Regional Immigration Summit: California

Christine Nolf has spent the last 19 years bringing churches and neighbors together to positively transform their communities. She currently serves as the Associate Pastor of Redemption Church in Westside Costa Mesa, spearing heading the church’s vision to impact their city. Her background is in community development and neighborhood impact. Christine co-founded Mika Community Development Corporation, which formed neighborhood action committees in five immigrant neighborhoods. Additionally she served on the board of the Christian Community Development Association. Christine has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication from Azusa Pacific University and a Masters of Theological Studies from Vanguard University of Southern California. Christine, her husband, Moses, and preschool son, Samuel, live, bike, and serve in Westside Costa Mesa, California.

Jose is a Department of Justice Accredited Representative with ten (10) years of experience working in all aspects of immigration law.

In the last 6 years, Jose has resettled over 600 refugees from different parts of the world including Syria, Iraq, Iran, Uganda, Burma, Afghanistan, Armenia, and Russia and represented dozens of asylum seekers in their immigration proceedings.
As an advocate for vulnerable populations, he actively collaborates in refugee forums in Orange and Los Angeles Counties, chairs the State Advisory Council on Refugee Assistance and Services, and works to build inclusive communities for new Americans in southern California.
In October 2017 Jose founded Little Brushstrokes – Refugee Kids Art Program to provide refugee and immigrant children a safe space for healing through creative expression. Jose directs, leads, and designs curriculum for this free monthly art program that gives immigrant and refugee children freedom to simply be kids again.

Jose’s passion for his work stems from his own experience immigrating to the U.S. as a child, living without status for nearly 20 years, and helping navigate systems for his parents and immigrant community. Above all, Jose is the product of his family’s resilience and the love, compassion and welcome that surround him throughout his life.

Matthew Soerens is the US Director of Church Mobilization for World Relief, where he helps evangelical churches to understand the realities of refugees and immigration and to respond in ways guided by biblical values. He also serves as the National Coordinator for the Evangelical Immigration Table, a coalition that advocates for immigration reforms consistent with biblical values. Matthew previously served as a Department of Justice-accredited legal counselor at World Relief’s local office in Wheaton, Illinois and, before that, with World Relief’s partner organization in Managua, Nicaragua. He’s also the co-author of Seeking Refuge: On the Shores of the Global Refugee Crisis (Moody Publishers, 2016).

Jill Stoltzfus is the Executive Director for AJS-US, the Association for a More Just Society, a Christian organization dedicated to doing justice in Honduras and inspiring others around the world to seek justice in their own contexts. In Honduras the organization consists of over 80 brave Hondurans who are national leaders in promoting anti-corruption, reducing community violence, and defending human rights. Jill is passionate about connecting people from around the world to the work of AJS and seeing others inspired to stand up for justice. Jill received a B.A. in International Development from Calvin University and a Master’s in Organizational Leadership from Eastern University.