Throughout the Gospels, Jesus calls his followers to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself.” First Pres Berkeley is committed to embodying the radical and relentless love of Christ in the world we live in today. One of the ways we are doing that is by loving our immigrant neighbors.
In March 2025, the First Pres Session voted on a motion to declare our church as a place of sanctuary and direct our Justice & Outreach Committee to coordinate the use of our resources—our people, property, and privilege—to welcome and protect our immigrant neighbors in need.
Our Christian Formation Committee then led a class, Living Sanctuary, designed to be a first step in educating and equipping us on this important and ever-changing topic. We invited immigrants in and outside our congregation to share their stories with us.
After listening and learning over the past few months, we have formed several teams to respond to God’s call around what it means to be a Living Sanctuary Church:
- Prayer
- Legal Support
- Accompaniment
- ESL
- Coalition Building
- “Good Trouble” (Protest and Public Witness)
- Housing/Shelter
If you would like to learn more or join in the work of any of these groups, please contact Doug Dunderdale or Pastor Drew Paton. We would love to have you!
Another simple way to serve our immigrant siblings is to support The Kitchen at First Pres by volunteering your time or donating nonperishable food and men’s clothing. Our food insecurity ministries serve hundreds of people each week.
- Sign up to serve at Food Pantry or Street Meal.
- Drop off items to the Now GO! Table after worship or to Reception during the week.