About Our Partnership with Rio Grande Borderlands Ministry
An ice storm on the U.S-Mexico border in 2021 gave rise to our Parish Partnership with the Rio Grande Borderland Ministries. The Social Concerns Committee responded to the suffering of migrants who were ill prepared for the severe cold with a $500 donation to a shelter for migrants in Ojinaga, Mexico. Intrigued that the shelter was supported by the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande, and recognizing that suffering caused by the storm was symptomatic of ongoing humanitarian needs along the border, the committee agreed to develop a supportive relationship with ministries of The Episcopal Church working on the border. In July, 2021, the Holy Spirit Vestry agreed to engage in a year-to-year Parish Partnership with the Rio Grande Borderland Ministries.
Our Parish Partnership covenant with RGBM is renewed annually. In partnering with RGBM, our parish makes 3 commitments: stewardship, prayer, and time. We engage in stewardship by making an annual parish pledge to RGBM of $1,000 per year. Occasionally our parish Social Concerns Committee raises funds for specific RGBM projects by hosting benefit events. We faithfully include migrants and migration ministries in our Prayers of the People on Sundays. And, we have invested countless hours researching border issues, traveling to the border to see for ourselves what goes on there, telling stories about our borderland experiences, preparing opportunities for other Montana Episcopalians to learn about the borderlands, and advocating for immigration reform.
What is the Rio Grande Borderlands Ministry (RGBM)?
RGBM is an established, collaborative ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of the 
Rio Grande serving in the borderlands of New Mexico and Far West Texas. RGBM has been engaging with long-term systemic needs on the border for decades by working collaboratively to provide humanitarian support to vulnerable people in our border communities. RGBM staff help to ensure that their migrant neighbors are embraced in the service of justice, the interest of dignity, and the spirit of love. The compassionate response of RGBM is simple—to feed, shelter, and care for their neighbors on both sides of the border. The ministry supports shelters for vulnerable communities on both sides of the US/Mexico border, serving asylum seekers, unaccompanied minors, and indigenous persons in the border communities of Ojinaga, Juarez, and Palomas, Mexico.
Why is an Episcopal Church in Montana partnering with the Diocese of the Rio Grande?
Holy Spirit’s Parish Partnership with RGBM is an opportunity to deepen our connection with other programs of The Episcopal Church, as 
well as to become part of a sustainable effort to support the basic human needs of migrants on our southern border. The partnership is also an opportunity to reconnect with the stories that we learn in our church. As Christians we have clear direction to help the desperate, to treat all people with respect, and to welcome with dignity all those who seek our shelter, food, and refuge. Our Baptismal Covenant instructs us to serve Christ, a child migrant, in all persons, to strive for justice and peace among all people, and to respect the dignity of every human being. Migration with dignity is the mission of RGBM and at the heart of our Parish Partnership with RGBM.
How Has Our Partnership with RGBM Informed Outreach and Advocacy at Holy Spirit?
The 2022 Listening Pilgrimage was our first opportunity to grow through our partnership with RGBM. At the invitation of RGBM staff, 14 
Montana Episcopalians traveled to the borderlands in New Mexico and Far West Texas. They invited us to come to listen to the stories of the people who live and work along the border and to learn about the spirit of the borderlands. We traveled along the border for 5 days, learning about RGBM ministries and the flexible network of relationships that makes them work. We talked with families desperately seeking asylum in the United States, listening to their stories of danger and hardship, humbled by their faith, perseverance and resilience. Each day we confronted the questions, “What would I do if my family was threatened in this way? Would I have the faith and courage to do what this family has done?” We talked to border patrol agents charged with protecting our country. They described the personal conflict they experience while upholding our outdated, sometimes unjust, immigration system. And, we viewed firsthand the cultural and environmental damage caused by our countries’ border wall.
Since the 2022 Listening Pilgrimage, we have steadily increased our outreach and advocacy for migrants and asylum seekers. We organized three fund raisers: One for the RGBM shelter for asylum seekers in El Paso, TX., another for members of a women’s collective in Palomas, MX, and a third to purchase building materials for a school in Jaboncillos, MX. A group of Holy Spirit parishioners traveled to Jaboncillos to help put the finishing touches on the school. We proposed two resolutions related to migration at our annual Episcopal Diocese of Montana convention. And we currently have representatives actively working in the interest of migration with dignity through The Episcopal Church Migration Caucus and the Episcopal Migration Response Network.