Faith and immigration forum to take place Nov. 12

A forum on “Faith and Immigration: Getting Beyond the Rhetoric” will be held Tuesday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m. in the Vogel Community Room in Northwestern College’s DeWitt Learning Commons. The event is open to community members.

The forum is being hosted by the Evangelical Immigration Table, the National Immigration Forum, the Christian Reformed Church’s Office of Social Justice and Northwestern College.

The Rev. Tim Breen of First Reformed Church, Orange City, and Martha Draayer, Northwestern’s Hispanic community liaison, will moderate a panel of speakers, including: Mark Prosser, public safety director for the Storm Lake, Iowa, police department; Maria Ramos, Storm Lake city council candidate and human resources director for Unity Community Health Center; Ricky Sanchez, pastor of a new Storm Lake church planted by First Reformed Church, Orange City; and Melissa Stek, justice mobilization specialist for the Christian Reformed Church Office of Social Justice.

“We’re pleased to host an event so in line with our mission of faithful, courageous engagement in God’s world,” says Mark DeYounge, Northwestern College’s dean of Christian formation.

DeYounge says the nonpartisan discussion, which will include the opportunity for audience questions, will take place within the context of the Evangelical Immigration Table’s principles. Based on Scripture, the principles call for immigration solutions that respect people’s God-given dignity, protect family unity, respect the rule of law, seek secure national borders, ensure taxpayer fairness and seek a path toward legal status for qualified individuals. To learn more, visit evangelicalimmigrationtable.com.