The right of citizenship in ancient Rome brought a host of privileges and benefits - voting, property ownership, protection under the law, free marriage, ease of travel and relocation. And because one could be stripped of citizenship, it was a right that was prized above nearly everything else. Official rolls of citizenship we recorded in the tabularium on the Capitoline. So if there was a dispute about someone being a citizen, in the words of Casey Stengel, "You could look it up."

But imagine what it would be like to be a citizen, with all the accruing rights and privileges, but have no way to prove it.

Westminster Presbyterian Church in Dayton has not only imagined it, but has built a special outreach ministry because of it.

The ID ministry provides a way for all sorts of citizens, who for all sorts of reasons have no official documentation, to obtain birth certificates and State IDs. This is an arduous process, filled with paperwork and requiring patience both on the part of those in need, but also the volunteers who meets with these men and women each Tuesday afternoon for two to three hours. Sometimes as many as sixty persons seeking assistance are helped in a single afternoon.

".... for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me." -Matthew 25:35-36

Please pray for the continuing witness and ministry of Westminster Presbyterian Church, Thomas York, visiting pastor.