Prayer Service for Immigration Reform

The Christian Reformed Church’s Office of Social Justice has prepared and posted on its website a prayer service and litany for use by churches and others interested in immigration reform.

"From Feb. 13-22, prayer vigils for immigration reform will be held across the United States,” says Kate Kooyman, congregational justice mobilizer for the Office of Social Justice. “We invite you to share in this opportunity to lift in prayer both immigrants in your area as well as the need for reform to our broken system."

"We realize this is coming up soon, so we've written a ready-made litany, available for download,” Kooyman says. “We hope this makes it easy for people to simply and quickly plan a vigil in their area."

The prayer service focuses on expanding opportunities for and addressing the needs of immigrants in this country. It begins with a quote from the first chapter of Genesis in which God says, "Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness."

The prayer of petition says, "Because immigrants – with documents or without – are created in the image of God, they should be treated with dignity and respect. Therefore we ask that enforcement of immigration laws be consistent with the infinite value you place in each of us."

The service also suggests places for the lighting of candles and speaks about the many challenges that immigrants face as they try to make a living for themselves in North America.

The service resources can be downloaded at www.crcjustice.org.

If anyone has questions or need more information, they can contact Kooyman at [email protected] or by calling 616-241-1691, ext. 4236. The Office of Social Justice is part of the CRC's Christian Reformed World Relief Committee.

"If you plan to hold a vigil, we encourage you to let us know and to register it at www.interfaithimmigration.org. There you'll find other resources that may be helpful as you get your event off the ground," says Kooyman.