At the annual luncheon for the Baptist Joint Committee, a group of six women in BJC leadership were asked this question: How do you want to expand our understanding of religious freedom with a broader justice lens?

In early May, we issued an urgent call for volunteers to come to Brownsville, Texas, and serve migrants at the border. If you recall, Title 42 was due to lift May 11, and tensions at the border were swelling. Our primary partner in Brownsville, Pastor Carlos Navarro, was preparing for an enormous increase in the numbers of migrants he would be serving at the Welcome Center adjacent to the bus station and at his church's immigrant respite center.

On Wednesday FSW staff members Anyra Cano and Stephen Reeves traveled to the small village of La Modelo to celebrate the opening of a new building. The structure will soon be a shelter for migrants who hope to apply for asylum in the US and others who are seasonal workers in the nearby fields. It will be part of the Red de Albergues de Migrantes, Tierra de Oro which is led by longtime FSW partner Pastor Rosalío Sosa.

With less than two weeks left in the 88th Texas Legislative session, much remains up in the air. The recent passing of critical deadlines means several bills of concern are officially dead. Unfortunately, some good proposals died as well. In other cases bad bills have been resurrected as amendments to legislation not killed by calendar deadlines. 

Fellowship Southwest is privileged to support interns at Center for Church and Community Impact (C3I) at Baylor’s Diana Garland School of Social Work. These graduate students, some of who are dual-degree students getting their M.S.W. and their M.Div at Truett Seminary, have been serving at C3I this year for their internship. They each chose a project related to their focus of work and developed an asset map. Two staff members from Fellowship Southwest, Cameron Vickrey and Anyra Cano, attended their presentations in person in Waco to learn from them and see the impact of their work.

Today, May 11, 2023, is the long-awaited day when Title 42 finally lifts. But instead of rejoicing, we are bracing for what comes in its aftermath: the Biden Asylum Ban.

The Fellowship Southwest Board of Directors held their semi-annual meeting May 4-5 in Dallas. We began our time together at the Dallas National Prayer Luncheon organized by Thanks-Giving Foundation. Andy Stoker, one of our board members, is the chief engagement officer at the Thanks-Giving Foundation, and he invited us to attend. Following the luncheon, we visited with Rev. Danielle Ayers at Friendship-West Baptist Church. She gave the board a tour of their amazing facilities, and then we had time to talk with her about her work as the minister of justice and how we can partner together.

Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick is already celebrating the gains for what he calls religious freedom in the state's 88th Legislature. The Texas Tribune quoted him as saying, “I believe that you cannot change the culture of the country until you change the culture of mankind. Bringing the Ten Commandments and prayer back to our public schools will enable our students to become better Texans.” 

The Biden administration has begun preparing to end Title 42 –the COVID-19 order that authorizes the rapid expulsion of migrants, primarily to Mexico– on May 11. The administration will impose penalties for those who enter the U.S. without inspection, while at the same time opening new programs for migrants to come to the U.S. Unfortunately, the efforts the administration is taking largely exports our immigration dilemma to other countries, militarizes our border, and fails to fulfill our legal obligation to allow people to seek asylum in the United States.

Last week Fellowship Southwest, CBF West, CBF Texas and CBF Oklahoma hosted our annual post-Easter retreat. A group of pastors and lay leaders from across the region met in South Lake Tahoe at the beautiful Zephyr Point Presbyterian Conference Center. We were led by Melinda and Robert Creech of Floresville, Texas.

Fellowship Southwest is active at the Capitol in Austin during this legislative session. This week we have registered support or opposition to bills related to public education, immigration, and predatory lending. We most often do our work in coalition with others. For a list of coalitions and organizations we pay attention to, see last week’s newsletter.

Our wonderful partner in Tijuana, Pastor Juvenal Gonzalez and his wife Maria are hosting a group of young Russian Christians in their home, while they work through their immigration process.

Our border partner in Tijuana, Pastor Juvenal Gonzalez, shared a hopeful story with us about some Afghan refugees he was able to assist because of Fellowship Southwest's support. 

Fellowship Southwest is committed to pursuing justice and equipping others to do the same. We feel called to use our voice, influence and privilege to advocate alongside, and on behalf of, those who are too often ignored or disempowered. We’re not out to advance a narrow agenda but to promote the common good. It is one way we love our neighbors.

When our family moved to Dripping Springs, Texas, a little over a year ago, the reputation of the local public schools was a big factor. Though we mourn the lack of diversity as compared to our school in Georgia, so far we’ve had a mostly excellent experience.

Imagine my surprise then when I clicked on the Texas Monthly cover article from March, “The Campaign to Sabotage Texas’s Public Schools,” and the first photo of a school was my kid’s elementary school.

“Black women are ignored by healthcare providers when we are in pain. We are told we don’t feel pain like people of other races.” -Kearra Haynes

On Monday, Anyra Cano, Fellowship Southwest’s director of programs and outreach, joined Friendship-West Baptist Church in Austin for their advocacy day and the Maternal Health Rally. Friendship-West centered the voices of Black women and the injustices they face in the current health system. 

Fellowship Southwest held its first day of advocacy in Austin, Texas, on Feb. 28, 2023. It was a wonderful day of education and fellowship with advocates from all around the state.

CLICK HERE to read all about the day, including visits with legislators, and see lots of photos.

Yes, you read that headline correctly. The Biden administration announced earlier this week a proposed rule that would create the presumption of asylum ineligibility for the majority of asylum seekers. Immigration advocates, like Fellowship Southwest and our partners, warn that this rule runs counter to the universal human right to seek asylum.

2023 marks an exciting development in Fellowship Southwest's immigration ministry with the ability to provide low cost legal services to immigrants in San Antonio. ELIM, which stands for Educational and Legal Immigration Ministries, currently operates out of Trinity Baptist Church in central San Antonio. Last week, Woodland Baptist Church in North Central San Antonio hosted an open house to celebrate an additional future location for ELIM's operations later this spring.

Mientras reflexiono en este año, estoy agradecida por todas las oportunidades que Dios ha puesto frente a mí. Trabajar junto con FSW facilitando capacitaciones de Trabajo Social 101 para pastores y líderes de habla hispana es una de esas oportunidades. He viajado a diferentes áreas de la frontera entre Estados Unidos y México y he conocido a pastores y líderes increíbles que tienen sus corazones comprometidos con sus comunidades. Pero como todos sabemos, hay límites en cuanto a lo que podemos hacer, límites a la cantidad de lugares que podemos visitar y a la cantidad de personas que podemos conocer en un período de tiempo. Por eso, hoy estoy agradecida por la tecnología y las puertas que ha abierto.