September 5, 2017

To the People of the Alabama-West Florida Conference,

As we enter the recovery phase of Hurricane Harvey and prepare for Hurricane Irma, along with Tropical Storm Jose forming in the Atlantic Ocean, we continue to navigate the immigration storms of our nation. Many of our Hispanic brothers and sisters in our AWF Conference Churches are living in fear. An executive order has been handed down by President Trump to rescind Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and is being turned over to Congress for a six month review, which adds to this storm of fear. I know that DACA most likely needs adjusting, but to eliminate it puts many children at risk.
 
I am calling on all of us to be in prayer for the right decisions to be made around this matter. The United Methodist Immigration Task Force has put out a helpful document that I encourage you to use as a resource. Our prayers, our voices, and our actions are most important to living out Jesus' “Great Commandment” and our United Methodist Social Principles.
 
Today, let’s place this situation, along with many living in the storms of hurricanes, in our prayers.
 
In Christ,
Bishop David Graves
Alabama-West Florida Conference