Dr. Maggie Commins, Associate Professor of Political Science at Queens University, walks us through the complex language used to describe and categorize the movement of people.  Listen in as we learn the differences between the language of undocumented, documented, refugee, asylum seeker, illegal alien, and more.  

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Welcome to this journey of Awakening. The Awakening Series is a year-long journey of exploration and discernment during which all people are invited to learn about current justice issues. The series is mostly educational and is intended to create a deep understanding and compassion for the world’s most marginalized individuals. It encourages a critical examination of structural, historical, sociological, and theological obstacles to the establishment of equity, wholeness, and fulfillment of all people.
Listening and learning is a critical part of our spiritual lives as we seek to meet God in our world. Throughout the Bible, the people of God hear – and wrestle with – the call to love the foreigner and welcome the stranger (Deut. 10, Lev. 19, etc.). The United States is often referred to as a “Nation of Immigrants,” which not only honors our heritage but also reminds us that our ancestors were also foreigners in a new land.  
This year, we will explore this ancient, biblical call and discern how God might be calling us – individually and collectively – to love and welcome all of our neighbors. Through large group educational opportunities, small groups experiences, weekend events, and pilgrimages, we will get to know our immigrant neighbors, begin to understand the challenges they face in coming to the United States, and discern action and advocacy steps that we can take to create a better life with and for America’s newcomers.

 God be with us all along the way,   
Rev. Chrissy Tatum Williamson

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