When a Church Skips Sunday Service To Help a Cause
/I couldn’t believe we decided to cancel our Sunday service.
BY ANDREW ALESSO
On July 1st at Thrive LA we asked our entire congregation to skip church and go participate in a fundraiser hosted by a local small business on behalf of families separated and detained at the border. It wasn’t even a Christian event.The event raised over $15,000 for free legal aid for those families, helped us form amazing relationships with a positive witness in our community, and helped catalyze our congregation towards lifestyles of service.I’m glad that our church was able to contribute and serve in this way, but we easily could have missed the opportunity. I’d never been part of a church that had ever done something quite like this before, so when one of my ministry leaders approached me with the idea I had a lot to consider.
Sundays Are For Sermons, Aren’t They?
In my tradition, to cancel a Sunday service is unheard of and radical. I wondered, “Will we get a really low turnout for this event? Are we capable of communicating it well? What will happen to attendance the week before and the week after? Is this even allowed?”I believe there is unique value when the church gathers together regularly for praise, teaching, communion, and baptism. But ultimately, we decided that we would be missing out if we didn’t use this particular Sunday for a different kind of worship — a worship through service and collaboration.We concluded that giving our congregation a unique opportunity to serve and give was more valuable than any one message I could give or any momentum we would lose. We did this to be a witness to our community and to meet the needs of families, but we also felt like it was a strategic way to give the new believers and non-believers in our congregation a vivid lesson on the biblical value of sacrificial service.
Who Wants To Be a Political Pastor?
The hardest part was the fact that social justice can be really complicated. To engage our church in a fundraiser for these kids meant that we were unavoidably associating ourselves to a political issue in tense political times. We had no control over people’s assumptions about our motives and our political stances.To be clear, I didn’t become a pastor as a way to implement political change. I became a pastor because I love introducing people to Jesus! I don’t like talking about politics and I usually like it even less when churches talk politics. For most of my ministry I’ve tried to avoid controversial political conversations to focus on faith in Jesus.On the one hand, the primary mission of the church is to make disciples. Yes, we teach those disciples to love their neighbor, but if we allow the American political cycle to define our priorities we are going to be distracted and bogged down.But on the other hand, when did God’s people receive permission to pass by our hurting neighbor because it was complicated or inconvenient? If we aren’t training our people to stand with the hurting, the poor, and the marginalized, can we really call ourselves a church or call our people disciples?Most people want to live in a just and moral world; it’s just that we don’t have divine revelation on exactly how to get there in every situation. Just as Jesus had a zealot and a tax collector on his team, I have people on both sides of the political aisle in my church.
Serving at this fundraiser was never intended as a corporate stance on every nuance of immigration in America or on any particular political leaders. We simply said, “We must do our part to love children who are in a tough spot right now.”I can’t claim to be the expert on candidates or policy, but I can be bold and winsome in asking people from every walk of life to adopt the values and character of Jesus. We can’t allow the noise around politics to keep us from making disciples who love with action. We have to be willing to do whatever it takes to show others how to live and act with the mind of Christ.
The Value of Partnership
At the end of the day, I want to see people come to faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior. His gospel provides peace with God, but it also offers healing and reconciliation for families, communities, and nations. It invites every generation, political tribe, and ethnicity into a beautiful and messy family.This event allowed us to partner with local businesses and non-profits without making it about us. Serving in this way built gospel bridges. Jesus and his church are receiving favor in our neighborhood because we were willing to be humble and courageous at a crucial moment.You may be like me, squeamish about politics and the church, but I pray we each have the boldness to do whatever good deeds will bring gospel favor to the neighborhoods in which we serve.Andrew Alesso is the pastor of Thrive LA located in the Silver Lake area. The church opened its doors just 9 months ago. He recently retweeted: "There are some needs only you can see. There are some hands only you can hold. There are some people only you can reach." - Timothy KellerPhoto: Pastor Andrew Alesso with wife, Katie, and son, Daxton.
Tens of thousands of people crowded the steps of City Hall as they chanted, sang songs, and held signs in display of solidarity against the separation of migrant children from their undocumented parents. The incidents of such action at the nation's southern border came into focus recently under the President's call for zero tolerance. Donald Trump has since given an executive order to stop the practice.While I can’t be sure that the majority of people in the crowd weren’t Christians, judging by the signs I read, the T-shirts I saw, and the language I heard, we were definitely outnumbered … I think.We are indeed living in strange times when the loudest voices fighting to keep families together are non-Christians. This is not an indictment of non-believers (because I know they love their children), but rather a question as to why this issue seems to be so confusing for Christians.While most believers agree that the current situation is bad for families, they cannot seem to reconcile with the fact that the law has been broken — the consequences of such (while not condoned) have resulted in unfortunate circumstances.As Attorney General Jeff Sessions put it, “I would cite you to the Apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13 to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained the government for his purposes.”Sessions represents a position that many Christians hold to. But perhaps his tell was when he said, “Orderly and lawful processes are good in themselves. Consistent, fair application of law is in itself a good and moral thing and protects the weak — it protects the lawful.”
The questions remain: Are these immigration law tactics orderly and lawful processes? Do they really protect the weak? Do they accurately represent a faithful interpretation of scripture?I spoke to Emilio Nunez, who is the Director of Spanish Ministries for the Pacific Church Network in Southern California and pastor at Bell Gardens Baptist, about this issue.“If we’re thinking about Christians (followers of Jesus), I would think that we have to have our priorities properly ordered. What is the most important thing for a Christian?” Nunez said. “For Christians, the principles of the kingdom should be the most important. While one of those values is to respect and honor government (Rom. 13), the first order of value is to say, ‘I have to do what God wants me to do with the people that I’m ministering to.’ And the second order of value is loyalty and love for country — and there’s nothing wrong with that — as long as it doesn’t become an idol that is more powerful in my life than Jesus himself.”The disagreement is clear. Sessions believes that above all, the law should be obeyed as an end in and of itself. And to that, his position is well intentioned, but ultimately flawed.I wonder what Sessions would say to Rahab, a woman who lied to the king of Jericho so that she could protect the lives of foreign spies (Josh. 2:1-7)? Or to the Apostle Paul, who wrote to Philemon to receive Onesimus (a runaway slave) back as a brother and an equal — even though Onesimus had clearly broken the law (Philem. 1:8-17).The law is a good thing when it protects the people that it is designed to serve. However, when the law fails to be a respector of human persons made in God’s image, then our commitment as Christians is to be faithful to a higher law.
Ironically, I stood and marched with thousands of non-Christians on Saturday who believe exactly that. Namely, that the current laws pertaining to immigration show no respect for basic human rights. And to that, I stand in solidarity with the thousands that marched to protest such atrocities.Still, I couldn’t help but think that the chants of, “Tell me what democracy looks like,” were a bit naïve as history quickly reminds us that even the best democratic system can never deliver what it promises.And as beautiful as the crowds were on Saturday, the picture of hope was incomplete because it was ultimately misplaced.For any form of government that grounds its hope in democracy will disappoint. Because the truth is, we don’t need a democracy for a better future; we need a monarchy.But you can’t have a monarchy without a king, and that king is Jesus. So in the meantime, we fight for truth and justice.But that’s easier said than done because it appears as if no one can agree on the truth.If only there was a group of people that had the truth.If only there was a group of people willing to stand up for the truth.If only.Maybe someday.PHOTOS by JUSTIN LEVECKJon Garcia is a writer, storyteller, and aspiring theologian. He lives in the Los Angeles area where he spends most of his time working on PhD studies and serving the Latino/a community. For fun, he hosts 
Editor's Note: We want to hear from you on this topic. What is God telling us about our nation's immigration policy? Should there be a louder voice from the Christian community about the separation of children from parents who are being processed for immigration at the border? Please leave comments below.
One of the rabbis in attendance spoke about Jeff Sessions’ quotation of Romans 13, noting that Sessions used this passage as a way to keep the people obedient to the law of the land. Speaking out of the prophetic tradition of the Jewish religion, this rabbi asserted that instead, the Torah is about dissent, about challenging authority. Moses did not abide by the law of his land, but instead followed the will of the Lord, went to the ruling authority of his day, and said, “What you are doing is unjust! Let my people go.”Therefore, as religious leaders of our day, we are similarly called to approach our political leaders with the message, “What you are doing at the border is unjust! Return these children to their parents and let God’s people go.” This demonstration — and the immigration reform movement at large — was not fueled by rebellion against current immigration policies for rebellion’s sake. It was a Holy Spirit filled beckoning for lawmakers to reform policies that are morally inconsistent with the Law of God.The treatment of undocumented immigrants at the southern border is inhumane and demonic. By separating children from their mothers and fathers and detaining them for many days we are forgetting what one rabbi said is the greatest lesson in the Torah, that every human is made in the Image of God. No matter one’s ethnicity, gender, class, or documentation, they bear the Image of God and should be treated with dignity and respect. What is happening at our southern border is neither dignifying nor respectful, it is disgraceful and should be stopped immediately.Some good news is that President Trump recently signed an executive order to ban the practice of separating children from their families. This is evidence that the Holy Spirit is moving and that public pressure on politicians works to enact substantial social change!Indeed, it is because of this victory that religious leaders urge us to keep fighting for the change we desire to see in our society. As one pastor noted, we must not stop until we are sure these children are returned to their parents. We must ensure that the policies fought for are carried out. And we should not stop there! Christians should organize and fight until the laws of our land reflect the realities of the Kingdom of God, where every human being is recognized and dignified as bearers of God’s image.If you want to join in on these efforts to bring immigrant families back together or just want to learn more, getting involved with organizations like 
Among other actions, the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference will be temporarily relocating additional staff to Washington, D.C., launching a national media campaign, rallying tens-of-thousands of the nation’s spiritual leaders, coordinating weekly meetings on Capitol Hill and in State Capitols. Additionally, the NHCLC will be organizing a “fly-in” of hundreds of prominent Hispanic leaders from throughout North America for a prayer meeting on the evening of Oct. 30, followed by a series of Congressional visits on Oct. 31.Of President Donald J. Trump’s decision to phaseout DACA, the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez says the following:“I am disappointed that these protections are ending and I’ve expressed that disappointment to the White House directly. I also understand why they chose this course of action. If the fate of DACA is any indication, then it was only a matter of time before DACA would face a similar fate in the courts and, in fact, the entire program could be ceased immediately by a court order rather than being phased out. Thankfully, it is the job of Congress to make laws, and now the President has provided Congress a six month window to legislate a more permanent and legally defensible solution for DREAMers. Six months is too long, we will demand action from Congress within 60 days. We do not intend on letting a single member of Congress have a good night’s rest until they guarantee our young people can rest easy. We will not be silent until every DREAMer can dream again.”The National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference is a non-partisan organization that has long been numbered among the nation’s foremost advocates for comprehensive immigration reform. It is the organization’s official position that it is primarily the responsibility of Congress to address the nation’s longstanding challenges with immigration policy. In that capacity Rev. Samuel Rodriguez has worked with Democrat and Republican majorities in Congress as well as with Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald J. Trump in advocating for comprehensive immigration reform.NHCLC's statement originally published