders, including Kim Redigan, Director of Campus Ministry at Detroit Cristo Rey High School, spoke about the need for people to access health care, schools, stores, and spiritual care without fear.
After receiving the invitation from Strangers No Longer and reading the bills, Bishop Bard found them compatible with our United Methodist Social Principles, Resolutions, and Council of Bishops statements on immigration and agreed to offer a testimony to a Senate committee.
“As I stated in my Senate testimony,” said the bishop, “it is not only that laws are enforced that matters, but how laws are enforced, and what we are witnessing in many communities across the country are tactics that seem more focused on intimidation and fear than effective enforcement of the law. Those tactics are harming United States citizens and others who are living here legally. They are not targeting the worst criminals that may be in the country illegally, but instead they seem designed to meet deportation quotas more than anything else.”
Bishop Bard and the Michigan Conference Board of Justice encourage United Methodists who are passionate about immigration justice to join Strangers No Longer on December 2 in Lansing.
“I think the Interfaith Act of Hope will be much like our Advocacy Day,” concluded Bishop Bard. “While I am unable to attend as I will be in Illinois that day, I encourage people to participate.”
Jacob Stone, co-chair of the Board of Justice, said he hopes that fellow United Methodists who have been to Advocacy Day will use the skills they have built to support Strangers No Longer and our immigrant siblings here in Michigan. Register now.
“This is one of many great opportunities for people to be active in bringing about change in our world,” said Stone. “I encourage others to attend and continue to build bridges with others seeking justice. We have built a strong foundation of legislative advocacy work through Advocacy Day, but that work should only be a start. We should be mobilized to support others doing justice work, whether it be United Methodist legislative advocacy, ecumenical protests, interfaith cultural work, or even secular organizing. We need to be doing this together.”
If you have questions about the December 2 event, contact the event organizer, Odalis Perales, at [email protected].
Last Updated on December 2, 2025