Over the last three years, religious groups and communities around the United States have become increasingly aware of the arrival in this country of large numbers of Salvadorans and Guatemalans seeking refuge from violence and persecution but instead facing arrest and deportation as illegal aliens. This guide is an attempt to mobilize, orient, and support congregational involvement with the people and the issues. It offers the options both to respond to the immediate human needs of the refugees and to examine and respond to the larger issues provoking their flight and the denial of haven to them in the United States. The guide is divided into eight sections. The three initial sections provide overviews and background information on the refugee-producing situations and the conditions faced by the refugees, in particular in this country. The fourth section is a summary of the options for action, from the quick and simple to the more complex. Suggestions are provided for individual responses and for congregational actions. The fifth section provides the detailed "how to" guidelines for each of the suggested options. The sixth lists social and legal services available to Central American refugees arriving in the United States. The seventh part is a summary of the legal rights of Central American refugees. The final parts comprise a compendium of resource listings and information briefs. (CMG)