About us
A faithful, non-anxious presence
The Lutheran Migrant Solidarity Network is called to incarnate the love of Jesus Christ through the theology of accompaniment — showing up at the Northwest ICE Processing Center and refusing to leave.
We begin with acknowledgment
This ministry, and the Northwest ICE Processing Center itself, is located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded homelands of the Puyallup Tribe.
This Indigenous framing fundamentally shapes our vision. Just as Native peoples have endured forced displacement, family separation, and the violent imposition of borders on their ancestral lands, we recognize profound parallels in the systemic displacement and trauma of the immigrants currently detained at NWIPC.
Our vision
The vision driving the Lutheran Migrant Solidarity Network is to incarnate the love of Jesus Christ through the theology of accompaniment. In an environment defined by isolation and uncertainty, this ministry seeks to be a faithful, non-anxious presence, reclaiming a theology of radical, borderless hospitality.
Our vision is to bring the light of the Gospel into this space not through aggressive proselytization, but through mutual relationship, deep listening, and bearing witness to the inherent dignity of every child of God.
"God is revealed most clearly not in halls of power, but in spaces of suffering and marginalization."
A theology of the cross
We invite people into the way of Jesus by embracing a theology of liberation grounded in the Lutheran Theology of the Cross — the profound understanding that God is revealed most clearly not in halls of power, but in spaces of suffering and marginalization.
Rather than assuming we are "bringing" God to the margins, we intentionally decenter ourselves from the "savior" narrative. We recognize that God is already present and active among the oppressed, and our role is simply to humbly join the sacred conversation God is already having with those who are suffering.
In a facility defined by legalism, borders, and exclusion, we offer the distinctly Lutheran counter-narrative of unconditional grace — reminding the detained that all are truly welcome and inherently valued by God. Evangelism here is not a one-way street, but an act of mutual transformation.
What we do
Visitation and presence
Our signature ministry is a sustained program of visitation — holding space for shared prayer, scripture reading, and emotional and spiritual accompaniment inside the facility.
The Grief Circle
Led by Rachel Pierre, the Grief Circle provides trauma-informed accompaniment for detained women, in close partnership with Advocates for Immigrants in Detention Northwest (AIDNW).
Sacramental presence
As the ministry evolves and clearance is established, we will transition into a Ministry of Word and Sacrament, anchored locally by Peace Lutheran Church, offering communion inside the facility.
Regional network
We are tethered to the Living Stones ministry at the Washington Corrections Center in Shelton, building a robust regional network of carceral accompaniment across the Southwestern Washington Synod.
Rooted in the Southwestern Washington Synod
This SAOM aligns directly with the Southwestern Washington Synod's commitment to walking with those on the margins. We are not a solo effort — we are the Synod showing up, together, in one of the hardest places in our region.