Dozens of UU congregations are participating in new sanctuary coalitions and are encouraging other congregations to join.  If your congregation is not already participating, you may want to consider doing so. In addition to offering physical sanctuary, congregations can be part of the sanctuary movement by working to stop deportations, and by assisting people in sanctuary and the churches that are providing it. Meals, visitation, financial support are all needed as is advocacy and witness to get deferred status for those facing deportation. To sign-on and see the list of congregations, take action for people facing deportation, download a Sanctuary Toolkit, and learn more about this new movement see http://www.sanctuary2014.org/.

Read Rev. Mike Morran’s ‘Sanctuary’ sermon to learn how the First Unitarian Society of Denver prepared their congregation to offer sanctuary. The congregation voted unanimously to become a sanctuary congregation at their June meeting. They announced the formation of their Metro Denver Sanctuary Coalition on Sept. 10th and received lots of media coverage including this article in The Denver Post. You can find resources about their process to become a sanctuary on their website.

Our UUA Statement of Conscience on Immigration as a Moral Issue states, “As religious people, our Principles call us to acknowledge the immigrant experience and to affirm and promote the flourishing of the human family.” And suggests that congregations, “Explore and implement ways to transform concern into action, including the possibility of providing sanctuary for undocumented immigrants at special risk.”