Immigration Prayers
People pray and record what they can outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, Ill., a Chicago suburb. in fall 2025. Northern Illinois United Methodists will stage a demonstration protesting violent immigration enforcement in Schaumburg, Ill., on June 15. (Photo by the Rev. Britt Cox, First United Methodist Church in Evanston, Ill.)
Northern Illinois Conference | June 1, 2026
SCHAUMBURG, IL—Concerned for the treatment of immigrants in the region, people of the Northern Illinois Conference of The United Methodist Church will march in solidarity along North Meacham Road near Thoreau Drive in Schaumburg on Monday, June 15, at approximately 5:30 p.m.
The demonstration, “Faithful Action: Love Your Neighbor,” draws on Jesus’s teachings and example to love our neighbors—part of what the Christian Church calls “the Great Commandment”—and will express welcome to immigrants to Chicago-area communities.
“Scripture and our United Methodist Social Principles call us to show compassion for our neighbors and to work to meet their needs, but we are also charged to challenge the laws and policies that harm them,” says Jill Rogers of the NIC Commission on Religion and Race.
"We believe we must leave the safety of our sanctuaries and stand up for the dignity, worth, and rights of migrants, immigrants, and refugees. It’s important for us to stand together to show that United Methodists are committed to loving and supporting our immigrant neighbors through loud—but peaceful—protest.”
About 700 United Methodists from the northern quarter of Illinois will be meeting for their annual conference session at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center, June 14-16. This march will begin after the June 15 session adjourns at 5:30 p.m. Participants will walk from the convention center to Meacham Road, carrying signs that express their advocacy for immigrants.
The United Methodist Church officially states its affirmation of “the dignity, worth, and rights of migrants, immigrants, and refugees, including displaced and stateless people. . . . We urge United Methodists to welcome migrants, refugees, and immigrants into their congregations and to commit themselves to providing concrete support, including help with navigating restrictive and often lengthy immigration policies, and assistance with securing food, housing, education, employment, and other kinds of support.” (United Methodist Social Principles, para. 163[G]).
The Northern Illinois Conference is a 186-year-old regional body of The United Methodist Church comprising churches in the northern quarter of the state. Constituting the conference are approximately 68,000 members in about 300 churches. The United Methodist Church is a worldwide connection of approximately 12 million members in Africa, Europe, the Philippines, and the United States. Together, they share a legacy of living as disciples of Jesus Christ, extending God's love both in what they say and how they serve their neighbors. Find more information at umcnic.org.