Sanctuary Congregation:  The Beginning

Our becoming a Sanctuary Congregation began with Sujitno Sajuti being merely hours away from his scheduled deportation from the United States as ordered by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).   He and his wife have lived in the U.S. for the past 30 years, having arrived on a student/study Visa.  It was in September, 2017 Sujitno made the courageous decision to take sanctuary and fight for his right to remain home. We as a congregation took Sujitno in and our Sanctuary was born.

The Chalice Sanctuary Team (CST) was formed to help coordinate all the duties required to support someone in sanctuary. The team is comprised of many committed congregational members who have stepped up and taken on the myriad responsibilities essential to the team’s success. Other UU congregations and other religious and activist communities have also stepped forward to support us with generous financial contributions that are covering the added expenses we are incurring.

Becoming a Sanctuary Congregation has not been easy. We have learned much along the way. There are things we might do differently the next time, if there is a next time. But we know we are living our faith and it is very likely we are making a huge positive difference in Sujitno’s life.

For more information contact Nancy Burton at Justice@uumeriden.org