In recent months, newly proposed United States immigration policies have caused a wave of fear among many Seventh-day Adventist church members and their families across the Columbia Union Conference, or church region. Many are so afraid that they have decided to skip church.
“During those first few weeks after [the US] election, I noticed a large decline in attendance among my members,” said a pastor of a Spanish-speaking congregation in the Washington D.C. area. “They stayed home out of fear.”
Peter Simpson, Hispanic Ministries coordinator in Ohio, said he has seen a decline in attendance in churches across the territory. “We have seen many members living in fear, even opting to stay home in fear of getting arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement on their way to or from church,” he said. “Attendance has declined significantly.”
