Historic Joint Signing for Sanctuary Support to Take Place at Genesis

An historic event is taking place at Genesis of Ann Arbor in the building shared by Temple Beth Emeth (TBE) and St. Clare of Assisi Episcopal Church (STC), 2309 Packard Street in Ann Arbor.

On Wednesday June 13, the president of TBE, the senior warden of STC, and the president of Genesis will come together to publicly sign a joint declaration of support for the nationwide Sanctuary movement.

An opening prayer by TBE Rabbi Josh Whinston and a closing prayer by Reverend James C Rhodenhiser Jr. will frame the event.

The event, which begins at 6:30, is co-sponsored by Genesis and Washtenaw Congregational Sanctuary.Genesis is the corporation that was set up between the two congregations in 1976 to operate and maintain the building. The creation of Genesis became the first known instance in the country of two congregations of different faiths co-owning and operating the same building. At the event, they will officially sign the first joint declaration of support for the Sanctuary movement.

Washtenaw Congregational Sanctuary is the interfaith coalition of congregations and individuals throughout Washtenaw County that came together to support immigrants and their families in the local community in response to harsh, unjust activities of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the community.The event will be emceed by Mary Anne Perrone, a member of the leadership team of Washtenaw Interfaith Coalition for Immigrant Rights (WICIR) and co-founder of WCS.

The achievement is the result of a year-long campaign led by the TBE-STC Joint Sanctuary Committee to educate both congregations about the urgency of supporting the movement.According to Shoshana Mandel, chair of the TBE Social Action Committee (SAC):

For the past year, SAC has been working on and then collaborating with STC to formulate a Sanctuary Motion and declaration of our commitment to the Sanctuary effort. We have hosted numerous educational events on this and related topics. And we have arrived! So many people have volunteered their time, effort, passion, and love for justice into this effort.

A reception hosted by a joint committee from Temple Beth Emeth, St. Clare, and Washtenaw Congregational Sanctuary will follow the signing.

Please join us at this public event to witness and celebrate the historic signing and share the feast of solidarity and justice.

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