Fellowship Southwest launches a new immigration ministry
Fellowship Southwest is pleased to announce the addition of a new program to the organization. Educational and Legal Immigration Ministries (ELIM) will be providing low cost immigration counseling, legal services, and immigration training to churches and individuals. Jesús and Elsa Romero have led a similar ministry with ISAAC, which stands for Immigration Service and Aid Center, housed at the Christian Life Commission (CLC) at the Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT), since 2010.
As of January 2023, the Department of Justice recognizes ELIM as an accredited immigration service provider under the umbrella of Fellowship Southwest. Fellowship Southwest feels that this ministry perfectly fits into the scope of its commitment to immigration compassion and justice.
What is ELIM?
As the name suggests, ELIM takes two approaches to immigration ministry: educational and legal.
ELIM offers a continuum of educational opportunities for churches and individuals, all the way up to training accredited representatives to offer legal services.
As an organization accredited by the DOJ, ELIM also offers low cost, basic legal services to individuals related to their immigration status.
Why "ELIM"?
The name ELIM refers to Exodus 15:27, “Then the children of Israel came to Elim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy date palms, and they camped there beside the waters.” Elim was not the final destination, but a life-giving stop between where they had left and where God was leading. The Romeros and Fellowship Southwest resonate with the imagery of respite expressed in this verse, and hope that ELIM will provide the same sense of relief to many immigrants in the future.
Where is ELIM?
The Romeros will continue to run ELIM primarily at their San Antonio office on the campus of Trinity Baptist Church. Beginning in January, ELIM will additionally start seeing clients on the campus of Woodland Baptist Church in North Central San Antonio, with plans of getting federal recognition as an ELIM Center by the U.S. Department of Justice later in the year. Both Trinity and Woodland are faithful partner churches of Fellowship Southwest, and the coordination of this robust immigration ministry is exciting.
”I’m so excited to have Jesús and Elsa join the Fellowship Southwest family. I’ve known them and admired their work since we served together with the CLC. Their ministry fits perfectly with Fellowship Southwest’s mission and I believe will help expand our immigration work to communities and churches far from the border. The needs are great, but I’m confident that through ELIM, FSW will help churches respond in creative and faithful ways.”
-Stephen Reeves, Executive Director, Fellowship Southwest
"We are grateful to the BGCT for trusting us with pioneering an immigration ministry more than a decade ago. The seeds of love and care for the strangers among us that were planted then have grown immensely. We are excited about those seeds growing exponentially in Texas and beyond through our partnership with Fellowship Southwest."
-Jesús and Elsa Romero, Directors of ELIM
You can learn more about ELIM at their new website ELIMFSW.org, where clients will soon be able to make appointments and pay for services online.