An Immersive Immigration Discipleship Experience
Love Mercy Do Justice鈥揳n Evangelical Covenant Church initiative offering immersive experiences like Sankofa, Journey to Mosaic, and Weaving Justice and Peace鈥攚ill offer a new immersive summer immigration discipleship experience, which 草莓影视 Theological Seminary (NPTS) students can complete as a credit-bearing course. Each NPTS degree program requires a cultural diversity elective, which students can fulfill through these experiences.
Held from June 6鈥�9 in San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico, this four-day immersion will root the immigration conversation in Scripture, going beyond media narratives to witness the realities at the southern border firsthand. It will humanize the immigration debate by shifting from political divides to theological reflection on welcoming the stranger.
Participants will leave equipped to serve as everyday peacemakers in their communities, viewing conflict as an opportunity for transformation. Learn more on the .
In 2024, two NPTS faculty members participated in a similar experience, A Migrant鈥檚 Journey: Scripture鈥檚 Call to Welcome the Stranger, made possible through sponsorship from the seminary鈥檚 Lilly Endowment Inc. Pathways for Tomorrow grant. Armida Belmonte Stephens and Sophia Magallanes-Tsang shared their reflections during a recent Chapel service, offering powerful insights from their time at the border.
Magallanes-Tsang said, 鈥淒uring this border experience on Sunday morning, I was asked to bless the elements of the Eucharist and distribute them. There鈥檚 a church on the border, with one side in San Diego and the other in Tijuana, and I was invited to participate in its service.
鈥淎fter the Eucharist, we went to the fence to pray for those crossing. During that time, I sensed the Holy Spirit prompting me to pray that those crossing would encounter the presence of God in Jesus Christ鈥攍ike the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night.
鈥淚 was taken aback. It was the first time, as an academic, that I could commune with my brothers and sisters on the other side of the border and connect this experience to my theological framework and work here. I thank the Lord for the immersion experience.鈥�
One of NPTS鈥檚 new students鈥攁nd a staff member with Love Mercy Do Justice鈥擡neida Reyes, co-led the trip, bringing her unique perspective and leadership to the experience.