Program:

• Immigration: A Biblical Framework
  What would Jesus do?
• Immigration Issues and the Faith Community
  Legal and economic issues for immigrants and the local community
• Taking it to our Churches
  Concrete action for congregations and individuals

  Erika Sutherland, a faculty member of Muhlenberg College's Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures,is also very much involved in community affairs. She is a member of the Local Organizing Committee for the Lutheran Churches of St. Paul and San Martín de Porres with Congregations United for Neighborhood Action (CUNA). Erika sees faith-based organizing is a powerful tool which enables immigrants to become advocates for community change. With CUNA, the Grupo de Apoyo brought forth their concerns about police treatment of Hispanics and the language barrier impeding successful communication in emergencies. They led a successful campaign to have the Allentown Police Department Call Center hire Spanish-speaking 9-1-1 operators and train all 9-1-1 operators in the use of interpreting tools. Grupo de Apoyo is now working to provide support for the many renters in the community.

  Erika has been named to the Allentown School District's Diversity Task Force; she serves on the Board of Directors of the Lehigh County Conference of Churches, and was the invited keynote speaker at the annual Aspires Community Mentoring Award ceremony. She was the 2004-2005 Pennsylvania Humanities Scholar with Touchstone Theatre's Quixote Project, charged with connecting local artists, students, scholars, and the Hispanic, Latino, and non-Hispanic communities to make Don Quixote accessible to and meaningful for all.

  She is also a frequent translator and interpreter throughout the Valley, working to share information and culture between Spanish and non-Spanish speakers in a variety of settings.

  Bob Walden leads the Justice and Advocacy Committee of Lehigh County Conference of Churches, and chairs the Mennonite Peace and Justice Committee of Eastern Distict and Franconia Mennonite Conferences. With these committees and other faith-based organizations, Bob has organized workshops and retreats, and presented seminars on a variety of social justice issues from a Biblical perspective.

Also:

Schedule:
Registration, coffee, and displays at 8:30 am; program begins 9:00 am includes light refreshments; and wrap-up at noon.

Registration:
Advance registration by September 12th is requested, but there is no registration fee. You can register by calling the Conference main office at 610-433-6421 or email lccc@lcconfchurch.org. Please include your name, address, church or organizational affiliation, telephone, and email address. Refreshments will be provided.