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Betty Rossi, 71, of Derwood recently had guests from California to dinner —and brought a burning issue to the table.

"I thought they would be good people to talk to because the immigration issue is huge," she said. "They used the term ‘illegal alien.' That set me off."

Dinner, she said, got interesting.

Rossi is one of 10 people who meet weekly at the Episcopal Church of the Ascension in Gaithersburg to explore immigration issues using Christian doctrine. Discussions are shaped by Bible readings; passages from Christians at the Border: Immigration, the Church and the Bible by M. Daniel Carroll Rodas and a devotional guide "Strangers in the Land" published by the editors of Sojourners, a Christian magazine.

The guide says that debates of immigration reform raise questions of legality — and morality. At issue is how to respond as Christians to larger systemic issues that are prompting calls for immigration reform — and how to discuss fears and concerns.

The guide says that Christian ideas of love and forgiveness can bring a humanitarian approach to policy-making. Participants grappled with what that would look like in light of homework readings from the Bible's Old Testament that referred to the Israelites' history of "strangers" or "sojourners…living in their midst."

The Israelites had an annual reading of the nation's laws, said Marguerite Johnson, 66, of North Potomac. Sojourners or immigrants were expected to attend and obey the rules.

Lauree Hemke, 58, of Gaithersburg pointed to the Israelites' show of hospitality. Culture demanded that Israelites be inviting without expectations of repayment for their generosity.

"To expect immigrants to adapt to this ‘American culture' isn't really fair when it doesn't exist," said Naomi Senkeeto, 28, of Montgomery Village, who pointed to regional differences in Americans' English accents, values and behaviors. Her parents, diplomats from Uganda, came to the U.S. nearly 30 years ago and her mother still struggles for comfort, Senkeeto said.

Johnson pointed to commonalities that Senkeeto said are not apparent to immigrants.

The church on Summit Avenue has a diverse population, including a large Liberian community, said Kileen Turner-Wiley of Poolesville, who moderates the group with her husband, David Wiley.

"I just think the conversation is important," Turner-Wiley said. "If you don't talk about it, I think, nothing happens…. In order to figure out what is going to be good immigration law, we have to figure out what the responsibilities of the majority are."

Readings from the biblical Book of Deuteronomy and other Old Testament chapters showed that day laborers, who built the nation's temple, were essential for their work, yet remained poor and vulnerable living in a foreign country away from their families.

How could policy change to allow workers to come and go from the U.S. legally without becoming residents? asked Johnson.

"I think this allows me to do some soul-searching in a safe place," said Hemke. "A lot of issues can hit you from both sides."

Hemke, a Montgomery County Public Schools employee, joined the class to refine her thinking to help when she addresses education policy issues impacting minorities, she said.