Drawing Inspiration, Faith, and Courage from Tucson’s Southside Presbyterian Church

For the past month, my partner, our dog and I have been in Tucson, Ariz. The original plan was to spend a month here as a sunny, warm alternative to winter in Wisconsin. Everything changed, though, with this past November’s election and resulting changes to U.S. immigration and enforcement policies. In Tucson and other border cities and towns, communities are living in fear, lives have been disrupted, families separated and the spirit of resistance is strong.

Before coming to Tucson, I knew of Southside Presbyterian Church, the birthplace of the modern U.S. Sanctuary Movement. During the 1980s, Southside pastor John Fife co-founded a nationwide network of 500 churches to provide shelter and support to refugees from El Salvador and Guatemala. Rev. Fife and seven other sanctuary workers were criminally prosecuted for this work. More recently, Southside gave sanctuary to two Mexican immigrants facing deportation, one for 14 months. In 2004, Rev. Fife co-founded the Tucson-based ecumenical organization “No More Deaths” to reduce deaths among immigrants crossing the Sonoran desert from Mexico to the United States. After 35 years at Southside, Rev. Fife became moderator of the Presbyterian Church (USA), and in 2008, Rev. Alison Harrington became Southside’s pastor. She continues in the tradition of faith-anchored activist leadership for the congregation, Tucson community, Presbyterian Church and nation. Last week, Rev. Harrington entered a guilty plea to criminal trespass charges from her arrest at Standing Rock, N.D., in support of water protectors and the earth. Following her arrest, she spent five days in jail.

While Southside’s well-known identity as a sanctuary church drew us in, we were totally hooked by the most inclusive, diverse faith community we’ve known, and the amazing commitment of the entire congregation to its ministries. At Sunday worship, prayers are in Tohono O’odham, the language of the indigenous tribe that founded Southside; Spanish, the language of the barrio where Southside is located; and English. The music director is an African-American woman, and much music at Southside is from the Black Baptist tradition. Southside is a “More Light Church,” which means its mission is to work for the full participation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people in the life, ministry, and witness of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and in society. One of Southside’s deacons is an African-American trans person. Congregation leaders are black, brown, red, white, female, male, gender non-conforming, trans, gay, lesbian, bi, straight, old, young, millennials… all are truly welcome.

Southside exists for ministry, and its ministries provide daily support for anyone and everyone who shows up. Its buildings are constantly in use by immigrant organizations, legal clinics, a worker center, ESL classes, Head Start, resistance planning, AA meetings for the barrio, meals and showers for those in need.

Southside just launched a capital campaign to replace its aging Fellowship Hall, where our own Loretto Latin America and Caribbean Committee will meet in late April. As Rev. Harrington says, “When your buildings are for ministry, your buildings should get beaten up and fall down. That means you’re doing your ministry.”

Worshipping at Southside has been the highpoint of my church-going life. As we look for leadership and inspiration to maintain our resolve in these difficult times, look to Southside Presbyterian Church in Tucson. If you have some extra money, send it to them for their capital campaign so they can continue their life-saving, life-changing, life-affirming ministries.

Read more about Southside Presbyterian Church on its website, www.southsidepresbyterian.org.