In solidarity and support of vulnerable migrant communities facing heightened threats and uncertainty, the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) has awarded over $2 million in grants to two partner organizations working on the frontlines of refugee and immigrant support in the United States and around the world.
Your gifts on UMCOR Sunday helps support the foundation for the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) to share God’s love with communities everywhere.
Approved at its April board of directors meeting, UMCOR awarded a $1,095,513 grant to Immigration Law and Justice Network (ILJN) and a $1,000,000 grant to Church World Service (CWS). These grants come in response to sweeping immigration policy changes by the current U.S. administration that have upended decades of humanitarian protections and funding streams for immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers.
ILJN, founded by UMCOR in 1999 and now its own non-profit, supports a network of 19 immigration legal service sites across the U.S. that operate on a low- to no-cost basis. The grant serves as emergency bridge funding after the cancellation of federal support that had sustained legal aid at six key sites.
As new policies expand the scope of deportations, many immigrants are facing deportation without legal representation or knowledge of their rights. This grant will ensure that over 500 immigrant children in the states of Florida, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Texas, Virginia, and Washington, D.C will have legal representation in court.
In addition, ILJN will continue establishing a new “Removal Defense Unit” to help immigrant communities navigate a rapidly shifting and often hostile legal landscape.
CWS, a longtime partner of UMCOR, will use its $1 million grant to expand humanitarian aid and refugee resettlement efforts.
In the U.S., CWS aims to stabilize and expand essential operations including legal services, housing support, food distribution, health care access and language training for newly arrived refugees and their families. The organization will also scale up its international aid efforts in places like Honduras and Indonesia where conflict and displacement have left communities in dire need.
CWS will be able to maintain its child protection programs which offer advocacy and care for unaccompanied minors. In addition, CWS plans to intensify its outreach and advocacy efforts, working with faith-based groups to counter harmful narratives and call for compassionate immigration policies.
“The United Methodist Church was one of the founding members that created CWS in 1946. So, this grant from UMCOR is a reaffirmation of our long-standing partnership and shared mission,” said Rick Santos, president and CEO of CWS. “One of the strengths of organizations like Church World Service and UMCOR is that we connect to local congregations and local communities. This is a moment to activate that network of people.”
excerpt from story by Sara Logeman, senior manager of content and marketing for Global Ministries and UMCOR and Higher Education and Ministry.
One of six churchwide Special Sundays with offerings of The United Methodist Church, UMCOR Sunday calls United Methodists to share the goodness of life with those who hurt. Your gifts to UMCOR Sunday lay the foundation for the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) to share God’s love with communities everywhere. The special offering underwrites UMCOR’s “costs of doing business.” This helps UMCOR to keep the promise that 100 percent of any gift to a specific UMCOR project will go toward that project, not administrative costs.
When you give generously on UMCOR Sunday, you make a difference in the lives of people who hurt. Give now.
