The New Year is here, bringing with it more immigration policy changes and dangerous rhetoric—but also powerful stories of resilience, supportive communities, and innovative solutions for refugees and other immigrants in the United States. Join Global Refuge President and CEO Krish O’Mara Vignarajah and other members of our leadership team as we explore six of the top trends we’re seeing in policy, advocacy, programming, and more. We’ll share how we’re meeting this moment in 2026 and beyond, hear from a past client with a powerful story, and offer ways for supportive communities to make a difference in the work of welcome.

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2026 focuses on the words from St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians: “There is one Body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling.” Echoing the theme of the LWF Thirteenth Assembly, this year’s reflections invite all Christians to “delve more deeply into our fellowship in Christ.” 

For over a decade, locations like religious worship areas, preschools, hospitals, courthouses, domestic violence shelters, among others have benefitted from protection from immigration enforcement actions, but last year, guidelines for immigration enforcement at sensitive community locations were rescinded. As a result of the protected areas policy rescission, members of Congress have taken action, and introduced the Protecting Sensitive Locations Act in the House and Senate, with Global Refuge and over 400 other organizations having endorsed the Protecting Sensitive Locations Act.

Call on your Senators and Representatives to codify protections prohibiting immigration enforcement actions in sensitive locations today!

In that order.
Over and over again.

This season, many of our congregations celebrate the Baptism of Our Lord, the moment when Jesus steps into the Jordan River, the heavens open, and God declares, “You are my beloved.” In that moment, sacred water is not only cleansing, it becomes a sign of calling, identity, and shared purpose.

Baptism reminds us that water is never ordinary.
It is where God claims us, renews us, and calls us beloved.
It is life, promise, and liberation.

This Gospel imagery is powerful to hold alongside the realities facing our region today. For the first time in nearly twenty-six years, California is drought free—a milestone worth celebrating. Yet the long-term megadrought across the West is far from resolved.

Much of Western Nevada has temporarily emerged from drought, but Southern and Eastern regions still face significant water stress. And Lake Mead continues to hover near historic lows, signaling that the challenges beneath the surface remain urgent.

Our baptismal waters call us to remember that all water is sacred, whether flowing through the Jordan River or the Colorado River basin. Water is not a resource to be hoarded or taken for granted, but a shared gift entrusted to our care.

As Nevada’s leaders consider how water will be managed and equitably distributed in the decades ahead, LEAN stands rooted in faith:

• Water is life.
• Creation is a neighbor.
• Stewardship is a calling, not a political option.

Just as Jesus rose from the water beloved and sent, we too rise from baptism with a purpose—to advocate, protect, and care for God’s world and every neighbor who depends on it.