A growing movement of immigrant and faith communities have committed to doing what Congress and the Administration refuse to do: protect and stand with immigrants facing deportation. However, many congregations have questions. Who is seeking sanctuary? Who leads sanctuary? How do faith communities declare sanctuary? To answer these questions, the NC Religious Coalition for Justice for Immigrants has created a brand new six-week E-course. Each week, you will receive a different course in your inbox. This course has been updated from the previous course to include new videos, podcasts, and readings about sanctuary and includes a new week focused specifically on alternatives to physical sanctuary. The cost is $5 and the course is available for 18 weeks (access expires 12 weeks after the final lesson). The course began on Wednesday, January 3, but it is not too late to register. New lessons will be available each Wednesday thru February 7.
Course Topics Include:
- Orientation
- What is Sanctuary?
- How to “Do” Sanctuary
- Sanctuary Considerations (Both Legal and Otherwise)
- The Sanctuary Movement in North Carolina
- The Discernment Process
Frequently Asked Questions
How long will it take me to complete this course?
The length of time a student spends on this course is entirely up to them. Each week, students will be presented with a variety of informational materials: readings, videos, audio recordings/podcasts, and students may choose which to complete. On average, we would like students to commit to spending 45 minutes at least each week to engaging with the materials in whatever way they choose.
How long will I be able to access the course material?
Course material is available on the course website for 3 months after the course finishes. Before the course finishes, all materials can be saved so that participants have access to them indefinitely.
Is this the same as the sanctuary course last spring?
About 25% of the readings will be the same as the course last spring, however, much has changed in the sanctuary movement in the last year so we cannot keep the course the same. All the videos will be new along with the chance to attend a live webinar. Our goal is to make this course more engaging with the chance to interface and ask questions with both experts in the field and other participants.
Why does this course cost $5?
Our goal with this sanctuary course is not to make money. We ran this course last spring and had over 150 participants register. However, the majority never completed more than a small percentage of the content and many more came back later after the course had already been taken down only to find out that materials were not available indefinitely. For this reason, we hoped that by charging a small amount of money, participants would feel a greater sense of accountability to the course. Also, with the $5 you have access to videos that have not previously been released from the 2017 Sanctuary Matters conference and will be the first to learn about matching grants for churches who need logistical improvements to become sanctuary churches.
Can I use this with my church group?
Absolutely, we do not have a problem with people purchasing one course to use for a larger group. However, for grant reporting purposes it is helpful for us to know that a larger group is utilizing this resource. Please email jennie@ncchurches.org to let her know this information.
Is it too late for my friend to sign up?
Absolutely not. New material will be posted every Wednesday; however, all previous material will still be available and all material is available until mid-April. Anyone who registers during that time will have access and can catch up at their own pace.
How do I access the course?
You will need to create an account with Thinkific. Follow these steps:
- Go to http://nc-council-of-churches.thinkific.com/courses/2018-sanctuary-course/.
- Click login or “create an account” if this is your first time registering.
- Be sure to click “Next” after each lesson.
- Check your email every Wednesdayfor a new course topic.
- Please email questions from previous weeks tojennie@ncchurches.org.
If you encounter any problems with the Thinkific site, please email jennie@ncchurches.org or call 919-828-6501 for assistance. We are learning to use this technology along with you, so thank you for your patience and understanding.
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