The Oklahoma Conference of Churches is inviting churches across the state to join them in tackling the issue of white privilege, with a one-day training seminar scheduled for Aug. 3.
The Rev. Shannon Fleck, executive director of Oklahoma Conference of Churches (OCC), said white privilege and racism have become a major focus of the conference in recent years, “and now we want to expand that and really focus on this work.”
The Oklahoma Conference of Churches recently released a statement about the federal government's plan to house immigrant children at Fort Sill.
The Rev. Shannon Fleck, the conference's executive director, said the organization's stance has its foundation in Scripture.
"We've always had a pretty significant stance on how immigrants are treated, and that comes straight out of Scripture," she said.
She said she finds it "alarming" that "it has become so necessary to detain immigrants that centers are packed to the brimmed and now it is coming to Oklahoma."
Click here to download: July’s CONNECT Newsletter
The way in which we treat refugees, immigrants, and visitors is a matter of faith. Care of “the stranger” and the ministry of hospitality are central to the activity of the people of God. Immigration laws and policies must uphold the human dignity of every person, as every person embodies value and worth in the eyes of God. We strongly oppose the separation of immigrant children from their families and loved ones, and further oppose the placement of these children at Ft. Sill Army Post in Lawton, OK.