All Souls Sanctuary Host

As you may know, Unitarian Universalists have been a part of the fabric of America almost since the founding of this nation. Unitarian Universalism doesn’t have a common creed or religious belief; in our congregation, we have Buddhists and Pagans and Humanists and Theists and Jews and seekers. We are not drawn together by a common creed but rather by a common commitment to seven guiding principles: the first of which is we believe in the inherent worth and dignity of every human.

Here in Colorado Springs, All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church has been a voice of liberal religion and social justice activism for over 125 years. We take seriously the mandate to work for a society of justice and equity for all. At our annual congregational meeting on May 21, over 90% of the members present overwhelmingly voted to become a host Sanctuary congregation. This means that we will welcome into our church and into our faith community an immigrant with an active order of deportation who is seeking legal avenues to stay in our country. As you may know, the legal process can take decades and many people who are in danger of deportation have not only lived and worked here for many years but paid taxes and contributed positively to our society and they have been actively trying to get legal status. Our system is broken and they are the ones who pay. For over 125 years All Souls has been a beacon of justice and hope and a voice for the voiceless. In this beautiful building, generations have worked and prayed keeping in mind our fifth guiding principle, that of working toward the goal of a global community with peace, liberty, and justice for all.

We are proud, as this current generation, to step up to this moment in history and offer hospitality and friendship to Elmer and his family.  We are grateful to be a part of the coalition. Although our space is such that we can only host one immigrant at a time, we offer these living quarters gratefully. The recent cases in Denver of Jeanette… Gretchen…. And Arturo…. All of whom were given sanctuary by Denver churches and granted stays of deportation show us that offering Sanctuary, and highlighting the stories of immigrants works. All humans have inherent worth and dignity, no human is illegal, our stories humanize us, take away the stigma of the other. As spiritual leader, Ram Dass, says: at the end of the day, “we’re all just walking each other home.”

We here at All Souls are grateful to companion our immigrant neighbors and walk them to the home they have made, here in this great nation, and this great city.