For Iglesia Cristiana el Buen Pastor’s (ICBP) Reverend Hector Ramirez in Mesa, Arizona, Jesus’ words, “I was a stranger and you invited me in” is more than a good teaching; it’s a regular ministry cornerstone. That faithful witness has attracted their community’s affection, partnership with their city and two large universities, and opposition from gun-wielding protestors.
Every week, buses dispatched by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) bring new arrivals to ICBP. In 2018, ICBP began to receive immigrant families and provide a safe place for them to land and re-supply as they planned their future in a new home.
“We offer them food, clean clothing, a place to bathe, or a space to spend the night,” explains Rev. Ramirez. Beyond immediate needs, the church helps migrants reconnect with relatives and secure plane tickets to their next destinations. Church volunteers also transport immigrants to the airport, ensuring they are not left to navigate their journey alone.
For Rev. Ramirez, this kind of ministry is personal: he remembers how it felt to have God provide people to lead him toward a new start. “As a child I suffered a lot due to the lack of economic resources, at times I slept on the street as a child and fell into serious trouble,” he reflected. “But the Lord, in his infinite love, rescued me and freed me from very ugly vices, and since God rescued me … I am called to serve him with all my heart, and I have served him since 1975.”
ICBP served nearly 2,300 people between their launch in 2018 and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic; but the pandemic significantly altered the landscape of migration. “The situation has changed a lot since fewer families are entering,” notes Rev. Ramirez. But despite the lower volume of migration, ICBP continues to serve families who come into their congregation, asking others in the community.
That mission is not without resistance, though. The political landscape around immigration has left the church facing various external threats. “Once there was what felt like an attack in our church parking lot for working with migrants,” Rev. Ramirez recalls. Anti-immigrant groups, brandishing weapons and dressed in military gear, held a rally outside the church, attempting to intimidate its members and bar them from worshipping with the church.
The financial strain of supporting so many in need has required Rev. Ramirez and other leaders to issue a constant appeal for donations. The community’s spirit and generosity have shone through, however. The City of Scottsdale has supported Rev. Ramirez’s project to assist in providing housing for migrant families, and a representative reached out to Arizona State University (ASU) and the University of Washington (UW) to see if they might be willing to partner with ICBP.
After a visit, and the chance to see the impressive work God is doing at ICBP, the universities and Rev. Ramirez produced a comprehensive plan for constructing housing, with the total project cost estimated at $2.3 million. ASU and UW are helping to secure funding, with an eye on 2025 to begin construction.
“Architect instructors from ASU and UW are using the project in Mesa as a way to involve their students and do some much-needed good for the community,” said Reverend Dr. Billy Wilson, Mountain Plains District superintendent. “They will apply for grants and aid on behalf of the church and plan to help with design, networking and potentially construction. These are still early preliminary discussions but have the potential to bring life-changing results.”
Rev. Ramirez’s desire is to be able to “provide a more comfortable and quality place for the migrant families we serve each week.” As he and his team continue in this important work, they covet continued prayers for the construction project, and for God’s grace in providing the people, partnerships and time they need to continue to minister in Jesus’ name.
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Rev. Ethan Linder is the pastor of discipleship at College Wesleyan Church in Marion, Indiana, and contributing editor at The Wesleyan Church’s Education and Clergy Development Division.
