Join us in Tempe on Sundays at 8:30 a.m. for our Sacred Space Service or at 10:00 a.m. for a joyful celebration service!

Standing With the Stranger

Concern, Remembrance, Action

Saturday, May 9, 2026 2:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Dayspring United Methodist Church

About

Dayspring United Methodist Church invites you to an afternoon dedicated to immigration justice. Through conversation, reflection, and music, we explore who immigrants are and how we can respond.

The day concludes with the world premiere of Requiem for the Innocent, honoring lives lost and asking: what must we do?

Schedule

2:00 PM — Panel Discussion: Who Are Immigrants?

2:45 PM — Reflection Time

2:50 PM — Workshop Session I

3:25 PM — Workshop Session II

4:00 PM — Requiem for the Innocent (World Premiere)

5:00 PM — Refreshments & Community Tables

Participants

David Schildkret
Composer & Conductor
Nathan De’Shon Myers
Baritone
Michelle Pérez
Soprano
Roxana Avila-Cimpeanu
Moderator
Dr. Evelyn H. Cruz
Panelist
Holly Herman
Panelist
Ruth Boyle
Panelist
Beth Strano
Workshop Leader
Leisa McDonald
Workshop Leader

Details

Standing With the Stranger is structured as a public civic gathering combining dialogue, education, and artistic response. The program is designed to move intentionally from information to reflection to communal expression.

The opening panel brings together voices from law, advocacy, and community engagement to explore immigration systems and lived experience in the United States.

Workshops following the panel focus on practical pathways for involvement, including education, advocacy, and support of organizations serving immigrant communities.

The event concludes with Requiem for the Innocent, a musical work that reflects on contemporary immigration enforcement and broader histories of state violence, offering a space for remembrance and collective reflection.

Community organizations will be present throughout the afternoon to provide resources and opportunities for continued engagement.

Program & Text

A full program for the event, including the complete text of Requiem for the Innocent, is available for those who wish to engage more deeply with the structure, themes, and musical narrative of the work.

The text reflects on remembrance, justice, and collective responsibility, and is central to the emotional arc of the performance.