The Forum Daily | Thursday January 18, 2024
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THE FORUM DAILY

**Today we're handing The Forum Daily reins to Tess Clarke of We
Welcome while the Forum is in a staff retreat. Enjoy, and thank you,
Tess!**

Hi, I'm Tess Clarke, the Director of We Welcome
. I've had the honor of working with
refugees and immigrants in my home state of Texas for the last 15 years,
an experience that has been transformational for me and that informs
everything we do in our advocacy. 

At We Welcome , I've built a team of
passionate women, and together we're building a grassroots movement to
cultivate welcome from our tables at home to the halls of Congress.
We're here to educate, equip and mobilize our community to engage
democracy and advocate for immigration policy that honors the God-given
dignity of every person.

The relationships built through my local nonprofit work have really
opened my eyes to the reality that policy always impacts people. As dear
family friends faced significant challenges in the wake of the 2016
election, I knew that serious change needed to happen both on a cultural
and policy level. 

As women of faith, we carry with us, at the heart of our work, the
belief so wisely stated by Mika Edmondson
:
"You cannot love your neighbor while supporting or accepting systems
that crush, exploit, and dehumanize them. You cannot love your neighbor
while accepting less for them and their family than you do for you and
your own."

I'm pleased to be able to share some of our work with you!

**WELCOME CORPS**-

****We're co-hosting a live info session next week with our friends at
Women of Welcome - who do similar work
guiding evangelical women newer to the conversation as they seek to live
out Christlike welcome - for those interested in learning more about
private refugee sponsorship through the Welcome Corps. This webinar is
free and open to the public, so please feel free to join us at 8 p.m.
EST Thursday, Jan. 25
, or
share the registration link

with others who might be interested in learning more!

**2,000 SIGNATURES**-

****Last fall we shifted our attention to state-level advocacy as we saw
Gov. Greg Abbott (R) calling for inhumane policies toward migrants and
allegations emerged of human rights violations in Texas. Since then,
we've been calling on our community to speak up and hold Abbott
accountable for treating migrants with dignity. Our open letter to the
governor has more than
2,000 signatures so far.

**FROM ONE SIGNATORY** - With last month's passage of Texas Senate
Bill 4, our content writer Sheila Joiner added her voice in a Dec. 24
letter to the editor

of the Dallas Morning News, decrying the unprecedented expansion of
state authority and questioning how the rights of migrants will be
protected under the new law. As these questions are now being argued in
court
,
we'll continue watching and providing our community with avenues to
speak up in favor of policies that comprise order

**and**human dignity. 

**MINISTRY OF PRESENCE**- For the last several years, I've been
captivated by the idea of the ministry of presence, and the way that
proximity changes everything. It's been true in my life and in the
lives of the women we've met in our community. Last fall, our team
shared some takeaways
from our
latest border trip, which can basically be summarized by the urgent need
for those of us who do not live at the border or have our own
immigration stories to

**listen to those who do**. We're so thankful for those doing the
practical work of welcome in places like the El Paso borderlands, and
for the generosity of the migrants we met who shared their stories.

**GROWTH AND HOPE** - We're entering the new year focusing on growth
and hope! We're seeking change that includes and yet goes deeper than
policy: culture change that is rooted in mutuality and driven by
community. This type of change requires each of us to take the humble
posture of a perpetual learner. Check out these 3 book recommendations
from our staff for those
seeking to have their imaginations shaped to cultivate welcome in their
own communities this year.

It has been great sharing this space! Thanks to The Forum Daily team for
letting me "take over" today's edition, and thank you to everyone
reading. You can keep up with the work of We Welcome on Facebook
and Instagram
, and find immigration FAQs,
resource guides, and more on our website
. 

Thanks again for reading,

Tess

 

 

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