Pennsylvania Welcomers:
Join us at 7 pm on Friday, May 19th for a screening of the film, Oh Mercy, followed by a Q&A with a local PA pastor and a retired Border Patrol officer turned shelter director from the TX border.
We're thrilled to partner with Hub450 Lancaster and the Evangelical Immigration Table as we share what is actually happening with the border, and how we as a community can respond to welcome our vulnerable neighbors.
Speaker Bios:
Pastor Joel Peña was born in Venezuela, where he graduated with a degree in Public Accounting from the Universidad de los Andes in Mérida-Venezuela, at the same time he studied two years of Theology at the Mízpa Biblical Institute among other courses. He has extensive experience in business development, as well as in the formation and consolidation of ministries such as the Jesus Christ Youth Brigade of which he was the national leader (for 10 years), the El Shaddai musical band (5 years) and Praise and Worship Ministries. He came to the United States in 2001 and God has blessed him with a beautiful wife (Mary Jane) and two children (Samuel and Max).
He is now Senior Pastor of Alpha & Omega Church and Executive Director of Alpha & Omega Community Center where he has served since October 2005. During this time and to date Pastor Joel has been part of the Board of Directors of the Northeast Atlantic District of the denomination. Church of the Brethren by serving on the Commission on Church Development and Evangelism. At the same time, he has been the Chaplain of Global Christian Federal Ministries since 2011. The Church of the Alpha & Omega Brothers has experienced healthy growth where the ministries of Christian Education and Praise and Worship have been strengthened in an outstanding way.
Michael DeBruhl is a former U.S. Customs & Border Protection Chief Executive with over 25 years of experience leading people, planning and directing complex, multi-jurisdictional law enforcement operations, formulating and executing multi-million dollar budgets and managing resources and national programs for the U. S. Border Patrol. Mr. DeBruhl served in executive and command positions along the U.S – Mexico border and the Caribbean and has trained personnel in South and Central America, Republic of Georgia and Haiti. Mr. DeBruhl is an innovative, creative-thinker widely recognized as an authority on border security who is credited with launching or transforming numerous administrative, logistical and law enforcement programs nationwide. His strong network of worldwide strategic partners along with his ability to build consensus and support for U.S. Government initiatives and operations are the hallmark of his success.
Mr. DeBruhl retired in May 2014 as U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Deputy Commander for South Texas. In that capacity he led over 10,000 employees in a 464,000 square mile area and a 1700-mile international border (river and coastal), in a government-wide, unified campaign developed to address the impact on U.S. border security, trade and travel by targeting Transnational Criminal Organizations and their networks. This approach broke the paradigm and redefined U.S. border operations by applying a risk-based approach to border security, once again illustrating the innovative and agile approach to problem solving on which Michael DeBruhl built his career and reputation.
Learn more & Take Action:
Border Resources Directory - National Immigration Forum
FAQs about immigration and the border - We Welcome
Take action for asylum seekers and for comprehensive immigration reform