Live from Detroit Annual Conference 2011: Signs of vitality from JFON and UMCOM

• By RJ Walters, Editor •

Instead of talking about the decline of the United Methodist Church, tangible evidence of growth and vitality were presented by United Methodist Communications and Justice For Our Neighbors at Saturday morning’s plenary session.

Jennifer Rodia, the Director of Brand Engagement for United Methodist Communications, said while “an exact number cannot be agreed upon, Americans are bombarded by roughly 3,000 messages per day” and more and more of them are distinctly United Methodist.

The ongoing Rethink Church campaign launched 24 events, mobilized 20,000 volunteers and impacted more than 1 million lives in 2010.

The transformation is not just nationally, but also locally, Rodia stated.

She said United Methodist Communications bought and placed specific radio and electronic advertising in metro areas throughout Michigan, highlighting Change the World — the denomination’s community outreach weekend on May 14-15.

The results speak for themselves.

“We are still five days out from the official results, but as of right now the state of Michigan had the fourth highest number of churches registered to participate, so thanks for taking on the challenge,” she said.

Paul Perez, regional coordinator for Justice For Our Neighbors of Southeastern Michigan, spoke of similar progress being made by the organization that provides immigrants free legal council around the state.

Earlier this month JFON SEMI officially opened its third Detroit Conference clinic, at Ypsilanti First United Methodist Church.

Perez also celebrated the positive impact of volunteer and communications coordinator intern Joseph Bradley — who he refers to as “Mr. Cambodia — and Ellie Levine, who JFON SEMI hired as its full-time attorney in June 2010.

Prior to beginning her legal career Ellie performed volunteer services in the Northern Volta Region of Ghana and interned with the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, Social Justice Unit in Sydney, Australia.

“The World is our parish and Michigan is our mission,” Perez said. “Ellie has served people from 32 different countries, just in Metro Detroit.”

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Commited to fighting for social justice: Justice For Our Neighbors steps up to offer immigrants help

By RJ Walters, Editor

Imagine not knowing when you will see a family member next just because the government has the final say in a case that is nothing less than exceedingly complex.

Imagine being able to speak hardly any English, yet yearning for one final plea to be reunited with a loved one while living in a primarily English-speaking community.

For many immigrants living in the state the proposition is not a “what-if”, it’s a harsh reality of life that the United Methodist Church is trying to make a little more manageable.

On January 23 the organization Justice For Our Neighbors (JFON) hosted its first monthly legal intake clinic for people dealing with immigration issues in Southeastern Michigan, as 35 volunteers came together to help provide services at Dearborn: First United Methodist Church.

Since then JFON Southeastern Michigan has hosted two more intake clinics in Dearborn and another one is set for April 17.

It might be exactly the kind of “social justice” TV megastar Glen Beck fears is brainwashing churchgoers, but the United Methodist Church believes it’s precisely the kind of work God has called his disciples to.

JFON operates two clinics in West Michigan, at sites in Grand Rapids and Holland where they have been serving since 2004, and through the funding of local churches and support from the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries and UMCOR its operations continue to expand.

Treading through deep water

It is a national ministry dedicated to providing free, high-quality immigration legal services.

JFON-SEMI is one of 28 regional clinics around the country that operate with the support of denominational staff members and it is a ministry close to the hearts of many — particularly Southeastern Michigan Regional Director Paul Perez, who also serves as a Deacon at Newburg UMC in Livonia.

Perez said he has spoken with a number of attorneys in Metro Detroit who agree the need for legal counseling for immigrants is enormous, especially since the Immigration Reform and Immigration Act of 1996 and the Patriot Act following 9/11.

It’s more than just creating a supply for the demand to Perez though — it’s personal.

Perez is the beneficiary of a successful immigrant story in his own heritage, so he takes the dire needs of some immigrants right to heart.

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