WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2025
led by Dean Steve Thomason and Canon Emily Griffin
The Saint Mark's Vestry has once again authorized Saint Mark’s serving as a Sanctuary Hub, if called upon by the Sanctuary Network in our region. Dean Thomason and Canon Emily Griffin explored ways to respond compassionately and with intention, guided by our mandate to respect the dignity of every human being. Key to this effort will be a cohort of volunteers to serve in various ways, and we engaged in conversation during this evening about how we responsibly do that together.
Upcoming opportunities shared at the forum:
from The Church Council of Greater Seattle:
Immigration Organizing Faith Convening – Thursday, January 16, 6:30 p.m., at First Church Seattle (180 Denny Way); learn more and register here.
from Episcopal Migration Ministries:
Walking With: Migrant Accompaniment for Ministry Leaders in 2025 and Beyond – Friday, January 17, 9–10 a.m. Pacific Time, online webinar. Learn more and register here.
from the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (WAISN):
Rapid Response Training on Saturday, January 25, 12–2 p.m., online only. Rapid Response teams are groups of trained individuals who are activated to document and provide support to affected families when activity, raids or detentions by immigration agents are reported in their community. Learn more here. (We are hoping to create a Rapid Response team here at Saint Mark’s that can be activated as needed.) Register using the Zoom link.
Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Rally in Olympia – Thursday, January 30, 2 p.m.; learn more and register here. (The full-day program is at capacity and registration is closed, but you can still register for the march and rally)
Accompaniment Training Online – Wednesdays, February 12 & 19, 6–8 p.m., online only. Learn more and register here.
from the Jewish Coalition for Immigrant Justice NW:
Advocacy Training – Monday, February 10, 6:30–8 p.m., online only. Learn more and register here.
Accompaniment Training – Sunday, February 23, time and in-person location TBA. Learn more here.
UPDATE: The slides from this presentation are now available here.
A video is now available below. (Note that the opening land acknowledgment and welcome are missing form the video. We apologize for the inconvenience.)
2 Responses
Amy Adams Squire
Hi. I am a BC member of St. Hilda St. Patrick Episcopal Church, Edmonds. We are exploring ways to make our church a sanctuary space, with emphasis on ways to respond to sanctuary seekers and ICE raids. It looks like I’ve missed quite a bit of the early training and seminars, but I would welcome suggestions as to how to proceed or connection to other resources. Many thanks.
AMY
Saint Mark's Cathedral
Amy, definitely reach out to the organizations listed here — The Church Council, WAISN, EMM, etc — and I’m sure Canon Grifffin would be happy to talk with you. However, please, please seek out good legal advice from a lawyer with up-to-date expertise in this area. The situation is changing rapidly, and the legal consequences of a misstep could be severe. (I’ve removed some personal information that you left in your comment.) Prayers in solidarity for you…