{"id":38705,"date":"2026-07-22T04:51:24","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T23:21:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/inside-a-brooklyn-church-where-immigration-activism-is-the-gospel\/"},"modified":"2026-07-22T04:51:24","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T23:21:24","slug":"inside-a-brooklyn-church-where-immigration-activism-is-the-gospel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/inside-a-brooklyn-church-where-immigration-activism-is-the-gospel\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside a Brooklyn church where immigration activism is the gospel"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div itemprop=\"articleBody\">\n<p><iframe title=\"Everlit Audio Player\" src=\"https:\/\/everlit.audio\/embeds\/artl_KV25sZZM1mK?ui_title_intro=Listen+now%3A&amp;client=wp&amp;client_version=3.2.3\" width=\"100%\" height=\"136px\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>BROOKLYN, N.Y. (RNS) \u2014 On a recent Sunday, minutes before their afternoon service, members of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church gathered around a wooden table in the entrance of their Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, sanctuary for one of the congregation\u2019s most sacred rituals: a potluck meal. Congregants filled their plates from aluminum trays with rice and beans and chicken stew, then took their seats for a meal that has, for a few years now, helped bind this tight-knit community together.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_4269509\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"width: 246px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4269509 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd11-246x369.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"246\" height=\"369\" srcset=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd11-246x369.jpg 246w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd11-427x640.jpg 427w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd11-768x1151.jpg 768w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd11-1025x1536.jpg 1025w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd11-300x449.jpg 300w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd11-600x899.jpg 600w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd11.jpg 1068w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 246px) 100vw, 246px\"\/> <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text edd-enabled\"><span class=\"caption\">Silvia Feliz, the vice president of the church council on May 3, 2026, at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in New York. (RNS photo)<\/span><span class=\"credit\"\/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Among those attending was Silvia Feliz, who first walked through the doors four years ago, not for fellowship but for a food basket. The Dominican caregiver was new to the U.S., battling depression and searching for work. Now the vice president of the church council, Feliz helps run the church\u2019s clothing donations and food pantry and sometimes cooks for the communal meals.<\/p>\n<p>Good Shepherd\u2019s unapologetic support for immigrants is what made her plant roots in the congregation, she said. The church, led by the Rev. Juan Carlos Ruiz, who emigrated from Mexico and became a U.S. citizen in 2001, has been built around the conviction that supporting and advocating for immigrants is inseparable from the Gospel.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s something truly beautiful,\u201d said Feliz in Spanish. \u201cThe priest preaches about love for others, and it\u2019s not just that he preaches it; he actually practices it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For church members \u2014 most of whom are immigrants from Latin America, some without legal status in the U.S. \u2014 the commitment made by the congregation is inspiring. Every week, they prepare food baskets, operate a legal clinic and stand beside church members appearing in immigration courts at <a href=\"https:\/\/nymag.com\/intelligencer\/article\/26-federal-plaza-nyc-immigration-court-ice-agents-detainments-deportations.html\">26 Federal Plaza<\/a>, a Lower Manhattan immigration court. They also hold weekly prayer vigils outside of a nearby U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center.<\/p>\n<p>And as the Trump administration steps up its mass deportation efforts \u2014 Immigration and Customs Enforcement <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/07\/01\/us\/politics\/ice-immigrant-arrests-surge.html\">rounded up 10,000 people over five days<\/a> in July, while at least <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/immigration-enforcement-deaths-eight-houston-35b6d6f9b9715edd064009e195547b2b\">10 people died<\/a> during encounters with immigration officers within the last year \u2014 the church is innovating, coming up with new ways to protect congregants. One church member, for instance, is working on developing an encrypted app to connect volunteers and community members in need. As fear drives many immigrants away from public life, Good Shepherd offers a counter-story: an immigrant-majority church led by an immigrant, committed to providing care, protection and resistance.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_4269456\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"width: 750px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4269456\" src=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd02-427x285.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"501\" srcset=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd02-427x285.jpg 427w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd02-807x539.jpg 807w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd02-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd02-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd02-600x401.jpg 600w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd02-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd02-380x253.jpg 380w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd02.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\"\/> <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text edd-enabled\"><span class=\"caption\">Good Shepherd Lutheran Church congregants pray and reflect outside of the Metropolitan Detention Center during a vigil on May 5, 2026, in New York. (RNS photo)<\/span><span class=\"credit\"\/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p1\">Ruiz, or \u201cPadre Juan,\u201d as church members call him, is a recognizable figure in New York\u2019s advocacy circles, with decades of experience advocating within and for immigrant communities. In January, Ruiz, 55, was among a dozen faith leaders invited to give a speech at Mayor Zohran Mamdani\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/2026\/02\/06\/at-mamdanis-interfaith-breakfast-ny-clergy-condemn-trumps-immigration-crackdown\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">interfaith breakfast<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Andres Jimenez, a Good Shepherd member who emigrated from Colombia in the 1990s, said Ruiz\u2019s deep ties within New York\u2019s immigrant communities help sustain the church\u2019s work.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHaving a faith leader with the community, it helps them; he guides them into resources,\u201d he said. \u201cThe padre is someone they trust.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_4269459\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"width: 1600px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4269459 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd03.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1068\" srcset=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd03.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd03-427x285.jpg 427w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd03-807x539.jpg 807w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd03-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd03-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd03-600x401.jpg 600w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd03-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd03-380x253.jpg 380w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"\/> <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text edd-enabled\"><span class=\"caption\">The Rev. Juan Carlos Ruiz, senior pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church on May 3, 2026, in New York. (RNS photo)<\/span><span class=\"credit\"\/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Since Ruiz became Good Shepherd\u2019s senior pastor in 2018, the congregation has become multiethnic and bilingual, drawing<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>many immigrants from Central and Latin America. At least some of the change in membership is due to Ruiz\u2019s longtime advocacy for immigrant communities across New York City and New Jersey. Last year, as ICE agents began <a href=\"https:\/\/nymag.com\/intelligencer\/article\/26-federal-plaza-nyc-immigration-court-ice-agents-detainments-deportations.html\">routinely picking up<\/a> immigrants appearing for immigration court hearings, Ruiz started going to the Federal Plaza\u2019s immigration courts multiple times a week to accompany immigrants, sometimes advocating on their behalf before judges, according to Jimenez. At least ten church families have had at least one family member arrested by ICE, Ruiz said in an interview in April.\u00a0 The church has filed habeas corpus petitions to seek their release, but some were already transferred to out-of-state detention centers.<\/p>\n<p>Religious institutions \u201chave a spiritual power, they have moral power, and we do need to use that for the well-being of our communities,\u201d said Ruiz. \u201cWe have a biblical prophetic tradition that tells us, when injustice is done to one of our brothers and sisters, that injustice is done to the whole body, to all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The church\u2019s advocacy also reflects the commitments of its denomination, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA), a self-described \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/2019\/08\/07\/elca-declares-self-a-sanctuary-church-body-marches-to-ice-building-in-milwaukee\/\">sanctuary church body<\/a>.\u201d Good Shepherd is also part of the New Sanctuary Movement, a coalition Ruiz co-founded in 2006 to build on the 1980s movement of churches that offered <a href=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/2026\/03\/23\/how-the-sanctuary-movement-became-the-faithfuls-answer-to-ice-raids\/\">sanctuary to Central American migrants<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_4269461\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"width: 750px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4269461\" src=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd04-427x285.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"501\" srcset=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd04-427x285.jpg 427w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd04-807x539.jpg 807w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd04-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd04-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd04-600x401.jpg 600w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd04-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd04-380x253.jpg 380w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd04.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\"\/> <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text edd-enabled\"><span class=\"caption\">The Rev. Juan Carlos Ruiz speaks to congregants outside of the Metropolitan Detention Center during a vigil on May 5, 2026, in New York. (RNS photo)<\/span><span class=\"credit\"\/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Ruiz\u2019s commitment is also personal. He arrived in the U.S. at age 16 and overstayed a tourist visa to join his parents and siblings. He spent eight years without legal status, part of what he calls the \u201cundocumented river of humanity.\u201d He recalls the fear and constant vigilance during those years. \u201cI do remember really being always looking over my shoulder,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Years later, after being ordained as a Catholic priest in the diocese of Paterson, New Jersey, Ruiz worked alongside <a href=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/2016\/05\/01\/daniel-berrigan-anti-war-priest-dies-at-94\/\">Daniel Berrigan<\/a>, a Jesuit priest, and his brother Philip Berrigan, a former Catholic priest; the brothers were both anti-Vietnam War activists who were incarcerated for their activism. While serving as a priest at many small New Jersey parishes, Ruiz then worked to address the needs of immigrant agricultural workers through the \u201cMigrant Ministry,\u201d a group of pastors who traveled between Parsippany, Sparta and Morristown to support the workers. There, Ruiz lived with Father Gustavo Guti\u00e9rrez, the Peruvian theologian once disgraced by the Vatican (<a href=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/2024\/10\/23\/gustavo-gutierrez-founding-father-of-liberation-theology-dies-at-96\/\">but later partly rehabilitated by Pope Francis<\/a>) for his focus on the \u201cliberation of the oppressed\u201d and social justice for the poor.<\/p>\n<p>From those three men, the pastor said he learned to be an activist and what preaching is for. \u201cYou preach so that you can comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd in that way, that\u2019s how I preach.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"pull-quote wp-block-rns-pull-quote\">\n<blockquote><p>You preach so that you can comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. And in that way, that&#8217;s how I preach.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><cite>Rev. Juan Carlos Ruiz<\/cite><\/div>\n<p class=\"p1\">Following clashes with his supervisors at the Diocese of Paterson, who deemed him \u201ctoo political,\u201d according to Ruiz, he left the Catholic Church, converted to Lutheranism and eventually joined Good Shepherd.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>At Good Shepherd, Ruiz has placed a major focus on the church\u2019s immigrant ministry. Last year in June, after the Metropolitan Detention Center, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/nicolas-maduro-brooklyn-jail-metropolitan-detention-center-mdc-conditions-2026-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">notorious Brooklyn federal prison<\/a> known for poor living conditions, started housing ICE detainees following <a href=\"https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/news\/local\/immigration\/article309322275.html\">an agreement between the Federal Bureau of Prisons and ICE<\/a>, Good Shepherd began a weekly prayer vigil outside the building. The interfaith gathering quickly attracted other clergy, congregants and immigrant rights activists.<\/p>\n<p>On a recent Tuesday in May, a little after 6 p.m., nearly 30 people met in front of the MDC building, some holding \u201cICE Out of New York\u201d and \u201cHonk if you love democracy\u201d signs, prompting encouragement from drivers who raced down the adjacent highway.<\/p>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<div class=\"rns-gallery-host\"><rns-gallery data-layout-style=\"embed\"><\/p>\n<p>\n                        <rns-gallery-slide data-attachment-id=\"4269476\" data-text-color=\"#ffffff\" data-background-color=\"#000000\" data-text-position=\"bottom-center-text\" data-type=\"image\" data-embed-src=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd05.jpg\" data-fullscreen-src=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd05.jpg\"><br \/>\n                        A group of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church members walk in a procession toward the Metropolitan Detention Center&#8217;s gates during a vigil on May 5, 2026, in New York. (RNS photo)<br \/>\n                        <\/rns-gallery-slide><\/p>\n<p>                        <rns-gallery-slide data-attachment-id=\"4269479\" data-text-color=\"#ffffff\" data-background-color=\"#000000\" data-text-position=\"bottom-center-text\" data-type=\"image\" data-embed-src=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd06.jpg\" data-fullscreen-src=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd06.jpg\" style=\"display: none\"><br \/>\n                        Rabbi Stephanie Kollin of Congregation Beth Elohim speaks to Good Shepherd Lutheran Church congregants outside of the Metropolitan Detention Center during a vigil on May 5, 2026, in New York. (RNS photo)<br \/>\n                        <\/rns-gallery-slide><\/p>\n<p>                        <rns-gallery-slide data-attachment-id=\"4269481\" data-text-color=\"#ffffff\" data-background-color=\"#000000\" data-text-position=\"bottom-center-text\" data-type=\"image\" data-embed-src=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd07.jpg\" data-fullscreen-src=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd07.jpg\" style=\"display: none\"><br \/>\n                        Members of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church lay their hands on the wall of the Metropolitan Detention Center during a vigil on May 5, 2026, in New York. (RNS photo)<br \/>\n                        <\/rns-gallery-slide><\/p>\n<p>                        <rns-gallery-slide data-attachment-id=\"4269484\" data-text-color=\"#ffffff\" data-background-color=\"#000000\" data-text-position=\"bottom-center-text\" data-type=\"image\" data-embed-src=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd08.jpg\" data-fullscreen-src=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd08.jpg\" style=\"display: none\"><br \/>\n                        Members of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church listen to speakers outside of the Metropolitan Detention Center during a vigil on May 5, 2026, in New York. (RNS photo)<br \/>\n                        <\/rns-gallery-slide>\n                    <\/p>\n<p><\/rns-gallery><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The hourlong gathering typically would end in a silent procession toward the penitentiary\u2019s gates, where members sing and pray. But after offering prayers and reflection with Rabbi Stephanie Kolin of Congregation Beth Elohim, a Reform synagogue in Brooklyn, Ruiz broke the group\u2019s routine. Inviting participants to lay their hands on the facility\u2019s walls, the pastor urged them to reflect on the injustices happening inside.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis place is visible rejection; it\u2019s a sign of our soul, of our national soul,\u201d he told the group, most of whom kept their eyes closed in silent prayer.<\/p>\n<p>The vigils, like most actions led by the church, are made possible by immigrant members of the church, like Raul Ayala, a Good Shepherd member from Ecuador and musician who often plays at the vigils. At the end of one February vigil, Ayala stood across the prison\u2019s gates to blow in a pingullo, a wooden flute instrument from Ecuador. For Ayala, the sound of the instrument played during equinox and solstice celebrations in Quechua culture is a symbol of resilience.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s not a way to enter this building, and the only way that we can make presence is by sound and by presence,\u201d Ayala said.<\/p>\n<p>When asked about the vigils, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said the agency reminded \u201cpeaceful protestors and members of the media to exercise caution. Being near unlawful activities in the field does come with risks \u2013 though our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate dangers to those exercising their protected First Amendment rights. \u2026 The First Amendment protects speech and peaceful assembly \u2013 not rioting. DHS is taking reasonable and constitutional measures to uphold the rule of law and protect our officers.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_4269487\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"width: 1600px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4269487 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd09.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1068\" srcset=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd09.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd09-427x285.jpg 427w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd09-807x539.jpg 807w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd09-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd09-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd09-600x401.jpg 600w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd09-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd09-380x253.jpg 380w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"\/> <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text edd-enabled\"><span class=\"caption\">The Rev. Juan Carlos Ruiz, senior pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, speaks to congregants during Sunday service on May 3, 2026, in New York. (RNS photo)<\/span><span class=\"credit\"\/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>In recent months, as ICE operations have intensified and some immigrants have opted to stay home and avoid religious services, Good Shepherd, like many churches, has seen a decline in attendance. The church once counted 200 families, according to Ruiz. At a recent service, there were roughly 30 people.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause of the raids, because of ICE, people have stopped coming to the church. They\u2019ve ceased attending,\u201d said Feliz.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As a result, church members reinvented how they deliver services and conduct outreach. In January, the church\u2019s food pantry, which serves nearly 100 people, went fully online. Instead of picking up food baskets at the church, volunteers connect with families via WhatsApp to deliver packages directly to their doors.<\/p>\n<p>Still, the church worried that using apps might make members vulnerable to surveillance. Nearly a year ago, Jimenez, who is also a web developer, started developing the \u201cDignity Toolkit,\u201d a mobile encrypted app that safely connects immigrant families and volunteers. It launched in January 2026. Developed through a partnership with New York for All, a local coalition that includes Good Shepherd, the app is being built on a local server so it won\u2019t rely on cloud infrastructure provided by Amazon, Microsoft or Google. The tool connects unaccompanied minors with adults to help them navigate the immigration system and pairs families with translators for court and medical appointments, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow can we minimize that fear for people?\u201d Jimenez said. \u201cLiving in fear is not easy. Living in fear, they cannot make good decisions, and that\u2019s something that affects the whole community and the church.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_4269489\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"width: 750px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4269489\" src=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd10-427x285.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"501\" srcset=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd10-427x285.jpg 427w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd10-807x539.jpg 807w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd10-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd10-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd10-600x401.jpg 600w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd10-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd10-380x253.jpg 380w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-GoodShepherd10.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\"\/> <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text edd-enabled\"><span class=\"caption\">The Rev. Juan Carlos Ruiz celebrates the Eucharist with congregants during a Sunday service on May 3, 2026, at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in New York. (RNS photo)<\/span><span class=\"credit\"\/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Several times a week, Eliana, a church member who asked to only be identified by her first name due to fear of ICE, journeys from Queens to Bay Ridge, an hour commute, to help out on the church\u2019s legal clinic. Eliana, who emigrated from Colombia and received help from Ruiz for her immigration procedures, helps church members draft letters and personal statements for their applications. The young woman said she trained herself by watching Ruiz and other church members, as well as watching video explainers.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wanted to give back what they did with me to others,\u201d she said in a recent interview in Spanish.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Feliz said she didn\u2019t fear personal consequences for the church\u2019s activism.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know why; I just don\u2019t feel scared.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>Aleja Hertzler-McCain contributed to this report.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<p><!-- CONTENT END 1 -->\n        <\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/2026\/07\/21\/good-shepherd-immigrant-activism\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>BROOKLYN, N.Y. (RNS) \u2014 On a recent Sunday, minutes before their afternoon service, members of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church gathered around a wooden table in the entrance of their Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, sanctuary for one of the congregation\u2019s most sacred rituals: a potluck meal. Congregants filled their plates from aluminum trays with rice and beans [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38706,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38705","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO 4.9.10 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"BROOKLYN, N.Y. 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(RNS) \u2014 On a recent Sunday, minutes before their afternoon service, members of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church gathered around a wooden table in the entrance of their Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, sanctuary for one of the congregation\u2019s most sacred rituals: a potluck meal. Congregants filled their plates from aluminum trays with rice and beans\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/inside-a-brooklyn-church-where-immigration-activism-is-the-gospel\/\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-21T23:21:24+00:00\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-21T23:21:24+00:00\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Inside a Brooklyn church where immigration activism is the gospel - Bani Today\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"BROOKLYN, N.Y. 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