The Book of Ruth is a story about displacement, loyalty, and the unexpected ways community forms across lines of difference. For Pastor Julio Ramírez-Eve of ministry partner Iglesia Emanuel, it’s also a mirror.

In this conversation with Blacknall Associate Pastor David Dunderdale, Julio shares why Ruth has become an important book of the Bible for him and his congregation right now. For many at Emanuel, Ruth and Naomi represent lives they know: leaving home, crossing borders, and building lives in unfamiliar places. Ruth’s declaration that “Your people will be my people, and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16) remains a living word.

“We have fears,” Julio said of how his congregation continues to navigate economic and political challenges, “but we have faith.”

Julio also connects lessons from Ruth to the life of Rev. John Perkins, the civil rights leader, pastor, and author recently celebrated at Blacknall. The conversation explores Perkins’ framework of the “three R’s” of Christian Community Development — relocation, reconciliation, and redistribution — and traces each one through Ruth’s story. In Boaz, Julio sees a model of what it looks like to fully see another person and respond with generosity that exceeds obligation.

Watch the conversation about Scripture, immigration, and what it means to be the church in a divided world below.