The Rev. Dr. Joe Stobaugh (left) joins the Rev. Jenny Bates and the Rev. Dr. Becky David Hensley to ride the Washington Metro to the Faithful Resistance event Feb. 25, 2026. (Photo Courtesy of Joe Stobaugh/Facebook)
Special to United Methodist Insight | Feb. 26, 2026
What a day! It is the evening and I am headed to the airport, driving by the monuments in Washington DC, which are best viewed at night. I am headed back to Dallas tonight after joining over 2,000 other United Methodist leaders at an event called "Faithful Resistance: A Public Witness for Immigrant Justice."
So much was packed into one day: I am physically beat but my soul is overflowing.
Capitol Hill United Methodist Church was packed to capacity for worship as part of the Faithful Resistance event Feb. 25, 2026. (Photo by Joe Stobaugh from Facebook)
The day began with worship. The crowds were so big that three churches were needed to host participants. Our Episcopalian sibilings even opened up one of their sanctuaries for overflow!
It was a fortifying and soul-filling to sing under the leadership of Dr. Lydia Munoz, the Rev. Calvin Sellers, the Rev. LAMarcus Johnson, and Dr. Julian Wamble. And the sermon from Bishop LaTrelle Miller Easterling: whew, I didn't know how much I needed that word!
After worship we marched to the Capitol together and I can't tell you what an incredible encouragement it was to see over 2,000 United Methodists standing up and walking together, united around Jesus and his teachings and witnessing to their faith in the public square. The gospel shapes our moral values of dignity and respect for all people and the critical importance of the Imago Dei. I often have lovers' quarrels with my church but today I am so proud to be a United Methodist.
What a blessing it was to catch up with friends and colleagues from the Horizon Texas Annual Conference and from across the connection, to march together to the U.S. Capitol, meet new friends, and most importantly, to advocate for the Gospel values Jesus teaches us in Matthew 25 with some of our elected officials and their staff.
A special highlight for me was leading the singing of the John Bell setting of the Prayer of Desmond Tutu, "Goodness is Stronger than Evil" with dear Jorge Lockward during the march. Hearing Jorge's singing come up from behind me while we were marching was, I am convinced, a foretaste of heaven!
As a part of one of two Texas delegations, I visited Senator Cruz and Senator Cornyn's office, as well as a visit to my representative, Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne. Senator Cornyn's representative grew up in University Park where I lead University Park UMC! It was a privilege to be able to advocate for the dignity of all of God's people.
Additionally, we saw Jon Fetterman and had a brief elevator conversation with Senator Mark Kelly.
The Rev. Dr. Joe Stobaugh's stole bears the United Methodist Men and former United Methodist Women membership pins of his grandparents, who he said were among those who taught him the virtue of public witness to Jesus's teachings. (Courtesy Photo)
The last picture in this post is of a stole that my brother Marcus Womack gave me when we passed the baton of leadership for the Threshold/Modern worship service at Grace Avenue UMC in Frisco. The stole is a treasure to me.
You will note the two pins: one is my grandmother's (what would be now called) United Women of Faith pin, and my grandfather, an immigrant from Canada, United Methodist Men pin. They, along with my parents and the churches that raised me, taught me the differences between wrong and right, the importance of respecting the dignity of all people, of standing up for those on the margins, and the biblical truth that we belong to each other. It was a gift to bring some of my ancestors on this journey with me.
The Rev. Dr. Joe Stobaugh is senior pastor of University Park United Methodist Church in University Park, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. This article is republished with permission from his Facebook page.