Leaders of the American Baptist Home Mission Societies issued a statement Nov. 18 offering support for clergy who have been arrested while protesting ICE, including an American Baptist pastor in the Chicago area.
While many Mainline Protestant clergy have been at the frontlines of protests in Chicago and elsewhere, denominational leaders largely have remained quiet as clergy in recent weeks have been violently arrested and even attacked with teargas and pepper balls.
Michael Woolf, senior minister of Lake Street Church in Evanston, Ill., has been assaulted multiple times by officers as he joined protests and vigils outside an ICE facility in Broadview. On All Saints’ Day, he was shot in the leg with a pepper ball by an Illinois State Police officer. On Friday, Nov. 14, he was slammed to the ground by officers and arrested. Video and photographs of his arrest went viral on social media as he preached while being pinned to the pavement. Other clergy also have been shot with pepper balls, teargassed and violently arrested.
“ABHMS has long stood in solidarity with immigrant communities, advocated for civil rights, and been a public witness in times of moral crisis.”
The statement from the ABHMS specifically notes the Nov. 14 arrests of Woolf and other clergy, adding that ABHMS “stands in prayerful solidarity with the people of Chicago and the many faith leaders who have been courageously engaging the moral challenges facing their communities.” ABHMS praised Woolf as a pastor who “exemplifies our tradition’s commitment to conscience and public witness. His involvement serves as a prominent example of the broader prophetic and pastoral engagement demonstrated by many faith leaders throughout the Chicago area.”
“As American Baptists, we affirm that every human being is created in the image of God and worthy of dignity, respect and care. The current situation in Chicago — felt acutely by immigrant and asylum-seeking families, by congregations offering support, and by faith leaders seeking justice — reminds us of the urgent need for compassionate and prayerful engagement,” the statement adds.
“We denounce the dehumanization and cruelty of the current approach and extend our support to American Baptist churches and leaders across the United States and Puerto Rico as they continue to live into the gospel in their cities and communities. ABHMS has long stood in solidarity with immigrant communities, advocated for civil rights, and been a public witness in times of moral crisis.”
ABHMS leaders in the statement urged American Baptists to pray for “all clergy and congregations offering leadership, support and moral clarity during this time,” to pray for “immigrants and asylum-seeking neighbors” and support just immigration policies. They also pledged to support those in Chicago and other communities working “for justice, mercy and the flourishing of every neighbor.”
Earlier this year, ABHMS issued a public statement denouncing U.S. government efforts to deport “our immigrant neighbors” and to allow immigration raids in houses of worship. And the American Baptist Churches USA biennial gathering this year in Omaha, Neb., featured efforts to speak out for immigrants.
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