Faith in Motion Series: Faith-Motivated Support of Immigrants

In this edition, we meet Pastor Julie Wheeler of Pomona Fellowship and Phil Hofer of La Verne Church of the Brethren who have been actively involved in Migrant Justice work.

Pastor Julie Wheeler of Pomona Fellowship and Phil Hofer of La Verne Church of the Brethren have been actively engaged in supporting and advocating for immigrants in the Pomona, CA area. They work with ICE Out of Pomona, a coalition of organizations that, as Julie aptly stated, “have come together to work against this tidal wave that's coming at us.” In addition to his work with ICE Out of Pomona, Phil serves as chair of the Peace and Justice Commission. He is also part of Justice for Immigrants Seeking Asylum, a local based group that provides support to immigrants seeking safety and asylum. 

Julie directly addresses a common misconception related to their work. “...I hear this all the time from white folk: ‘...why don't [the immigrants] just follow the rules?...There's a simple answer. Like, just get legal.’ She highlights the contradiction that the U.S. has greatly benefited from people entering the country, yet it criminalizes their presence and dedicates resources to pushing them out. Julie expressed, “I can't say for sure, but if Jesus were here, I think he'd be standing with the immigrants. And that's where I need to stand. And I'm not sure I've ever stood right here before? I've always had a heart for that, but I'm like, really right here with them. So, it just feels very close to Jesus. What he would do.” 

Phil recalled Bill Pannell, a professor at Fuller Seminary, speaking at an InterVarsity Christian Fellowship Conference he attended, and related it to our call to support immigrants who are facing the injustice of this administration. “Bill Pannell stood in front of thousands of young people, and he said, ‘I don't care who you are. I don't care if you're black or Hindu or Muslim. If you say that it's unjust to mistreat an African, a black person, then we're together.’ Evil is evil, and I think those of us who are Christians, we are motivated by the example of Jesus and how we have come to understand that example. At the same time, I want to recognize that we join many others, including people of no faith, in fighting injustice.”

Phil further reflected, “...it's so clear that we have only begun to see the viciousness, the encompassing arm of the government on immigrants, given the bill that was just passed...I think we have to see [defending and supporting immigrants] as a longer-term thing. We can't solve it right away, but we try to be present as a congregation and find our role, and that's where we found a few things, but we continue to work on that.”

Julie and Phil’s History of Involvement in Supporting Immigrants

Julie first got involved through an invitation from a lay chaplain involved with the coalition during the last Trump administration. She feels a personal connection to working with immigrants as well. “When I graduated from college, I married a black man. And so, I have two brown children. They're not the flavor that ICE is looking for right now, but I have two brown children, and both of them are married to Hispanic women. But what draws me is I just happen to be in the right place at the right time. It's just a gift. It's a total gift.” Julie’s ministry work serving immigrants has continued over the years, and she sees this as a direct extension of her faith. “It has been the best Christian thing I've ever done. It's been the best thing ever,” Julie beamed.

Phil has a long history of working with immigrants, which stems from his own 5th-great-grandmother’s history of forced migration from Austria to Romania in the 1700s. Over the years, he has worked with international students, with the Mennonite Central Committee internationally and in the US and has used his Spanish when visiting detainees.

How Julie, Phil, and their Churches Support Immigrants

Julie described her role within ICE Out of Pomona as more of an “anchor” than a “leader,” because, as a white woman, she wants to be careful to allow other voices to be heard and to lead within the coalition. Julie is a part of a group that was recently formed called Pomona Valley Spiritual Leaders for Justice, and she works on the Rapid Response committee with ICE Out of Pomona, creating stability through hosting and running training for groups who are wanting to get involved, including legal observer training. She recounted, “...there are a lot of churches and communities that are in the white communities around Pomona that are saying, “What can we do to help?” Besides becoming a legal observer and patrolling neighborhoods, Julie shares that churches are stepping up through providing meals for volunteers, offering financial support, and passing out information about the coalition. 

Julie has also gotten involved in advocacy work and has become well connected within Pomona. She stated, “...there’s an amount of privilege that I get to use and so I’m using it…we went in to talk to the mayor and the city manager and a city council person, and we had some demands.” She laughed and said, “...as a Brethren person, we don't use the word ‘demands’...can we call them requests?” “Urge,” Phil chimed in.

When asked about ways their congregations have gotten involved, Phil started by saying his church has hosted series on immigrants in spiritual formation classes. Some people have taken the legal observer training Julie facilitates, some partnered with an organizer in the coalition to hand out leaflets encouraging the passage of a measure, and some have provided food or financial resources to organizations within ICE Out of Pomona. 

Phil’s congregation is now working with a high school student who started an organization called Manos Unidas. The organization collects food in congregations and other places, and then they go put that food together and they give it to PEOC (Pomona Economic Opportunity Center) or other organizations. “What we do is we search as a congregation for ways to contribute funds, contribute things, and then, as much as possible, to link individuals with actually being present on the side of the people who are being threatened. It's not a clear path, I mean. You kind of search and you find a place. You do it and then you work at it there.”

Julie stated that, due to the small size and congregants’ ages, her congregation’s primary involvement is through the support of her ministry in the community. “Fifty percent of my contract for the church is for community service…they pay my salary and I'm a servant in the community.” Julie’s son also provides security at the door, in case of bad actors.

Their Advice for Pastors, Leaders, and Congregations

Julie’s advice: “Find something that's going on. Find a place where [you] can serve and show up, show up, show up. Just always show up. Even with the most menial tasks, just show up. And then there might be something more for you to do, but in the beginning, just show up.”

Phil’s advice echoed Julie’s: “Look around. Look at what's around, both in terms of the things going on, but also with regards to organizations and people who are taking action and allowing you to implement your faith in action.”