Immigrant Solidarity in Jesus’ Name: Ventures in Christian Discipleship

This two-part session will focus on the immediate needs of those threatened by detention and deportation. It will be anchored by Founa Badet, Church of the Brethren Director of Intercultural Ministries, and Matt Guynn, co-executive director of On Earth Peace, along with other members of the Deportation Defense Response Team. 

DATES: Tuesdays, October 21 & 28, 2025

TIME: 6:30-8:30pm Central Time

The session on October 21 will provide a broad-strokes overview of the realities of Church of the Brethren congregations that have faced detention or deportation in 2025. Stories and examples will help paint the picture of what is happening and how congregations and districts are responding.

There will be opportunities to hear from participants about their own situations and how they are responding. This session will offer an overview of important legal information that anyone might need who is facing threats of deportation themselves, or helping those in this challenging situation. 

The session on October 28 will build on the realities described the prior week, as we explore an approach called Harnessing Our Power to End Political Violence (HOPE-PV). This session will help build an understanding of the contours of political violence, especially toward immigrants. We will work to awaken our imaginations about how to assertively respond in the face of threats and acts of violence toward immigrants.

We will explore concepts that can help us identify and undermine violence against immigrants in our congregations and communities, while learning tools and approaches to use at home right now or in a moment of crisis. This will draw from an approach called “Backfire,” which describes 5 key strategies used to undermine and attack vulnerable populations, and 5 key strategies that help flip these as we build community power. More information about the Backfire approach and HOPE-PV here: https://www.endpoliticalviolence.org/  

TO REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT, VISIT: McPherson College Ventures Registration.