There were two distinct thanksgiving moments for Europeans coming to this “new” place. The first was in 1619 in Virginia. Upon landing, those intrepid seafarers stopped activity to give thanks for deliverance from the sea. They declared December 4th a day of fasting and prayer, and, one might imagine, a day of new beginnings. Two years later in November 1621, Europeans again stopped everything to give thanks for their survival. This time it was a moment of celebration, community, and feasting. It was their first successful harvest, made possible by the support and tutelage of their Wampanoag neighbors—without whom they would likely not have survived.
Amid this complex and painful history of settlement, theft, and genocide lies a straightforward lesson about welcome and survival—one that we would do well to remember this Thanksgiving.
For those Europeans, the first peoples of this country embodied a radical welcome. They fed the strangers and taught them how to survive. As Christians, we, too, are called to welcome the stranger and the exiled; to remember, relearn, and re-enact their generosity. Many of us in parishes throughout the Diocese of Washington have been doing just that for our new neighbors from around the world.
The next administration has signaled that they intend to deport 11 million people who have come to this country, some of whom may be members of our parishes. Now it is time to find new and creative ways to support and protect those who come here seeking a safe place for their families to thrive. The EDOW Refugee Response Team and those most impacted by this situation will continue to shape the work this diocese will do.
We invite you to think about that extra room or empty apartment that hasn’t been used since the kids moved out. The extra furniture in the attic or garage. The spare time you may have that could be committed to accompanying a refugee to the Refugee Resettlement Office or spending a morning at the Social Security Office getting that magic number that opens so many doors…
This Thanksgiving we invite you and your family and friends—and your parish—to welcome and love the stranger as Christ loves us. You might:
- Sign up for the Refugee Response Team email list.
- Donate to your parish or the Bishop’s Appeal for this work.
- Attend a public meeting on November 26 with the Congregation Action Network (CAN) to learn more about emerging plans in the DMV.
Advocacy organizations like Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM), Lutheran Social Services, the ACLU, Mutual Aid, and the Congregation Action Network will double-down and continue to focus on welcoming the stranger now and in the future. We must double-down also.
As you sit down to dinner, give thanks and commit to work hard in the coming months and years to make this place a safe place for everyone. Commit to offer life-saving support to “the stranger” just as indigenous peoples welcomed the Europeans in 1621.
The Rev. Nancy Stockbridge, Chair
EDOW Refugee Response Team
The Rev. Linda Kaufman
St. Thomas, Dupont Circle
