I interviewed Stephen N. Allred, director of government relations for the Church State Council, the religious liberty office of the Pacific Union Conference. Allred is a licensed attorney and ordained minister we discuss the upcoming webinar, Advocacy at the Margins: Observing & Defending in Immigration Court. We also discuss why the Pacific Union includes social justice as part of its religious liberty mission and how the Sabbath commandments and Jesus’s statements about heaven predicate obedience and righteousness with care for social outsiders. 

Steve served as a pastor in the Northern California Conference for over 14 years, including his time at seminary, and then practiced law for nearly a decade. He has written for several periodicals and is the author of the book Do Justice: The Case for Biblical Social Justice. Steve received a Master of Divinity from Andrews University in 2005 and a Juris Doctor from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in 2012.  

This online info session is open to anyone. The goal is to equip participants to attend immigration court as observers, understand courtroom dynamics, and foster a consistent, supportive presence. Attorneys who register can receive CLE credit on how to represent respondents at their initial appearances to ensure cases are not prematurely/summarily dismissed due to lack of representation or procedural missteps. Sept. 28 at 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time.