ECMN Migration Caucus

From the Missioners

Jesus’ life and teachings emphasized radical welcome, including migrants in our midst. The Episcopal Church has a long history of supporting the dignity and rights of immigrants and refugees. At our November 2024 ECMN convention, we passed the Migration with Dignity Resolution (C081), which launched diocesan efforts to support migrants across Minnesota. In December 2024, the ECMN Migration Caucus was formed to organize and execute migrant support. 

Please spread the word in your congregations and communities about these opportunities to engage. Click here for a printable flyer.

Donate - ECMN Migrant Support Fund

In just a few weeks, Bishop Loya’s Migrant Support Fund has mobilized congregations, donors, and community partners across Minnesota to respond to an urgent humanitarian moment. We are thankful for Bishop Loya’s call to build this fund over a year ago, and the many individual, community, and church-wide contributions.  Through this shared effort:

• 85 immigrant families have already received assistance
 • More than $122,000 has been deployed
 • Nearly 90% of funds have been distributed in the last month alone
 • 77% of assistance has stabilized housing and prevented eviction

Looking ahead, requests for support are expected to exceed $315,000 over the next three months, primarily for rent stabilization and legal support. We need your help to raise funds to continue this urgent, compassionate response.  

Recently, a single mother connected to one of our ECMN congregations lost her job after workplace raids began circulating in her neighborhood. Fear spread quickly. She stayed home to protect her children, unsure whether leaving the house would put her family at risk.

With rent due and utilities falling behind, the Bishop’s Migrant Support Fund helped pay one month’s rent directly to the landlord and assisted with a utility bill, for a total of $1,400.

With $88,705 currently available, raising $225,000 will allow ECMN to continue responding quickly and compassionately to more than 200 families in crisis.

Learn more and donate by clicking here.

Give - Casa Maria

Casa Maria is a food shelf and clothing closet ministry of St. Nicholas Episcopal Church in Richfield, serving immigrant families from across the Minneapolis and St. Paul area, many of whom are undocumented.

In response to increased fear around leaving home, Casa Maria has expanded food delivery services to ensure families can safely access food and essential supplies. Donations support:

• Expansion of home food delivery

• Increased variety of foods

• Other immediate needs of weekly food shelf operations 

Please consider making a gift to Casa Maria so more families can be served in the coming days and week. Checks may be mailed to: St. Nicholas Episcopal Church, 7227 Penn Ave S, Richfield, MN 55423. Please put ‘Casa Maria’ in the memo line.

Donate Food Shelf Items

Please consider donating these much needed items:

Eggs, milk, butter, chicken, ground beef in tubes, tortillas, cereal, peanut butter, jelly, cooking oil, sugar, flour, masa, shelf stable juice, diapers of any size, baby wipes, deodorant, feminine hygiene products, toilet paper, toothpaste. ALDI or Cub gift cards.

These items may be dropped off at St. Nicholas anytime on Tuesdays from 10am-3pm or on Saturdays from 2:30pm-4pm.

To volunteer, please contact Casa Maria at: casamaria@saint-nicks.org.

Pray

As people of faith, we ground ourselves in the promises of God. We invite you to pray for our immigrant neighbors, families, and communities experiencing fear, disruption, and instability using prayers from the joint vigil held with ECMN and the Episcopal Church. You can find them by clicking here.

Refer a Migrant in Need

Do you know a member of your congregation or community who is a migrant in need of such assistance? If so, please reach out to one of the members of the ECMN Migration Caucus Leadership Team: 

Rex McKee: rex.mckee@gmail.com

Rena Romero: rena.t@episcopalmn.org

Daniel Romero: xicanopastor@gmail.com

Join the Caucus

Join us for an ECMN-wide meeting on the second Monday of each month at 7pm via Zoom. To receive the meeting Zoom link, please contact Deacon Rex McKee at rex.mckee@gmail.com. These meetings offer opportunities for prayer, resource sharing, organizing, and calls to action around migrant support, accompaniment, and advocacy. 

Advocate and Engage

Below is a list of resources put together by ECMN Migration Caucus leaders. Please feel free to share these resources with members of your congregation, and make them available to the local community. 

Stay Updated

The situation is changing constantly. To ensure you’re up to date on all the latest, please
follow the organizations below and join the ECMN Migration Caucus:

For more information, please contact a member of the ECMN Migration Caucus Leadership Team:  Rex McKee, Rena Turnham, and Daniel Romero