March 19, 2025
I had an interesting experience a few days ago while eating at a Mexican restaurant with a KBC pastor in one of our Kentucky counties.
As is my custom, I learned the name of our server and offered to pray for her. The pastor already knew her and was doing his best to communicate in her native tongue. He shared that she is a believer, and we prayed for her and enjoyed friendly conversation as she brought our meal and refilled our water glasses. Her grasp of the English language was actually pretty good.
The interesting part happened when we had finished eating and were talking back and forth. Our server came to the table, as the lunch rush began to wind down, and we spent extended time talking. We listened for 10 to 15 minutes as she shared her story.
She is a grandmother whose children are back in Mexico, but the grandkids are here with her. She has lived in the U.S. for more than 20 years, renting the same house, and is now in an agreement to purchase the home. She is undocumented and knows that she may be sent back to her home country. She is not frightened by that reality as she will be content living here or living there. Her concern is to provide for her grandchildren to try and give them a better life.
She is a delightful woman, and we enjoyed our conversation with her. She expressed the uncertainty that many in her community are facing, but she understands that laws are important, and she seems to be entrusting herself and others to the legal system and will be okay however things turn out for her.
This visit, and other recent circumstances, have caused me to think about our responsibility to our foreign-born neighbors, including those who are in the U.S. illegally. I believe there are at least three things we must do:
1. We must pray for their well-being: Christians are law keepers by conviction and most of us hold in the highest regard those who are called to enforce our laws. We also have a heart for people and, as followers of Christ, want human flourishing to spread to all who are made in the image of God. The very least we can do is to pray for them as many may face major life-changing decisions in the days to come.
2. We must share the gospel: The only way to genuinely experience human flourishing is to repent and believe the gospel and begin to live the abundant life Jesus gives to all who come to Him by faith (John 10:10). In 2012 the messengers of the Kentucky Baptist Convention passed a resolution addressing this matter. Together at that time we stated, “that the messengers to the Kentucky Baptist Convention, meeting in Lexington, KY on November 13, 2012, call on our churches to recognize the opportunity God is providing us by bringing the world to us, and to minister in word and deed, to all persons, regardless of country of origin or immigration status.” For me, that means I make it a habit to carry with me gospel booklets written in Spanish so I can be prepared to at least offer the good news of Jesus to those I encounter.
3. We must disciple the saved: To the degree that we are able, we have an obligation to help those in our circle of influence learn to walk with Christ. Some of those who are in the U.S. illegally will likely grow in Christ to the point that they will surrender themselves to the justice system of the United States or return to their home country voluntarily. One way we can disciple our foreign-born neighbors is to help those churches which offer services in their native tongue. Kentucky Baptists are blessed to have more than 100 churches representing more than 20 languages here in the commonwealth.
Regardless of one’s views on the immigration challenges facing our country, all Christians can agree that we are called to preach the gospel to every creature and love those in our midst. May God give each of us the grace and wisdom needed to honor Jesus as we care for the foreign-born neighbors among us in His name.
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Todd Gray is executive director-treasurer of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. This commentary first appeared in Kentucky Today.
