Mission Yearbook: NWC leader receives human rights award for immigration advocacy

Katia DaCunha, founder and executive director of Latinx in Action, a 1001 New Worshiping Community in the Presbytery of Southern New England, recently received the Barnstable County Human Rights Advisory Commission’s Unsung Hero Award given by the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

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Katia DaCunha, founder and executive director of Latinx in Action, a 1001 New Worshiping Community in the Presbytery of Southern New England, received the Barnstable County Human Rights Advisory Commission's Unsung Hero Award. (Photos by Anne Weirich).

The award recognizes DaCunha’s work with immigrant and LGBTQ+ communities on Cape Cod through her ministry and advocacy organization. According to the Rev. Dr. Shannan R. Vance-Ocampo, general presbyter of the Presbytery of Southern New England, the Rev. Anne Weirich, a member of the Commission on Ministry, attended the ceremony at the Emerald Conference Center in Hyannis to show the mid council's support of DaCunha’s ministry and its importance in their shared ministry as a church body.

DaCunha emigrated from Brazil to Cape Cod decades ago. She and others founded Latinx in Action to serve immigrant families and LGBTQ+ people facing trauma, isolation and systemic barriers. The organization has grown from informal prayer gatherings in 2017 into a 1001 New  Worshiping Community and provides spiritual care, practical support and advocacy for immigrant and LGBTQ+ families.

As an elder currently enrolled at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, DaCunha and her board have developed programs including Cape-wide English as a second language classes, a culturally sensitive food pantry and many advocacy services that address urgent needs in the immigrant community.

The Emergency Safe Planning Program helps immigrant families prepare for potential encounters with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. During a recent training with the Lake Institute and 1001 New Worshiping Communities, DaCunha was assured of how essential her program was to the safety, stability and dignity of the families she serves. “I left with concrete ideas on how to communicate its impact and invite partners to support it,” DaCunha said. This community award underscores that importance and the impact on the larger community.

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The awards were distributed during a ceremony on Dec. 10.

The ministry also offers sewing classes for immigrant women, many of whom are survivors of domestic violence. “The classes are to support women who feel trapped or have faced trauma,” DaCunha told Cape Cod Times. “We sew together. We eat together. It’s more than learning a craft or trade. It’s building a community.”

Latinx in Action received a $20,000 grant from Cape Cod Foundation's Women and Girls Fund in 2025 to continue its work supporting immigrant women through partnerships with organizations like Independence House and SCORE, according to the Yahoo News report.

DaCunha has been a vocal advocate for immigrant rights on Cape Cod, speaking out against policies that create fear in immigrant communities. She has advocated for humane immigration policies and works to create safe spaces where immigrants can access resources regardless of their legal status. In a recent run for the school board, DaCunha didn’t win the election but considers the new voter registrations she encouraged a victory.

According to the Barnstable County announcement, DaCunha is one of 15 individuals and organizations recognized as Unsung Heroes. Other award categories include the Rosenthal Community Champion Award, the Cornerstone Award and the Tim McCarthy Award.

In addition to supporting DaCunha’s ministry, the Presbytery of Southern New England has a long history of supporting immigrant communities and passed a sanctuary policy in 2017. The presbytery includes a Portuguese-language fellowship on Cape Cod, two Korean-language congregations and a church with roots in the Syrian-Lebanese Presbyterian faith traditions. Many other immigrants are welcomed in other congregations and ministries of the presbytery and its advocacy through the Massachusetts and Rhode Island Councils of Churches. 

Beth Waltemath, Communications Strategist, Presbyterian Life & Witness (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Barbara Soete,  Mission Specialist, Administrative Services Group
Teresa Sontarp, Controller, Finance, The Board of Pensions

Let us pray:

God of grace, equip us with perseverance. Use our brief lives for your glory. Empower us as your disciples, that even when the land is parched, we may know your presence with us, transforming what seems barren into life overflowing. Amen.

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Your August Mission and Service Stories and more!

Emancipation Day August 1, 2026 marks Emancipation Day, commemorating the legal abolition of slavery on the land that is now Canada. It’s a day to remember our history, acknowledge that racism continues to impact lives today, and renew our commitment to building a more just and equitable future. This Emancipation Day, The United Church of Canada Foundation is extending an invitation to help sustain anti-racism initiatives across the church. Gifts will support programs that address racial injustice and create opportunities for learning, healing, and conversation. Powerful anti-racism initiatives are happening across our church in response to the truths that racialized and Indigenous Peoples have bravely shared and acknowledge their stories of resistance and strength. Contributions to the Foundation are an investment in these crucial initiatives, such as: The United Church of Canada’s 40 Days of Engagement on Anti-Racism, which encourages vital conversations about racial discrimination across our church communities. Our involvement in Fund Canada, which aims to unlock $500 million in grants by 2030, focusing on underfunded leaders and underrepresented voices. This funding will transform communities by investing in leaders with lived experiences to drive necessary change. The Indigenous and Racialized Youth Scholars Program, an investment in young leaders in the church, encouraging their participation in dialogues that shape the future of our society. Together, we can continue the work of becoming an anti-racist church. The giving page is online here: https://united-church.ca/social-action/justice-initiatives/anti-racism/donations-anti-racism-work Your August Mission and Service Stories PowerPoint slides for each story are available on the Mission and Service Resources page. August 2 Threads of Identity Mamohkamatowin Spiritual Community Inc. is helping Indigenous participants in Saskatoon reconnect with culture and community through a ribbon skirt-making program. The program combines practical sewing skills with teachings from an Elder, creating opportunities to build confidence, celebrate identity, and carry traditions forward. August 9 A Girls' School that Grows  For more than a decade, People's Action Forum has supported girls' education in Zambia. That work continues to grow with the development of a new girls' school, creating more opportunities for girls to stay in school and build brighter futures. August 16 Breaking the Silence A bursary program through Breaking the Silence is making it possible for more people to participate in human rights delegations to Guatemala. This year's delegation includes a Mi'kmaq couple who will share knowledge, build relationships with Indigenous partners, and bring new learnings home to strengthen their own community. August 23 Faithful Futures Young people are searching for places where they can belong. The Hub Community Network is creating welcoming spaces across Southern Ontario where youth and young adults can build friendships, explore faith, and experience God's inclusive love. August 30 Nourishing Students As students return to campus this fall, Brock University's Ecumenical Chaplaincy is helping address student food insecurity with homemade meals prepared by local church volunteers. This practical ministry is ensuring students have access to nutritious food and a caring community when they need it most.

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Mission Yearbook: New York church hosts talk ‘with malice toward none’

Seated recently in the sanctuary of New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, where Abraham Lincoln used to worship during the most trying time in American history, a conservative and a progressive joined for a conversation on what “with malice toward none,” a soaring phrase in Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, might mean in today’s fraught political setting.

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Dr. Tim Shriver and Judge Tom Griffith, at right, were the guests last week of New York Avenue Presbyterian Church's McClendon Scholars program, "With Malice Toward None."

Dr. Tim Shriver, a film producer, the chairman of the board of Special Olympics and the co-creator of The Dignity Index, and Judge Tom Griffith, a retired federal judge who was previously general counsel of Brigham Young University, talked about the spiritual and moral values needed to combat today’s toxic political polarization. Dr. David McAllister-Wilson, president of Wesley Theological Seminary, moderated their 97-minute discussion, which can be viewed here.

Asked to talk about their faith, Shriver said it’s his conviction “we are all children of God, and we have a lot of evidence to that effect.”

“The problem of missing the dignity of other human beings is a fundamental human problem,” Shriver said. “Every time we miss it, we make a huge mistake. That’s where my faith starts — around the equality of every human being.”

Griffith said despite devoting much of his life to jurisprudence, the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law are “not my primary allegiance.”

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Judge Tom Griffith

“I am in awe to be in this space,” he said, adding that before the discussion started, he’d sat in Lincoln’s pew. “This church has been at the forefront of fighting for human dignity, and to be here with these people I love and admire — I’m grateful to be here.”

“I have faith in the Constitution, but primarily I am a Christian and I practice my Christianity as a Latter-Day Saint,” Griffith said. “The biblical story is Christ is going to win. It will look dark at times, but he is going to win. Any effort we make to follow him and copy him is worthwhile and valuable and important.”

Asked about the surge in political violence over the past few years, Shriver assigned part of the blame to what he called the “contempt industrial complex.”

“Partisan journalism is super profitable,” he said. “You’ve probably seen three to five examples of hateful rhetoric today. The toxin normalizes and rewards hatred.”

“Political violence has been with us forever, but there’s something different about this moment. Political scientists call it ‘affective polarization,’ and we’ve never seen it at the levels where it is now,” Griffith said. “Democrats and Republicans should disagree, but they now feel the other side is immoral.” Our political system “can’t work with that level of contempt,” he said.

When he speaks on college campuses and at law schools, Griffith pleads with students to stay off social media. He tells them, “You are being played, and it’s dollar-driven.”

“This is the opioid crisis of our time,” Griffith said. “It puts the level of enmity on steroids.”

McAllister-Wilson pointed out that polling shows that religion is often a driver of polarization and even political violence. He asked: What do people of faith do with their sense of righteous anger?

“Act on it without becoming the evil you oppose,” Shriver said. “Differences of opinion are not the problem; they are the solution to problems. It’s the whole purpose of a vote. That’s how we solve problems.”

A fan of C.S. Lewis, Griffith was at Oxford University recently. “I always go to University Church, where Lewis delivered his ‘The Weight of Glory’ sermon,” Griffith said. Lewis ends his sermon with these words: “Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses.”

“I think that’s right,” Griffith said. “The people we disagree with who are so wrong — we need to treat them with dignity and respect.”

Shriver and Griffith were asked: What gives you cause for hope?

“That this is still a country of enormous innovation and compassion,” Shriver said, adding that Special Olympics relies on a half-million volunteers to hold events across the nation.

“I am hopeful because on Easter Sunday, something miraculous happened,” Griffith said. “Christ began a new Creation he calls us to be part of.”

“When we are seeking reconciliation,” Griffith said, “he’s with us.”

Mike Ferguson, Editor, Presbyterian News Service (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Stephen Smith, Business Analyst, Trust Services, The Presbyterian Foundation
Katie Snyder, Project Manager for Digital Fundraising, Annual Giving, Administrative Services Group  

Let us pray:

Creator God, grant us wisdom and strength to understand the power as serving all in justice and love in Jesus’ name. Amen.