Every morning, I wake up and check my phone. Two months ago, I would have turned off my alarm and scrolled quickly through social media before doing devotions and getting on with my day. These days, I check Signal, an encrypted messaging service, to see where I’m needed as the ICE surge in Minneapolis continues. Do I need to document ICE activity down the block? Do I need to go provide spiritual care to protesters who have been tear gassed? Do I need to deliver groceries to a neighbor who is sheltering in place for fear of being abducted by federal agents? Do I need to send money to a friend who is caring for children whose parents were just detained? In case you are curious, those are all real examples from the past week.
As thousands of federal agents swarm the streets and wreak havoc, we know this is a testing ground for so-called immigration enforcement elsewhere in the country. It is impossible to fully communicate the realities on the ground. Everyday brings new examples of immigrants (regardless of legal status), citizens, children, elders, and observers who have been harassed, detained, and injured by ICE and Border Patrol. Renee Good and Alex Pretti were murdered on busy streets in broad daylight for protecting our neighbors. Pastors were doxxed after a nightly spiritual care call was infiltrated by right-wing agitators. Whatever you’ve heard about the operation being focused on criminals and the worst of the worst, please believe me when I say that is not the truth. The truth is none of us are safe from the brutality.
Amidst the horrors, the community continues to embody love of neighbor in disciplined, creative, and self-sacrificing ways. I’ve never experienced this depth or breadth of solidarity and collective care before. The phrase “we keep us safe” has taken on new meaning for me as we continue to build interconnected webs of care and protection. In Minneapolis, some of the foundations were built during previous deadly inflection points, especially in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in 2020. We keep building and adapting systems of care as federal tactics change but the calls to love our neighbors, resist evil, and practice mercy stay at the core. God's kingdom is like a community sharing sambusas, hand warmers, and whistles as we look out for one another.
As Christians we are called to love God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind and our neighbor as ourselves (Luke 10:27). This moment demands we live into that call in a wide variety of ways. A basic form of love is just getting connected with neighbors - residents, students, business owners, customers, and employees alike. Some ways of supporting our neighbors may be established, like food shelves and clothing giveaways. Some ways of loving our neighbors will require adaptation and new systems. Many churches in Minneapolis have had to create whole new systems for food shelf distribution. Some food shelves are being monitored by ICE and neighbors are too afraid to leave their homes, so volunteers deliver food.
As baptized United Methodists, we are called to “resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.” There are new forms of evil presenting themselves everyday. The means of resistance are many and varied. Protest, proclamation, and pressure on power are just a few examples. I would encourage annual conference and congregational leaders to build relationships with faith-based organizing groups and immigrant rights organizations in your area as a start. Protests like No Kings marches have their role in building momentum and morale, but without fitting into ongoing strategy for sustained pressure, one-time marches do not yield the change necessary to resist authoritarian breakthrough. Proclamation includes both prophetic preaching and bearing faithful witness to what’s happening. For example, in the wake of the murder of Alex Pretti by federal agents on Saturday, January 24, faith leaders from across the country were encouraged to watch the video of his killing and record a video describing what they saw with their own eyes to combat misinformation and lies about what happened. Clergy then posted their videos to social media under #eyesnotlies. Churches could host constitutional observer trainings for the community in order to prepare people to calmly observe, document and report immigration activity to bear faithful witness to whether people’s constitutional rights are being upheld or not. Pressure on power may include advocacy at different levels of government. It may also include efforts to boycott businesses that support ICE. Congregations may also host a training on nonviolent, noncooperation to learn more and build up skills for interrupting authoritarianism. Resistance to evil is a spiritual discipline and requires sustained and deepening practice.
As Wesleyans, we are called to engage in works of mercy. In John Wesley’s sermon “On Zeal,” he actually says we should prioritize works of mercy - acts of compassion and justice - over works of piety when they interfere with one another. The physical, material, and spiritual care for our neighbors will sometimes interfere with our well-ordered church calendars and that’s ok. One powerful example is when churches have opened their doors as medic and decontamination stations after chemical munitions have been deployed against protesters, protectors, and mourners. Some churches have started collections of respirators and other personal protective equipment to help mitigate the harm from chemical agents. There is also a growing network of Movement Chaplains in Minnesota who are trained to be present with people at protests and vigils. Others have been providing nightly spiritual care for the rapid responders who observe and track ICE activity around the metro. Each of these ways of practicing mercy are rooted in love and collective care.
I pray United Methodists will lean into prophetic action over institutional preservation. I pray United Methodists will be bold in our collective witness for justice. I pray United Methodists will heed and embody our calls to love our neighbors, resist evil, and practice mercy.
Rev. Dana Neuhauser (she/her) is an ordained deacon in the United Methodist Church. Originally published by Ministry Matters. Republished with permission by ResourceUMC.