Hear stories from partner organizations around the world that work towards migration justice with support from AMMPARO.

For its 2026 webinar series, the ELCA Wittenberg Center is teaming up with the ELCA's AMMPARO team to focus on the topic of migration justice. AMMPARO, the ELCA's strategy for Accompanying Migrants with Protection, Advocacy, Representation and Opportunities, is celebrating its 10-year anniversary this year.

Session 1: The Theology of Welcome and Hospitality

In this first session, we will hear from Director Mary Campbell about the history and impact of AMMPARO. Then, the Rev. Dr. Moises Perez, the Rev. Sally Azar, and the Rev. Emmanuel Gabriel will each present and discuss the theology of welcome and hospitality from biblical, practical, and contextual perspectives.

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Session 2: Accompaniment in Practice

The ELCA supports and works with organizations both in the USA and internationally. In this session, we will hear stories from six partner organizations from six regions of the world (Africa, Europe, Asia, Latin America, North America, and the Middle East) that work towards migration justice with support from AMMPARO. Each organization's presentation will be followed by scripture, prayer, and silence for reflection.  

Session 3: What's Next? Accompanying our Neighbors

This final session is focused on addressing the question: “What's next?” We will hear from the ELCA's AMMPARO, Advocacy, and Companion Synod teams to learn about what we and our faith communities can do to accompany immigrants and refugees. The goal of this session is to leave feeling inspired to take action.

This webinar series is free, open to all, and will be available in English and Spanish.

Rev. Dr. Moises Perez

Pastor of Migration Ministry

The Rev. Dr. Moisés Pérez Espino was born in México City in 1966. In 1992, he was ordained as a pastor in the Mexican Lutheran Church and has been working as a pastor in Mexico City ever since. He also teaches Biblical Studies at Augsburg Lutheran Seminary (Seminario Luterano Augsburgo) in Mexico City. He enjoys teaching, both in church and seminary classrooms. He worked as Coordinator of Augsburg Lutheran Seminary from 2005 to 2011 and as Dean of the Theological Community in Mexico (Comunidad Teológica de México) from 2011 to 2019. Since 2020, he serves as Pastor of Migration Ministry in the Mexican Lutheran Church and has accompanied migrants pastorally and emotionally who crossed through Mexico. He writes Bible studies with an emphasis on migration to raise awareness in Christian communities. He is married and has two adult children.

‍Rev. Sally Azar

Pastor, Lutheran Church of the Redeemer Jerusalem

Sally Azar is a Palestinian Lutheran pastor serving at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem. Ordained in January 2023 by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL), she is the first Palestinian woman ordained as a pastor in Palestine.  Born and raised in Jerusalem, Sally studied theology at the Near East School of Theology in Beirut and holds a Master’s degree in Intercultural Theology from the University of Göttingen, Germany. She previously served as a member of the Lutheran World Federation Council (2017-2023) and currently serves as an LWF Council adviser.Her ministry and theological work focus on women and youth, gender justice, reconciliation, peace, and the role of the church and Christian communities in Palestine. She is actively engaged in ecumenical and international theological initiatives and regularly speaks on faith, justice, peace, and the experience of Christians in Palestine.

‍Rev. Emmanuel Subewope Gabriel

Director, Symbols of Hope Nigeria

Rev. Emmanuel S. Gabriel is a Nigerian Lutheran theologian, development practitioner, and researcher whose work intersects systematic theology, migration, human trafficking, and Christian diakonia. He has published scholarly articles and authored a book on Martin Luther’s theology of infant baptism. He serves with the Symbols of Hope Project, a migration and anti-trafficking initiative of the Lutheran World Federation in partnership with the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria, where he engages in advocacy, migrant protection, survivor support, and community-based responses to vulnerability and social exclusion. He is currently a PhD candidate researching the Theology of the Cross, with particular attention to its theological and contextual significance within the Nigerian and African Lutheran contexts.

Mary Campbell

Director, AMMPARO

Mary Campbell is the Director for AMMPARO, the ELCA strategy to accompany migrants with protection, advocacy, representation and opportunities. ELCA AMMPARO accompanies companions in 25 programs in 19 countries in the world in countries of origin, transit, contention and destination and includes significant work in the US in congregations and synods.As a lawyer passionate about justice, her legal career has involved work in international human rights and civil, criminal defense and immigration cases in the United State and in El Salvador where she was an ELCA missionary for 5 years in the Department of Human Rights of the Iglesia Luterana Salvadorena.

Rev. Bridget Gautieri

Director, ELCA Wittenberg Center

As the Director for the ELCA Wittenberg Center, Rev. Bridget will be moderating each of our Webinar Sessions.