| January 22, 2026— The Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization (IFCO) stands in unwavering solidarity with Nekima Levy Armstrong, Chauntyll Allen, and all the protesters at Cities Church in St. Paul. Their action was a profound and necessary embodiment of prophetic witness. Our faith is not a refuge or a distraction from the world’s suffering; it is a call to action. The comforts and isolation of our places of worship, while offering solace, do not fulfill the core mission of our traditions if they become endpoints rather than starting points. Places of worship and faith leaders must provide the support, sustenance, wisdom, and clarity for faith communities to contribute positively to the advancement of society and the lives of God’s creation- people and the planet. The decision to peacefully disrupt a service to call out the hypocrisy of its lead pastor David Easterwood in his complicity with ICE’s continued attacks on communities in Minnesota and across the country is a challenge to the contradiction between worship and complicity. It must serve to remind us that true faith cannot be compartmentalized. The arrest of these community leaders underscores a dangerous preference for polite inaction over the disruptive, gospel-mandated pursuit of justice. Peaceful protest and calls for coherence from faith communities, particularly faith leaders, in times when the civil and human rights of communities are being violated, are not acts of disrespect but a faith-driven alarm sounded within the very community called to hear it. We affirm that this protest was, in fact, a deep act of solidarity and faith, a call to conscience rooted in the commandment to love our neighbor and defend the sacredness of all human life. This tradition of sacred protest is the bedrock upon which faith communities have advanced human and civil rights, from the abolitionist pulpits and the Civil Rights Movement’s sermonic foundation to today’s sanctuary movements. It is through such disruptive, principled action that faith steps out of the pages of scripture and into the halls of power and the streets. Christianity, alongside many faiths, fundamentally challenges us to be servants for justice and peace, to be voices for the voiceless, and to be stewards of God’s creation—which includes all of humanity. As scripture powerfully declares, “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (James 2:14-17). When our sanctuaries become shields from moral responsibility, we betray the prophets who spoke truth to power and the teachers who prioritized the marginalized. Nekima Levy Armstrong’s witness forces us to confront whether our rituals fortify us for service or merely anesthetize us to injustice. As an organization grounded in faith and justice, we are committed to continue using our voices, protesting and fighting back against the immoral, inhumane, and unjust acts of violence being imposed on our communities and the attacks on our democratic rights. We heed the call exemplified by Nekima Levy Armstrong, Chauntyll Allen, and others. We must defend God’s creation, particularly the most marginalized, from the forces of destruction and indifference. This defense is not optional; it is the central demand of a living faith. It requires moving beyond comfort to courageous intervention, following in the tradition of the sacred civil disobedience that marks our histories. We stand in solidarity with the courageous people of the Twin Cities. We stand with Nekima Levy Armstrong, Chauntyll Allen, and other protesters. We urge all people of conscience to recognize her act not as a crime, but as a prophetic call to fulfill the true, demanding mission of faith: the relentless, active pursuit of peace with justice for all. We demand the immediate release of the protesters. We demand an end to the vicious persecution, kidnapping and attacks of communities across the country by ICE and other government agencies. We demand an end to the criminalization of dissent. We encourage people of conscience to join the statewide shutdown in Minnesota on Friday, January 23 and to participate in solidarity actions around the country. |
Wisconsin Bail Out the People Movement 
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