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Today’s episode features an interview with Ben, a pastor, evangelist and asylee from Nigeria. He lives in the Southeast United States and was granted asylum in 2020. We also speak with the Reverend Leeann Culbreath, who has accompanied individuals and families impacted by immigrant detention in South Georgia, most often at the Irwin County Detention Center in Ccilla, Georgia. In 2017, she helped found South Georgia Immigrant Support Network, which they referenced in today's interview. South Georgia Immigrant Support Network is a humanitarian nonprofit that provides a hospitality house, visitation, pen pal, post-release, and advocacy programs. Leeann frequently travels around the Diocese of Georgia teaching and preaching about immigrant detention and accompaniment ministry. And in 2020, she became one of our volunteer co facilitators for EMM's detention ministry network. Join us on December 13, from 7 to 8pm. Eastern for a virtual Advent vigil and it will be available by Zoom webinar and also Facebook Live we invite you to register for the zoom webinar at bit.ly/EMMvigil. Follow EMM on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram where we are @EMMrefugees. In the season of giving, we invite you to make a gift to support the refugee and immigration ministries of the Episcopal Church through the work of Episcopal Migration Ministries. Visit episcopalmigrationministries.org/give or text Hometown to 91999. We also want to invite you to get your very own EMM swag at bit.ly/weareemm. We have a variety of EMM branded shirts to help you proclaim loudly that you welcome our newest neighbors. Our theme song composer is Abraham Mwinda Ikando. Find his music at abrahammwinda.bandcamp.com.

Today’s episode features the recording of Walking with Asylum Seekers: Ministry Opportunities for Congregations, the first of a three-part virtual training series offered in partnership with The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America’s AMMPARO program and Lutheran Family Services of the Rocky Mountains. The three 90-minute virtual events are for congregations interested in supporting and walking alongside asylum seekers. We provide advocacy updates, resources for group discernment, ministry models, and important considerations when engaging in ministry with asylum seekers. Visit bit.ly/asylumministrytraining to register for one or both of the virtual sponsorship trainings. Follow us on FB, Twitter, and Instagram where we are emmrefugees. Join in the ministry of welcome by making a gift to Episcopal Migration Ministries. No gift is too small, and all gifts are used to support and grow our work resettling refugees, supporting asylum seekers, and creating welcoming communities for all of our immigrant siblings. Visit episcopalmigrationministries.org/give or text HOMETOWN to 91999. Our theme song composer is Abraham Mwinda Ikando. Find his music at https://abrahammwinda.bandcamp.com

Today’s episode features our interview with The Rev. Mike Wallens, co-chair of the Rio Grande Borderland Ministries (RGBM) for the Diocese of the Rio Grande, and Nellie Fagen, project coordinator for Rio Grande Borderland Ministries (RGBM) through Blueprint. Mike Wallens is the Vicar of an Episcopal church in Marfa, Texas and serves four other churches in the Big Bend region of Far West Texas. The Rio Grande Borderland Ministries which Mike serves covers all of New Mexico and Far West Texas. The ministries of Rio Grande Borderland Ministries include working with the Anglican Diocese of Northern Mexico as well as shelters on the U.S. side of the border. Mike helps coordinate responses to the humanitarian crisis along the southern border of the United States, maintaining open communication with the Border Patrol in the Big Bend Sector and supporting Rio Grande Borderland Ministries partnership with Boquillas Beyond Mexico Mission, Inc. Nellie Fagen serves as project coordinator for Rio Grande Borderland Ministries and focuses on developing and implementing strategy for marketing, communications, and fundraising. Nellie has passions for social justice, advocacy, and community building. Be sure to learn more about Rio Grande Borderland Ministries at their website riograndeborderland.org. Sign up for their monthly newsletter and stay up to date on their ministries and ways you can be involved. Follow Rio Grande Borderland Ministries on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @RioGrandeBorderlands. Follow EMM on FB, Twitter, and Instagram where we are @emmrefugees. Join in the ministry of welcome by making a gift to Episcopal Migration Ministries. No gift is too small, and all gifts are used to support and grow our work resettling refugees, supporting asylum seekers, and creating welcoming communities for all of our immigrant siblings. Visit episcopalmigrationministries.org/give or text HOMETOWN to 91999. Our theme song composer is Abraham Mwinda Ikando. Find his music at https://abrahammwinda.bandcamp.com

Today's interview is with Jessica Goudeau, author of After the Last Border: Two Families and the Story of Refuge in America. Goudeau has written for The New York Times, The Atlantic, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Teen Vogue, among many other places, and is a former columnist for Catapult. She produced projects for Teen Vogue (“Ask a Syrian Girl”) and “A Line Birds Cannot See,” a documentary about a young girl who crossed the border into the US on her own. She has a PhD in literature from the University of Texas and served as a Mellon Writing Fellow and Interim Writing Center Director at Southwestern University. Goudeau has spent more than a decade working with refugees in Austin, TX and is the co-founder of Hill Tribers, a nonprofit that provided supplemental income for Burmese refugee artisans for seven years. Be sure to follow us on FB, Twitter, and Instagram where we are @emmrefugees. Join in the ministry of welcome by making a gift to Episcopal Migration Ministries. No gift is too small, and all gifts are used to support and grow our work resettling refugees, supporting asylum seekers, and creating welcoming communities for all of our immigrant siblings. Visit episcopalmigrationministries.org/give or text HOMETOWN to 91999. Our theme song composer is Abraham Mwinda Ikando. Find his music at https://abrahammwinda.bandcamp.com

Join us this fall and winter to hear the voices of those involved directly in this ministry of welcome - from on the ground support, to advocacy, to folks finding creative ways to participate and contribute to the welcoming movement. Follow us on FB, Twitter, and Instagram where we are @emmrefugees. Join in the ministry of welcome by making a gift to Episcopal Migration Ministries. No gift is too small, and all gifts are used to support and grow our work resettling refugees, supporting asylum seekers, and creating welcoming communities for all of our immigrant siblings. Visit episcopalmigrationministries.org/give or text HOMETOWN to 91999. Our theme song composer is Abraham Mwinda Ikando. Find his music at www.abrahammwinda.bandcamp.com.

Today's episode is a webinar recording of Love God, Love Neighbor: Episcopal Action on Asylum, an overview of asylum in the United States, information about the new rule proposed, a panel conversation with our guests, and specific actions you can take today to advocate for continued protection for asylum. For the PPT slides, webinar recording, advocacy toolkit, and resources, visit www.episcopalmigrationministries.org/blog. Make a donation to support the refugee resettlement ministry of The Episcopal Church. Visit episcopalmigrationministries.org/give or text HOMETOWN to 91999. Hometown is a podcast from Episcopal Migration Ministries. Check out EMM’s blog for latest updates, opportunities, and alerts: Blog: https://episcopalmigrationministries.org/blog/ Our theme song was composed and recorded by Abraham Mwinda Ikando. Find his music at https://abrahammwinda.bandcamp.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Episcopal Migration Ministries: www.episcopalmigrationministries.org, www.facebook.com/emmrefugees, Twitter & Instagram, @emmrefugees

Episcopal Migration Ministries, in partnership with The Episcopal Church Office of Government Relations, is offering three weeks of webinars geared toward action for DACA, Refugee Resettlement, and Asylum. In today’s webinar recording we came together to pray, to hear from a panel of folks resettled to the U.S. through the refugee resettlement program, and to learn steps we can take to advocate for and in support of refugees. We invite you to join us for the last webinar of the series - Episcopal Action on Asylum on June 23 at 3:30PM ET. You can register at bit.ly/June Advocacy. Make a donation to support the refugee resettlement ministry of The Episcopal Church. Visit episcopalmigrationministries.org/give or text HOMETOWN to 91999. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hometown is a podcast from Episcopal Migration Ministries. Check out EMM’s blog for latest updates, opportunities, and alerts: Blog: https://episcopalmigrationministries.org/blog/ Our theme song was composed and recorded by Abraham Mwinda Ikando. Find his music at https://abrahammwinda.bandcamp.com/ Episcopal Migration Ministries: www.episcopalmigrationministries.org, www.facebook.com/emmrefugees, Twitter & Instagram, @emmrefugees

Today's episode is a recording from the June 9 webinar - Episcopal Action on DACA Week. Episcopal Migration Ministries and The Episcopal Church Office of Government Relations are hosting a three-part webinar series - Love God, Love Neighbor: Episcopal Month of Action. In today’s webinar recording we came together to pray, hear from DACA recipients, and find out ways we can take action to support DREAMers. We invite you to join us for the next two webinars - Episcopal Action on Resettlement is June 16 at 3:30PM ET and Episcopal Action on Asylum is June 23 at 3:30PM ET. You can register at bit.ly/June Advocacy. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hometown is a podcast from Episcopal Migration Ministries. Check out EMM’s blog for the latest updates, opportunities, and alerts: Blog: https://episcopalmigrationministries.org/blog/ Our theme song was composed and recorded by Abraham Mwinda Ikando. Find his music at https://abrahammwinda.bandcamp.com/ Episcopal Migration Ministries: www.episcopalmigrationministries.org, www.facebook.com/emmrefugees, Twitter & Instagram, @emmrefugees

Today's episode features an introduction to EMM's latest offering - Virtual Book Club Guides. These guides provide instruction and resources to hold virtual book clubs. All of the books featured cover migration issues from various perspectives and experiences. Hometown is a podcast from Episcopal Migration Ministries. Check out EMM’s blog for latest updates, opportunities, and alerts: Blog: https://episcopalmigrationministries.org/blog/ Our theme song was composed and recorded by Abraham Mwinda Ikando. Find his music at https://abrahammwinda.bandcamp.com/ ----------------------------------------------- Episcopal Migration Ministries: www.episcopalmigrationministries.org, www.facebook.com/emmrefugees, Twitter & Instagram, @emmrefugees

Today’s reflection on Station 14 - Jesus is Laid in the Tomb- comes from The Rev. Charles “Chuck” Wynder, Jr. , Officer for Social Justice & Engagement on the Presiding Bishop’s Staff for The Episcopal Church. He works to build capacity for advocacy, embodied witness, and community engagement around social and racial justice in communities throughout the Episcopal Church. Chuck studied at the Episcopal Divinity School, MDiv ’12. A Truman Scholar, he is a native of Hampton, Virginia and is a graduate of Syracuse University and the University of Michigan Law School. He is married to Bethany Dickerson Wynder. They reside in Washington, D.C. where they are raising their son Charles Allen Wynder, III (Chase). Hometown is a podcast from Episcopal Migration Ministries. Check out EMM’s blog for latest updates, opportunities, and alerts: Blog: https://episcopalmigrationministries.org/blog/ Our theme song was composed and recorded by Abraham Mwinda Ikando. Find his music at https://abrahammwinda.bandcamp.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Episcopal Migration Ministries: www.episcopalmigrationministries.org, www.facebook.com/emmrefugees, Twitter & Instagram, @emmrefugees

Today’s reflection on Station 13 - The body of Jesus is placed in the arms of his mother - comes from The Revd Matthew Dumont-Machowski. Matthew is a senior seminarian at Virginia Theological Seminary and has recently been ordained to the transitional diaconate in the Diocese of Virginia. Originally from Poland, Matthew has lived his entire adult life as an immigrant on three different continents. Matthew moved to the United States from the United Kingdom with his husband in 2017. Prior to their move, he served as a research fellow and lecturer in Middle Eastern Politics and Security at the University of London. He has previously worked for the UK Houses of Parliament and political think-tanks in the UK and the Middle East. Matthew is passionate about inter-faith relations, reconciliation, peace-making, and the refugee crisis around the world. Hometown is a podcast from Episcopal Migration Ministries. Check out EMM’s blog for latest updates, opportunities, and alerts: Blog: https://episcopalmigrationministries.org/blog/ Our theme song was composed and recorded by Abraham Mwinda Ikando. Find his music at https://abrahammwinda.bandcamp.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Episcopal Migration Ministries: www.episcopalmigrationministries.org, www.facebook.com/emmrefugees, Twitter & Instagram, @emmrefugees

Today’s reflection on Station 12 - Jesus dies on the cross- comes from The Rev. Jaime Briceño, a transitional Deacon for Episcopal Diocese of Chicago, Director of Admission and Recruitment, and Digital Missioner for Bexley Seabury Seminary. Jaime is from Costa Rica, with an MA Theology degree in Systematic Theology, and Interreligious dialogue from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. Hometown is a podcast from Episcopal Migration Ministries. Check out EMM’s blog for latest updates, opportunities, and alerts: Blog: https://episcopalmigrationministries.org/blog/ Our theme song was composed and recorded by Abraham Mwinda Ikando. Find his music at https://abrahammwinda.bandcamp.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Episcopal Migration Ministries: www.episcopalmigrationministries.org, www.facebook.com/emmrefugees, Twitter & Instagram, @emmrefugees

Today’s reflection on Station 11 - Jesus is nailed to the cross - comes from The Rev. Canon Amy Real Coulta, Canon to the Ordinary in the Diocese of Kentucky. She serves on the board of Kentucky Refugee Ministries, which has worked with local congregations to resettle refugee families across Kentucky for 30 years. She is a native of Louisville, where she lives with her husband, Kevin. Hometown is a podcast from Episcopal Migration Ministries. Check out EMM’s blog for the latest updates, opportunities, and alerts: Blog: https://episcopalmigrationministries.org/blog/ Our theme song was composed and recorded by Abraham Mwinda Ikando. Find his music at https://abrahammwinda.bandcamp.com/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Episcopal Migration Ministries: www.episcopalmigrationministries.org, www.facebook.com/emmrefugees, Twitter & Instagram, @emmrefugees

Today’s reflection on Station 10 - Jesus is stripped of his garments - comes from The Rev. Jean Baptiste Ntagengwa. Currently Canon for Immigration and Multicultural Ministries in the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, The Rev. Jean Baptiste Ntagengwa, Th.D. spent his early years in Rwanda, where much of his extended family still lives. His diverse career has included accounting, finance, and economics, academia, refugee resettlement and case management, hospital chaplaincy, parish and diocesan-level ministry in Rwanda, Kenya, and Massachusetts. He and his wife Christine live in Everett and have three children, Jean-Fidele, Peace, and Moses and one grandson, Josiah. Hometown is a podcast from Episcopal Migration Ministries. Check out EMM’s blog for the latest updates, opportunities, and alerts: Blog: https://episcopalmigrationministries.org/blog/ Our theme song was composed and recorded by Abraham Mwinda Ikando. Find his music at https://abrahammwinda.bandcamp.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Episcopal Migration Ministries: www.episcopalmigrationministries.org, www.facebook.com/emmrefugees, Twitter & Instagram, @emmrefugees

Today’s reflection on Station 9 - Jesus falls a third time - comes from Rob Coulston. Rob is the lay campus minister at St. Augustine's Chapel, the Episcopal and Lutheran campus ministry at the University of Kentucky. Raised in the Diocese of Lexington, Rob has served in the church most of his life as a volunteer and professional, including as a director of Reading Camp, a literacy ministry in eastern Kentucky, as an intern at the Society of St. John the Evangelist in Cambridge, MA, and as a youth minister in the Diocese of Upper South Carolina. Hometown is a podcast from Episcopal Migration Ministries. Check out EMM’s blog for the latest updates, opportunities, and alerts: Blog: https://episcopalmigrationministries.org/blog/ Our theme song was composed and recorded by Abraham Mwinda Ikando. Find his music at https://abrahammwinda.bandcamp.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Episcopal Migration Ministries: www.episcopalmigrationministries.org, www.facebook.com/emmrefugees, Twitter & Instagram, @emmrefugees

Today’s reflection on Station 8 - Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem - comes from The Rev. Gregory Han and Elena Korbut. The Rev. Gregory Han is a “half-Asian, midwestern-Raised, Jesuit-educated, Harvard-trained, Texas-residing, Presbyterian Minister." ince summer 2014, he has served as the Director of Interfaith Relations & Education at Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston. He is on the faculty of the Honors College at the University of Houston, and he also speaks and teaches widely across the Houston area. He holds degrees from Georgetown University and Harvard Divinity School. Elena Korbut is the Community Engagement Manager in the Refugee Services Department at Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston. She works on connecting refugees to the local community as she believes that this connection is instrumental in helping refugees make Houston their home, to contribute to building a strong and diverse community so they can thrive. Her passion for serving the refugee community is fueled by her experience as an immigrant and someone who is familiar with challenges one faces when moving to a different country. Hometown is a podcast from Episcopal Migration Ministries. Check out EMM’s blog for latest updates, opportunities, and alerts: Blog: https://episcopalmigrationministries.org/blog/ Our theme song was composed and recorded by Abraham Mwinda Ikando. Find his music at https://abrahammwinda.bandcamp.com/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Episcopal Migration Ministries: www.episcopalmigrationministries.org, www.facebook.com/emmrefugees, Twitter & Instagram, @emmrefugees

Today’s reflection on Station 7 - Jesus falls for the second time - comes from Abraham Mwinda, a Congolese born, Kenyan raised singer-songwriter based in San Diego, California. His lyrics are birthed from life experience and real life daily conversations with self & others. Rhythms from a rich home culture. Creativity that draws each listener to see a bit of their own story in every song. Find his music at https://abrahammwinda.bandcamp.com/ Abraham Mwinda 'Believe' music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOoTTdXVoro Hometown is a podcast from Episcopal Migration Ministries. Check out EMM’s blog for the latest updates, opportunities, and alerts: Blog: https://episcopalmigrationministries.org/blog/ Our theme song was composed and recorded by Abraham Mwinda Ikando. Find his music at https://abrahammwinda.bandcamp.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Episcopal Migration Ministries: www.episcopalmigrationministries.org, www.facebook.com/emmrefugees, Twitter & Instagram, @emmrefugees

Today’s reflection on Station 6 - A woman wipes the face of Jesus - comes from The Rev. Francisco García. A PhD student at Vanderbilt University, focusing on Theological Studies and Ethics, priest, and former community and labor organizer, he also serves as an Assistant Chaplain at St. Augustine's Episcopal Chapel in Nashville. Prior to his doctoral studies, he served as an Episcopal school chaplain, and in leadership roles at two parishes -- most recently as the Rector of Holy Faith Episcopal Church, a multiracial, multilingual congregation in Inglewood, California. Francisco convened and served as Co-Chair of the Sanctuary Task Force of the Diocese of Los Angeles, also known as L.A. Sacred Resistance, formed to implement a Resolution committing the Diocese to be a place of welcome, refuge, and sanctuary to members of the immigrant and refugee community, and all who are targets of hate. Hometown is a podcast from Episcopal Migration Ministries. Check out EMM’s blog for the latest updates, opportunities, and alerts: Blog: https://episcopalmigrationministries.org/blog/ Our theme song was composed and recorded by Abraham Mwinda Ikando. Find his music at https://abrahammwinda.bandcamp.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Episcopal Migration Ministries: www.episcopalmigrationministries.org, www.facebook.com/emmrefugees, Twitter & Instagram, @emmrefugees

Today’s reflection on Station 5 - Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the cross - comes from the Rev. Deacon Paula Ott. The daughter of a Syrian immigrant and a first-generation German American, Paula was raised in a Jewish household in the Reformed tradition. She was baptized into the Christian faith in 1979, becoming an Episcopalian in 1982. In response to God’s call to her, she was ordained as a vocational deacon in the Diocese of Lexington in June of 2010. Paula currently serves as a deacon at Christ Church Cathedral in Lexington, Kentucky, and St. Peter’s Church in Paris, Kentucky. Her ministries include outreach, working with youth and pastoral care. She has worked with immigrants to help them develop a clearer understanding of public school systems. She cares for her two granddaughters and serves as a chaplain for her city’s fire department. Hometown is a podcast from Episcopal Migration Ministries. Check out EMM’s blog for latest updates, opportunities, and alerts: Blog: https://episcopalmigrationministries.org/blog/ Our theme song was composed and recorded by Abraham Mwinda Ikando. Find his music at https://abrahammwinda.bandcamp.com/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Episcopal Migration Ministries: www.episcopalmigrationministries.org, www.facebook.com/emmrefugees, Twitter & Instagram, @emmrefugees

Este podcast es el audio que acompaña las Reflexiones sobre el Vía Crucis. Lo invitamos a rezar con nosotros la liturgia el Vía Crucis. Para complementar su experiencia de este podcast, descargue el libreto que contiene la liturgia del Vía Crucis y las reflexiones que corresponden a cada Estación de la Cruz aquí: www.episcopalmigrationministries.org/stations20. Hometown es un podcast de Ministerios Episcopales de Migración