Home Branch News

I know that you have been watching the events in Minneapolis and around the country with dismay and anguish. First, the killing of Renee Good, then Alex Pretti, who was shot ten times as he knelt, subdued. We’ve all been asking hard questions as we have watched these events unfold. What is happening to our country? What are we becoming as a nation? 

I stand with you in prayer and solidarity as you grapple with these questions. I stand with you as you build beloved community as an antidote to hatred and violence that is growing around us. I know that together we stand with the people of Minneapolis and all over this country in solidarity and mourning. 

I would commend to you the statement from the Council of Bishops, which has already been posted on the website. I am also including here an address that I gave at McKendree University in the Illinois Great Rivers Conference during the week of MLK celebrations. This address was in honor of their MLK Humanitarian Awards recipients[1]. In it, I make a case for building beloved community “for such a time as this.”

Please join me in considering the ideas in this address and praying about ways we can live out Dr. King’s vision. 

Also, join me in prayer for the families and friends of Renee Good, Alex Pretti, and others killed or displaced by ICE actions around our nation. Pray also for our country and the world. 

Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ. Bishop Kennetha Bigham-Tsa

 
In recent days, events in Minnesota and beyond have caused deep grief, concern, and alarm across our connection.

The use of lethal force in public spaces, the detention of naturalized citizens, members of our indigenous communities, children, documented and undocumented immigrants, and the treatment of other vulnerable persons have weighed heavily on the hearts of many in our church. These actions have unsettled communities, strained trust, and intensified fear among those already living at the margins. 

Scripture reminds us that “when one part of the body suffers, we all suffer with them

(I Corinthians 12:26). As a Connectional church, we are reminded that we are one body that cares for and needs each other. The whole body is suffering, right now, today! The violence being perpetrated on our streets, the loss of safety, and the inhumane treatment of God’s children, are hurting us all.

We cannot stay silent in the face of the evils of our day.
 
The United Methodist Church deplores the use of violence, fear, separation, and intimidation as a means of creating social order. Such means do not build beloved community. We reaffirm our longstanding commitment to the sacred worth of every person and to the way of peace taught and embodied by Jesus. We stand against the separation of children from their families.

We detest the inhumane, evil actions that are perpetuated by governmental authorities.

Our Social Principles are clear: “We reject governmental use of threats, extortion, unlawful detentions, extrajudicial killings, and other forms of coercion to silence political opponents and those objecting to unlawful or immoral government policies and practices.” They further affirm that the church has both the right and the responsibility to educate and equip its members to be advocates for justice in the wider world (¶163D). 
 
This is a moment that calls for prayerful courage to speak against actions that are bringing harm to our neighbors.

This is our time to have an effectual faith that stands with those who are suffering. This is our faithful response to our baptismal vow that summons us into what is required of us “to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God” (Micah 6:8). We must continue to work for justice to help heal the brokenness in our communities and in the world.

We ask you to pray for peace and for justice. And we ask that we work together with our communities so that we can create a world where the sword is turned into plowshares, and the lion lays down with the lamb. May we be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ, who empowered by the Holy Spirit, do our part to bring comfort, just practices, and healing for all God’s suffering people.
In Christ’s peace,

Bishop Tracy S. Malone
President, Council of Bishops
The United Methodist Church