I Was a Stranger and You Welcomed Me

“I Was a Stranger and You Welcomed Me,” A Nationwide Day of Fasting, Service, and Civic Witness
Wednesday, February 4, 2026

Purpose:

To seek peace in our communities, affirm the dignity of immigrants, and call for humane reform of immigration enforcement and detention practices—particularly those carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement—through faith, service, and lawful civic action.
This day is an exercise of First Amendment rights—religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition— uniting faith, protest, service, and civic engagement in a peaceful public witness.
Four Actions

1. Fast, Pray, and Protest
Participants are invited to fast for all or part of the day, according to their faith, health, or conscience. Religious and non-religious participants alike are welcome—fasting may be offered
as prayer or as a nonviolent act of protest and moral witness.
This is not “thoughts and prayers” without action, but embodied faith and concrete civic engagement.
Focus: peace in our communities; protection of families and children; moral clarity and courage for those in power; humane reform of immigration enforcement and detention practices.
Those who do not fast may participate through intentional silence, giving up a comfort or meal, or another act of solidarity.
2. Serve Someone Who Is “Not Like You”
Commit to a tangible act of service for someone in your own community who is a foreigner, immigrant, or otherwise different from you.
Examples: bringing a meal, sending an uplifting note, helping with forms or appointments, offering childcare or transportation, or serving through a refugee or immigrant support organization.
The goal is proximity and relationship—serving people nearby, not distant or abstract causes.
3. Petition a Civic Leader
Respectfully contact a civic leader at any level—local, state, or federal—and ask for policies that protect
due process, family unity, human dignity, and constitutional safeguards against unreasonable or unlawful searches and seizures.
4. Make a Public Statement
Make a visible, lawful public statement explaining why you are participating—through social media, a sign, a T-shirt, an editorial or letter to the editor, or a statement shared in a community or faith setting.

Guardrails:

This is a peaceful, lawful, and nonviolent action intended to bear moral witness and strengthen communities and civic life.