Seeking common ground, working for the
common good

November 20, 2015
Board of Directors
Cushman Anthony*
Unitarian Universalist
Rev. Dr. William Barter*
Lutheran (ELCA)
Richard Berman*
Episcopal
President
Rev. Edward Campbell
Presbyterian Church USA
Marci Clark*
Presbyterian Church USA
Diane Dicranian*
Religious Society of Friends
Rev. Allen Ewing-Merrill*
United Methodist
Vice President
Rev. Thomas Frey
United Methodist
Secretary
Suzanne Lafreniere
Roman Catholic
Leslie Manning
Religious Society of Friends
Marc Mutty
Roman Catholic
Edward Rea
Episcopal
Treasurer
Bonny Rodden
Episcopal
Rev. Richard Senghas*
Roman Catholic
Rev. Ken Turley*
Swedenborgian
Rev. Katherine Winthrop
Unitarian Universalist

Governor Paul LePage
Office of the Governor
#1 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0001
Dear Governor LePage,
The Maine Council of Churches strongly decries your pronouncement earlier this
week that you would “adamantly oppose any attempt by the federal government
to place Syrian refugees in Maine.”
The Council, which represents nine denominations and more than 600 churches
across the state, recognizes that in the wake of events this week in Paris and
Beirut it is easy to let fear begin to dictate our words and actions. However, we
cannot allow fear to become so powerful that it clouds our judgment and hardens
our hearts against innocent, frightened people fleeing in terror from the very
same violence we fear. When Americans have allowed that to happen in the past
—turning away boatloads of Jewish refugees fleeing the Holocaust or
incarcerating Japanese Americans in internment camps, for example—we have
always come to regret it.
The wisdom and challenge found in our faith traditions’ sacred texts demand that
people of faith have the courage to proclaim “there is no fear in love and perfect
love casts out fear.”
We agree that it is imperative that the United States continue to enforce its
already stringent procedures to carefully screen refugees before they are ever
allowed to enter our borders. However, we must not compound the tragedy of
this week’s attacks by making refugees and Muslims the target of violent rhetoric
in a backlash of hatred.

Vacant*
United Church of Christ

The President of France, Francois Hollande, announced yesterday that the attacks
in Paris will not prevent his country from keeping their commitment to welcome
30,000 Syrian refugees in coming months. If he can have the moral courage to
let love cast out fear, surely you and the people of Maine can do the same.

*Appointed Denominational
Representative

Sincerely,

Executive Director
Rev. Jane Field
Presbyterian Church USA

The Board of Directors of the Maine Council of Churches

156 High Street  Portland, Maine 04101  (207) 772-1918
www.mainecouncilofchurches.org