United Methodist Insight Commentary | Jan. 23, 2025
Sometimes the gospel of Jesus Christ leaps up and shouts at power. So it was Jan. 21 when the Rt. Rev. Mariann Budde, Episcopal Church bishop of Washington, D.C., chose to end her sermon with a direct plea to President Donald Trump to show mercy to vulnerable people frightened by his administration's policies.
Specifically, according to an NPR report, Bishop Budde said:
"Let me make one final plea, Mr. President. Millions have put their trust in you. And as you told the nation yesterday, you have felt the providential hand of a loving God. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now.
Bishop Budde specifically mentioned LGBTQ persons and immigrants in her plea.
Immediately a social media backlash led by the president himself rained abuse on Bishop Budde, demanding an apology. The bishop told NPR she had no intention of apologizing:
"I don't hate the president, and I pray for him," Budde said. "I don't feel there's a need to apologize for a request for mercy."
"I regret that it was something that has caused the kind of response that it has, in the sense that it actually confirmed the very thing that I was speaking of earlier, which is our tendency to jump to outrage and not speak to one another with respect," she continued. "But no, I won't, I won't apologize for what I said."
Later that day, the bishop explained in a New York Times interview, “I had a feeling that there were people watching what was happening and wondering, Was anyone going to say anything? Was anyone going to say anything about the turn the country’s taking?”
Waves of support
Fortunately, the bishop also has drawn waves of support for her courage in speaking truth to power, as we Christians say. John Nichols of The Nation magazine commended Bishop Budde's plea as "a reflective and compassionate language of faith." The Guardian reported, "As of Thursday morning, more than 30,000 people had signed a petition supporting her sermon. The petition describes Budde’s sermon as 'courageous' and 'faith-filled' (and) says it represents “the prophetic voice we desperately need right now.”
United Methodist Bishop LaTrelle Easterling of the Baltimore-Washington and Peninsula-Delaware Area, also participated in the Jan. 21 worship service. She issued the following statement:
"The Service of Prayer for the Nation has been held after each Presidential Inauguration since 1933. It is an ecumenical gathering of faith leaders who are committed to unity, peace and collaboration. It was an honor to be asked to participate, and to have led the section entitled, Prayers for the People of This Nation.
"The sermon Bishop Mariann Budde preached was a clear reflection of Jesus’ inaugural address as recorded in the Gospel of Luke. Jesus made it clear that his life and ministry were centered on bringing good news to the poor and the oppressed. The Gospels also reflect a clear mandate to care for the stranger, as noted in the parable of The Good Samaritan or the Judgment of the Nations. Individuals, nations, and those who govern them will be held accountable for their treatment of the marginalized.
"As United Methodists, our Social Principles are clear that 'Few biblical themes are as prominent or as numerous as the scriptural injunctions to stand in solidarity with ‘the least of these,’ including the poor, the orphan, the widow, the stranger, and all other vulnerable members of society.”
"Finally, Jesus preached in, The Sermon on the Mount, 'Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy' In light of all this, I affirm Bishop Budde, her sermon, and her plea for mercy. I believe the attacks on her sermon are unfounded and misplaced."
Other United Methodist bishops also are speaking up in support of immigrants, migrants and refugees.
Bishop Dan Schwerin advised Northern Illinois and Wisconsin United Methodists to "watch and pray."
"I write to assure the Northern Illinois-Wisconsin Episcopal Area that your leaders are networking to be responsive if or when an increase in mass deportation efforts arise," the bishop said in a conference newsletter. "We are in touch with people on the ground in a group chat, meeting regularly with people who are most vulnerable, networking, and resourcing, and we have statements ready for appropriate junctures. Now let’s watch and pray and be people of sanctuary and advocacy as the days unfold."
Bishop Kennetha J. Bigham-Tsai of Iowa likewise counseled prayer but also action. She distributed a letter and a litany insupport of immigrants signed by bishops and other Christian leaders of Iowa churches.
Local churches take action
Local churches are increasing their efforts to welcome and protect strangers.
The Rev. K Karpen, senior pastor of St. Paul and St. Andrew United Methodist Church in New York City, posted a sign on the church doors before the president issued his executive orders undoing long-standing policies that kept immigration officers from raiding churches and schools. The sign reminds everyone, especially Immigration and Customs Enforcement, that churches are private property and under law can't be entered without a warrant.
Long engaged in ministry with migrants, SPSA leaders issued a statement:
"Repealing the sensitive site status of houses of worship not only goes against federal law and the protections of our religious freedom and mission, it goes against centuries of tradition. Our church, like all houses of worship, should be a place of belonging, safety, and peace. We intend to work to keep it as such."
The leadership council of the People’s United Methodist Church in Oregon, Wis., voted to declare itself a sanctuary church at its Jan. 21 meeting, reported the Oregon Observer. The church posted this statement on its website:
“We will stand in solidarity with those members of our community whose human rights are threatened by unethical and unbiblical actions. Our motivation is theological and moral rather than political. We will not provide refuge to anyone engaged in criminally violent or destructive activities, but will defend the rights of undocumented people who are productive, engaged, and active residents in the Oregon and surrounding communities. We acknowledge that in these changing times we are engaging in an act of civil disobedience that sides with justice over law, right over retribution, and common sense over condemnation. A 24-hour emergency hotline will be established, and we will be working with local and state agencies to offer resources and protection.”
The Dallas Morning News reported that churches and schools are anxious about what Trump's executive orders will mean to the families they serve. An article by Marcela Rodrigues, Aarón Torres, Adrian Ashford and Talia Richman quoted a worker at Oak Lawn United Methodist Church:
Almas Muscatwalla is an Ismaili Muslim who works with Dallas Responds, an interfaith program that helps pre-screened asylees and is based out of Oak Lawn United Methodist Church. Muscatwalla said showing hospitality to strangers is a part of hers and many other faiths.
“Oak Lawn [UMC] has chosen to be a sanctuary, a place where migrants can feel safe,” she said.
Annual conferences distribute resources
Annual conferences also are stepping up support for local churches engaged in immigrant, migrant and refugee ministries.
The Northern Illinois Conference published Resources for Putting Faith into Action with this note:
"Your biblical values inform your response to issues facing society. The NIC office of connectional ministries, Conference Board of Church and Society, and Rockford Urban Ministries have assembled a list of resources for churches as they advocate for immigration issues and LGBTQ+ rights, oppose Christian nationalism, and address other concerns. Read more
The West Ohio Conference's mission newsletter quoted the newly effective Social Principles' section on the political community which affirms "the dignity, worth and rights of migrants, immigrants and refugees, including displaced and stateless people."
"As people of faith, United Methodists have a long history of welcoming and supporting immigrants and refugees," the West Ohio newsletter read. "Now more than ever, the Church needs to act boldly to welcome the stranger and to challenge the systems that seek to exclude and divide. As more of our friends, neighbors, families, and church members are affected, here are some resources that may help:
- Council of Bishops Immigration Letter
- Trump in 2025: What to Expect & Know Your Rights
- Global Migrant Accompaniment Guide
- Worksite Raid Toolkit
- Red Cards / Tarjetas Rojas | Immigrant Legal Resource Center | ILRC
- Know Your Rights Handouts: If ICE Visits a Home, Employer, or Public Space
- Trump to scrap restriction on ICE arrests at churches, schools
- AILA's Immigration Lawyer Search
What's to be done?
What's to be done about all this chaos and conflict? History professor Heather Cox Richardson, author of the popular blog "Letters from an American" that she began during Trump's first term, counseled during a recent podcast:
"So what do you do in this moment? First of all, don't despair. Second, don't shut up. ... Talk about it. Write letters about it. Keep it front and center. ... Take each one of these things and shove it down their throats. Do not shut up about it. Don't move on. Hammer that stuff again and again and again. We can repeat the truth again and again and again. Do not let it go."
Bishop Budde didn't let it go. Faith-based organizations that help immigrants and refugees aren't letting go. Local churches like St. Paul and St. Andrew UMC in NYC, People's UMC in Wisconsin and Oak Lawn UMC in Dallas aren't letting go.
Yes, it's time for people who follow Jesus Christ and like-minded believers of other faiths to get loud. If we don't cry out, the rocks and stones surely will.
Cynthia B. Astle is Editor of United Methodist Insight, an online journal she founded in 2011 to amplify news and views for and about marginalized and under-served United Methodists. To reproduce this content elsewhere, please email for permission.