Note: This is an IMH translation of the original Spanish document.

We recognize that this country known as The United States of America was founded by immigrants. The immigrants of today continue to contribute their talents and labor to the benefit of this society.

The Bible teaches us to accept (I Peter 2:13), pray for (I Timothy 2:2) and to be subjects to government authorities (Romans 13:1). However, we also recognize that as Christians we are called to "obey God" rather than men (Acts 5:29). When government authorities overstep their role and pass laws which lead us to harm others, which blocks our efforts to protect lives or prevent us from worshiping God, then obeying God rather than human laws is required. The Bible also encourage us to love, not to harm (Leviticus 19:33, 34) and not to forget to receive the foreigner (Acts 13:2). In Deuteronomy we read that God defends the cause of the orphans, the widows and loves the stranger (Deuteronomy 10:18).

In Matthew 25 Jesus identified himself as a foreigner when he said, "…I was a stranger and you welcomed me" (Matthew 25:35b RSV). At the day of the final judgment, God will ask us how we received and treated the stranger, stipulating a great responsibility for each and everyone of us who follow Christ.

"We believe that Christ is Lord over all of life. Church and state are separate and often competing structures vying for our loyalty. We understand that governments can preserve order and that we owe honor to people in government. But our "fear" belongs to God alone (I Peter 2:27). When the demands of the government conflict with the demands of Christ, Christians are to "obey God rather than any human authority (Acts 5:29)". Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective, Article 23 (p.87).

Given our understanding of the Holy Scriptures, we the Iglesia Menonita Hispana de los Estados Unidos declare and commit ourselves to:

1. Pray for our government authorities so that God may give them wisdom to write and pass laws which do not harm people, block our desire to help the foreigner and do not impede immigrants from worship God in our churches.
2. Show love and pray for our undocumented brothers and sister.
3. Give spiritual, emotional and physical nourishment to the immigrants of our communities when they ask without exceptions.
4. Write a letter to the President of the United States of America and Congress in support of just and favorable laws for the immigrants.
5. Support and promote laws that favor the legalization of those without their legal documents.
6. Create a mutual aid fund to help those persons in need of legal advice.
7. Help economically the programs that are already offering legal advice to the undocumented, e.g. the programs in New York, California, Miami, Florida, etc.
8. Reject any law that harms the immigrants or prevents them from receiving humanitarian aid.
9. Encourage our churches to discern the Scriptures and to teach what is the will of God in relation to how we should treat and minister the immigrants.

Iglesia Menonita Hispana de USA
Third Biannual Assembly
August 2006
Dallas Texas.