Fieldwork Exercise - Sanctuary in the Desert

Shadow Rock United Church of Christ - Phoenix, Az

      I recently visited a local Phoenix church as part of a fieldwork exercise for my Anthropology class in which we were tasked with observing church rituals, practices, and symbols. I chose a church nearby and found it more interesting than I bargained for. This particular church, Shadow Rock United Church of Christ, is a sanctuary for undocumented immigrants, providing a safe harbor for those in need. With lots of talk by Donald Trump about building a wall along the southern border, a major piece of his presidential bid, its worth noting the dilemma many undocumented immigrants face after being released from ICE custody. Occasionally they're cleared of any wrong doing and need a place to go, lest they be left to wander the streets. Some undocumented immigrants, many I imagine, are being accused of crimes they didn't commit and face extradition before their cases can be heard in a court of law. These immigrants are forced even deeper into the shadows as they face arrest and being separated from their families at a moments notice. This is where the Christian church sanctuary network steps in a takes in immigrants, providing them with refuge from the long arm of the law, sometimes for over a year, as enforcement agencies will not enter church property with the intention of making an arrest. Others in transition are given food, clothing, showers, and transportation to be reunited with family members in other parts of Arizona and the country. These are not Latino churches, the vast majority of the congregation is white. I was awed by their charity, sense of community, and compassion. Since this is primarily a borderland blog I thought I'd post my paper here. Below is the result of my fieldwork exercise.

Jesse Alberson
Fieldwork Exercise


Shadow Rock United Christian Church is an interfaith oriented church located on a mountainside in north central Phoenix, featuring magnificent windows overlooking the desert. The church was established in 1973 and has gone through many changes over the years, evolving into what it is today; a church that welcomes all, regardless of nationality, immigration status, faith, or station in life. The Reverend Ken Heintzelman greeted me in the lobby and later introduced me to the congregation, he explained my presence at the service and encouraged them to talk openly with me at the Coffee Chat that followed. I spoke with many very kind, gracious folks at Shadow Rock including a Mexican man who has been receiving sanctuary at the church for almost a year as his immigration case slowly makes its way through the court system. It was this church’s focus on humanitarian efforts that inspired me to conduct my fieldwork exercise at Shadow Rock. 

In addition to providing long term sanctuary to undocumented immigrants, Shadow Rock works with the Immigration and Naturalization Service to provide temporary shelter to many immigrants and their families. Among the services they provide are housing, food, clothing, and shower facilities, as well as spiritual services. These temporary residents of the church can stay for a couple days after being released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody before they are sent on their way to be reunited with families in other states or parts of Arizona. Three such immigrants were leaving the church, headed for the bus station, as I was arriving. They were clearly happy and relieved, knowing that they were safe to leave and looking forward to being reunited with family members.

The following paragraphs specifically address the questions being posed in the Cultural Anthropology textbook for this fieldwork exercise. 

1. Do you see examples of sacred and profane objects/acts during your visit?

The church’s efforts to unite the community in service of both the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the undocumented immigrants being held and/or pursued by them clearly demonstrate that humanitarian acts are something the church holds sacred. In addition to those efforts, the church is actively involved with helping the homeless, giving them food, clothing, shelter, and employment resources. The church also works with an agency that seeks to reduce communicable diseases being spread by the sharing of needles by preparing needle cleaning kits for the agency. Acts that Shadow Rock church deems profane, or unholy, fall along the lines of personal conduct, such as lying, being disingenuous, not being able to recognize one’s fallibility, and abuse of power. These were subjects the reverend spoke about in his sermon to the fellowship, leading by example as he was willing to admit to his own fallibility. 

2. Can you recognize ways in which ritual promotes a sense of communitas by leading members through separation, liminality, and reincorporation?

I spoke with Gene, a member of the church for more than two decades, about the aspect of rituals at Shadow Rock. Gene pointed out the Sunday service, which I attended, as an example of the rituals that are normal at the church; singing, clapping, the celebration of gracious acts over the previous week, not uncommon in most churches, but pointed to the incorporation of immigrants into the church as a ritual. In many other Christian churches this philosophy, the incorporation of undocumented immigrants wouldn't be nearly as acceptable. This practice might lead to division in the church, causing separation within the church, and eventually, for those in dissent, to leave the church. At Shadow Rock the sanctuary seeker is on a rite of passage of his or her own, being separated from their families and culture is a sort of liminality. Eventually being reunited with their family represents reincorporation, followed by a great sense of communitas, which is a term for togetherness after completing a rite of passage. 

3. Is Marx’s critique of religion as “the opiate for the masses” relevant to the event you attended?

Marx’s use of the word “opiate” suggests something that puts you to sleep, or something that you could sleepwalk through. At some churches it is common for the majority of churchgoers to arrive just before the service and leave immediately after, as if just making an appearance is more than enough to fulfill their commitment to god. One church member I posed the Marx question to emphatically said “no, there is so much work to do as a member of this church!” One of the messages of the sermon was on the topic of giving, with Reverend Heintzelman essentially apologizing to the congregation for asking them to give so much of themselves, over and over again. “In a church where ‘opiate for the masses’ would apply the members rely on the church brass to do the heavy lifting, unlike here,” said another churchgoer, who is a longtime member. 

4. Can you identify particular symbols unique to this religious community and determine their meaning? What do you think gives them power and authority?

Shadow Rock United Church of Christ employs a symbol, a unique type of cross, called the wedgeblade. The wedgeblade consists of a vertical line, representing reality, with a greater than symbol (>) pointing forward and overlying the upper half of the line. The open end of the forward pointing arrow, on the left side of the line, represents the many people searching for meaning and looking to apply meaning to their reality, while the pointed end, on the right side, represents those that have found meaning in their reality. This smaller portion of the arrow represents the blade as well, the cutting edge of those who are looking forward and redefining the course of the church. The authorizing process for the wedgeblade can be found in the theological concept of Advent, of being oriented towards the future and what lies ahead. Advent itself is typically used in terms of the weeks leading up to the birth of Christ, an important and sacred time for Christians. Its use as it relates to the wedgeblade, and thus the members of Shadow Rock, pertains to always adhering to the principles of Advent, not just during the weeks before Christmas. 

5. How does power make itself evident during your visit? What power relationships do you observe?

The abuse of power was a subject of the sermon as the reverend highlighted the abuse of power that has been playing out in the media over the last week, specifically Donald Trump and sexism. Trump wields great power and the women that he is accused of sexually assaulting have none. While the power that Trump has at his disposal is evident, any remorse is not. The reverend spoke about Trumps “disingenuous apology” filled with “I” and “if” statements, lacking in compassion, which inhibits forgiveness. This was a critique of the power structure in male-dominated American politics and business. A very different point of view was given by Jerry Falwell Jr, who is the president of Liberty University, a Christian university, recently on CNN as he refused to disavow the words and actions of Donald Trump. As for the power relationships within Shadow Rock church, as it was explained to me, the structure is reverse engineered. Meaning that, if viewed as a pyramid, the power goes from the bottom up. The congregation sets an agenda for the clergy to follow. The reverend adheres to the agenda while expecting the congregation to give of themselves, even if it seems they have no more to give and their wells for giving are running dry. This system of power works for this church as the power is spread evenly and everybody works in unison. 

6. Can you identify any ways in which globalization influences the religious beliefs and practices that you observe?

The effects of globalization, like increasing immigration and uneven development, have driven some of the practices at Shadow Rock over the last 20 years. Shadow Rock members cite a broken immigration policy as a fundamental reason they’ve become part of the Christian church sanctuary network. Budgetary cuts, both at the state and federal level, have placed a greater burden on churches to pick up the slack in many areas of charity. Shadow Rock is an interfaith church which shares its space on the mountain slope with Congregation Merkaz Ha-Iyr, a Jewish church. The two groups of churchgoers intermingle and cross-enculturation occurs, both ethnic and religious, as immigrants from Mexico attending the Christian church develop relationships with people of the Jewish faith, and vice-versa.