UUFSMA: “A Humanitarian Crisis at the Border”

UU Service

“A Humanitarian Crisis at the Border”

Rev. Alan Taylor

Sunday, January 5, 10:30 a.m.

Hotel La Aldea

by Jon Sievert

At this Sunday’s Unitarian Universalist Fellowship service, the Rev. Alan Taylor reflects on his experience leading a multi-faith delegation in October to Matamoros, Mexico, to address the cruelty of current U.S. border policies.

Ironically named Migrant Protection Protocols, U.S. border policies are creating a humanitarian crisis. Thousands of refugees from Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Cuba, and Mexicans from Guerrero and Chiapas seeking asylum are stuck at the border at the mercy of humanitarian efforts.

Contrary to United States and international law, people seeking asylum are being denied access to the United States pending a hearing. Instead they are returned to Mexico and dropped off on the street in places like Matamoros where there is no running water, only five port-a-potties for thousands of people, and a dense collection of tents within several spaces the size of a basketball court. Basic needs like a toilet and charging a cell phone are offered only at extortion prices. Security is also a huge issue in Matamoros, which the US State Department ranks as dangerous as Afghanistan and Iraq.

Over three days, Rev. Taylor and his colleagues witnessed hundreds of children playing with sparks in their eyes or lying listlessly in the arms of their parents. He will share specific stories from the extraordinary diversity of the delegation to the heartbreaking stories of families seeking a new life free from violence. They also met two of the leaders of Team Brownsville, a humanitarian group that seeks to provide thousands of refugee meals and meet their most basic needs.

The trip brought together four African American Missionary Baptist clergy from Chicago’s west side, two rabbis, three mainline Protestant clergy, two state lawmakers, and a number of immigration activists. The group held a public demonstration in Brownsville that called for the abolition of the Migrant Protection Protocols and the defunding of ICE. Rev. Taylor says their experience provides some hope.

Rev. Taylor has served as Senior Minister at Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Oak Park, IL, since 2003. He is married to Angelica Taylor-Cortes who grew up in Mexico City. They met at Teotihuican in 2000 and were married in Pie de la Cuesta in 2003. They have two children, Marco age 11 and Erica age 8.

The service will be co-lead by UUFSMA affiliate minister Rev. Tom Rosiello, who served on Rev. Taylor’s Intern Committee in Worcester, MA, when he was preparing to be ordained as a UU minister. For more information about the UUFSMA, including our Sunday morning Children’s Religious Education program, Social Action outreach, weekly discussion groups, social activities, and Care Team, join us any Sunday at 10:30 a.m. at the Hotel La Aldea or check out our website at uufsma.org.

Our fellowship was born in 1987 when a small group of expatriate religious liberals came together to meet as Unitarian Universalists in San Miguel de Allende. The fellowship has been active and thriving ever since. Every UU church has it’s own flavor, and we are no exception. We are a combination of expats and visitors, each actively engaged and contributing to this wonderful Mexican community we love. Because there is a coming, going, and returning aspect, our spiritual community is extremely fluid.  There is a magic in San Miguel which draws us in and binds us together—both as members of the church and of the larger community. Our programming is led by visiting ministers, community leaders, and church members, so the variety is lively. We have opportunities to meet as UU’s each week at discussion groups, breakfasts, luncheons, and in various other ways. Depending on the season, attendance fluctuates between 40 and 140. Our primary focus is on funding social action within the surrounding community. We love good music, good discussion, good food, and having visitors. We invite you to join us any Sunday morning.

Members regularly post updates and information on this site. We also post meeting minutes and announcements there.

To join our Yahoo group site click on this link:

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/UUFSMA/info

Click on “membership”and follow the directions.

Posting a notice on the Yahoo site is easy. Just go to your regular mail browser, type in the address line: uufsma@yahoogroups.com , type your message and hit send!

We encourage you to use this site to communicate with other local UUs.