How To Help | Definitions | News | 2020 Summit | Partners
The Episcopal Diocese of San Diego (EDSD) is committed to providing support and assistance to those on the margins, including migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees. Through a variety of programs and initiatives, EDSD works to ensure that these vulnerable populations have access to resources and services that can help them rebuild their lives and thrive in their new communities.
The Episcopal Diocese of San Diego was called to open Comunidad de Luz–a migrant shelter for women and children in Tijuana. The existing migrant shelters in Tijuana are insufficient to meet the growing need. Overcrowding, limited resources, and the inability to offer comprehensive services to every migrant in need paint a stark picture of the humanitarian crisis. More shelters are urgently needed, but not just any shelters—facilities that provide beds and wraparound services to support the physical, emotional, and psychological needs of migrants.
Our faith compels us to welcome the stranger and care for those who are vulnerable. The Bible teaches us in Matthew 25:35, “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty, and you gave me drink, I was a stranger, and you welcomed me.” This call to action is not merely a suggestion but a commandment to embody the love of Christ in our actions. By providing shelter and support to migrants, we are living out this biblical mandate, ensuring that our faith is not only heard but seen and felt by those in need.
Via International provides opportunities for groups, churches, or individuals to visit Comunidad de Luz for education, service, and fellowship. Click below and find out more about how Via International can help you plan your first visit.
How Can I Help?
This Christmas, the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego is launching the “There is Room at the Inn” campaign, inviting individuals and congregations to support Comunidad de Luz. By participating in this campaign, you can help make this shelter a true home for migrant women and children.
Support Comunidad de Luz Today!
Angel Level gifts of $10,000 or more will fund program staff for one year.
Magi Level gifts between $5,000 and $9,000 will cover food costs for up to six months.
Shepherd Level gifts between $1,000 and $5,000 will provide job training for a year.
Manger Level gifts between $500 and $900 will provide bedding, hygiene products, and clothing for one family for a year.
Lamb Level gifts up to $500 will help children buy school uniforms and supplies.
Your generosity can make a tangible difference in the lives of those most in need, offering dignity, hope, and a future.
Definitions
Immigrant
An Immigrant is an individual who willingly leaves their country of origin and legally enters another country where they are granted permission to permanently resettle. Their reasons for wanting to resettle can vary from a longing for economic prosperity or a better education to the fulfillment of a dream for reunion with family.
Asylum Seeker
An asylum seeker is a person who has left their country and is seeking protection from persecution and serious human rights violations in another country but who hasn’t yet been legally recognized as a refugee and is waiting to receive a decision on their asylum claim.
Migrant
A migrant is a broad term that applies to an individual who willingly leaves home and moves from one place to another. There is no internationally accepted legal definition of a migrant. Many understand migrants to be people staying outside their country of origin who are not asylum seekers or refugees.
Refugee
Someone who has “been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war, or violence.” The U.S. government further defines a refugee as someone who may “face persecution based on religion, political opinion, race, nationality or membership in a particular social group.” Those who obtain refugee status are given protections under international laws and conventions and lifesaving support from aid agencies.
One common thread between these groups is that they face circumstances where leaving the place of their birth was the better option than remaining home.
Sources: calmatters.org, amnesty.org, and preemptivelove.org.
Stay informed with the EDSD News!
Bishop co-signs joint statement on the treatment of migrants
Statement of Arizona Christian Bishops and Denominational Leaders This statement was signed by denominational leaders with jurisdiction in Arizona, including Bishop Susan, since the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego includes […]
Comunidad de Luz: A Shelter for Women and Children
Tijuana has long been a crossroads for migrants from rural areas of Mexico, including indigenous groups and impoverished farming communities. Every year, families from across the country arrive at the […]
Caminar en la Luz
There is this wonderful Gospel hymn, “Jesus, the Light of the World”, which takes the text from Hark the Herald Angels Sing and adds a response, Jesus the Light of […]
The Border Ministry Summit 2020
In 2020, the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego hosted the Border Ministry Summit for the Episcopal Church. Below is Bishop Susan Brown Snook’s sermon that opened the summit.
Read the joint statement from the bishops’ participating in the Border Ministry Summit 2020 here.
Partners
We encourage your support of organizations that offer specific kinds of aid to migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers:
Al Otro Lado: Provides direct, free, legal services on both sides of the US-Mexico border.
Immigrant Defenders Law Center: Provides legal support to unaccompanied children, asylum seekers, detained community members, and deported veterans.
Jewish Family Services: Provides food, transportation, health services, case management, legal services to migrants.
Refugee Net: Provides refugee families with academic support to kids, weekly food distribution, case management and job development services.
Via International: Provides leadership development to migrants and asylum seekers to promote sustainable development in under-resourced communities.
Vida Joven: Provides life-changing care for orphaned children in Baja.
Welcome Ministry: Provides ESL, laundry service, and food distribution to immigrant, refugees and unsheltered of the East County.
