Faith Leaders Speak Out About Minnesota’s Calling to Show the Meaning of Love and Connection
Faith leaders and community gathered January 8 at the memorial site for Renee Gold (photo by Sarah Whiting)
Thursday, January 8 — A large community of faith leaders and Minnesota residents gathered at the site where Renee Good was killed a day earlier to talk about what faith calls people to do. This is a snapshot of some of those voices, recorded and photographed by Sarah Whiting (excerpted by Mikki Morrissette).
Martha Bardwell, Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church
Martha Bardwell, Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church (photo by Sarah Whiting)
“Today, I am feeling heartbroken for our community here in Minneapolis, and for our nation as a whole. Right here on this block, children who attend my church catch the bus every morning. Yesterday their block, their bus stop, became a scene of terror. This family that I dearly love, they are recovering from trauma today. Those children, and all our children in Minneapolis, are not going to school today because we made the decision to keep them safe from our own government. I had a conversation with my 8-year-old and my 11-year-old this morning about why school was canceled. It’s so wrong.
“This Sunday, my congregation, along with many Christian churches around the world, will celebrate the baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River. We will anchor our souls and our minds and our strength in the story of God’s beloved Son, Jesus. We will anchor our souls in our own baptismal call, which is crystal clear.
“We are called to love God. We are called to love our neighbors as ourselves. We are called to work for justice and peace and to serve all people, following the example of Jesus, and to welcome the stranger equally.
“Every time we gather as a community around the baptismal font, I, as pastor, get to address the congregation, and I say to them, ‘Do you renounce evil?’ The congregation with one voice responds: ‘We renounce evil.’ Today, we stand together across faith and race and culture as leaders in this community, and we say with one voice, ‘We renounce this evil. We reject government terror and government lies. We reject the violent tactics of this federal surge of ICE presence that’s already led to the loss of life. We renounce this evil.’ As Minister Janae said, we need ICE out of Minnesota now.
“To all of us in this nation, whoever you voted for, hear us crying out in Minneapolis today. Turn with us in commitment away from evil and towards the good. We remember Renee Good today, and every time we say her name, may her name anchor us in what our calling is here as people of faith and as people of goodwill and as neighbors. We are called to choose the Good, to work for the common Good, to hold fast to what is Good. We need ICE out of Minnesota now and until that moment comes, we will not be intimidated. We will continue to push back against this reign of terror, as clergy, as neighbors, as elected leaders, as Minnesotans, arm in arm.
“When the federal government sends agents of cruelty here, we will be agents of care. When they send their agents of hate, we will be agents of love. When they send their agents of harm, we will be agents of healing. We will be a surge of courageous non-violence and love. Join us.”
Mowlid Ali, Imam of Masjid Abu Bakr As-Siddique Islamic Center
Mowlid Ali, Imam of Masjid Abu Bakr As-Siddique Islamic Center (photo by Sarah Whiting)
“Today, I stand with faith leaders, united in grief and united in purpose. This is not a war zone. This is our neighborhood. Look around. Today we come together to reject division and fear. Today we come together to say no to violence. Today, we come together to seek justice for Renee Good. Safety is not negotiable. Everyone in this city, everyone in this state, deserves to feel safe. Every one of us, every family, deserves to have a secure home. Every one of us, every child, deserves to walk to school without fear.
“Minneapolis schools are closed because our streets are not safe. Parents are afraid of sending their children outside. Families are afraid of going to work. Neighbors are afraid of opening their mailbox. This is not normal. This should not be normal. In a precarious moment like this, we choose unity over division, hope over despair, faith over fear. In a moment like this, there are some people who want to divide us, but we are united.
There are some people who profit from fear, but today, we come together to send a message of love, of hope and unity.
“I believe this darkness will pass because we have people like you who stand up for justice, for truth. Today is the day that we send a message to everyone in this nation that we are united. We reject any dehumanization of any person. … May God protect the the state of Minnesota and the nation, may God comfort the grieving, and may He guide us all toward justice and peace.”
Rabbi Tamar Magill-Grimm, Beth Jacob congregation, Mendota Heights
Rabbi Tamar Magill Grimm, Beth Jacob congregation (photo by Sarah Whiting)
“I don’t know if I have ever felt this heartbroken and this proud at the same time. I am so proud to be part of the Minnesota faith community. Look around. Look at these people.
“My tradition teaches that human life is so sacred, so valuable, that preserving life takes precedence over all of the other laws in the Torah. What we witnessed yesterday, an absolutely senseless and tragic murder of a wife, a mother, a caring neighbor. Renee Nicole Good, who should have been tucking her son into his bed last night, just like I was tucking in my two kids. This goes against everything our country is supposed to stand for. It goes against what it means to have a safe and free society in which neighbors look out for each other, in which officers obey the law and show up to protect people, not harm them.
“We need an administration that values human life. We need peace and security on our streets, and we need it now.
“May the one who makes peace in heaven make peace rain upon us, here in Minnesota and in our in our community, for all the inhabitants of our community.”
Reverend Dr B. Charvez Russell, Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church
Rev. Dr. B. Charvez Russell, Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church (photo by Sarah Whiting)
“… A church that has been the staple in South Minneapolis since 1959, a church that was started because of injustice, a church that exists because we as a community recognize that we have to come together and stand against anything that does not represent God. In John, chapter two, when Jesus walked into the temple during Passover, he became angry at the money changers and the sellers of the animals and the temple leadership for taking advantage of the people who simply just came to worship. He didn’t react in rage, but he intentionally braided a whip together to drive them out of the temple so that the temple could be used for its original purposes, and that’s for worship.
“I’m from Mississippi. And what’s so wonderful about the state of Minnesota is that it’s so diverse, and all of us are from different places. God has intentionally braided us together for His purpose and His will to drive out and turn over the tables of injustice, to turn over the tables of division and the tables of hate and the tables of untruth.
“Tables that endanger our families and our communities and our futures — and replace them with tables of justice, tables of righteousness, tables of collaboration and peace and love and unity, so that we can all live out our God-given purpose in this beloved community.
“We pray for the family and the community of Renee Good, and the community on this very block that we stand. I pray that we are provoked to our purpose of standing together for what is right — not in the eyes of Republicans, not in the eyes of Democrats or conservatives or liberals or this administration or even MAGA, but in the divine eyes of God. God has called us to this moment right now. Repeat after me: ‘We are Better Together. Amen.'”
Father Dale Korogi, Ascension Catholic Church, North Minneapolis
Father Dale Korogi, Ascension Catholic Academy (photo by Sarah Whiting)
“The history of our parish, like parishes across the state, and indeed across this country, is the history of immigration. Our parish was founded 130 years ago by German and Irish immigrants, newcomers to this country, and in recent decades, has been sustained by Mexican and Latin American immigrants.
“The Catholic community has always been deeply concerned about the rights and the well being of immigrants and migrants and refugees. Second only to their families, a faith community is home for so many immigrants to this place.
“In our parish’s 130 years, I would argue that last month, December, was the most painful time we have ever experienced. At a time when we would gather every evening for prayer and celebration, to celebrate Our Lady of Guadalupe, to celebrate Christmas, events were canceled, our church was quiet. Our families were afraid to leave their homes — not inconvenienced by ICE, but harassed by ICE, terrorized by ICE, traumatized by ICE.
“These are really good people, the best people I know. In memory of Renee Good, and in the Name of God, this cruelty must stop.”
Regina Hassanally, Evangelical Lutheran Church bishop
Rev. Regina Hassanally, bishop of Southeastern Minnesota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (photo by Sarah Whiting)
“This is but the beginning of what we have been called to do. Fear is a tool of the oppressive, but hope is the antidote to fear. Hope is the seed. … In the Christian tradition, that hope comes to us in the person of Jesus the Christ. Hope comes in the form of a body, a baby’s body, a human body, a to-be-broken body. Hope comes in the flesh, and hope comes not just someday. Hope comes this day.
“As followers of Jesus, our Scriptures teach us we have this hope as an anchor, so that we will not be swayed by winds of scheming, trickery, deceit, or lies. We have a hope that shows up. A hope that is here today, in you, in us together, braving the cold, standing together in the flesh and saying we have hope, not only for tomorrow, but for this day. All people bear God’s own image, as followers of Jesus, who strive to be neighbors, who regard those around us as the bearers of God’s image that they actually are. So we show up in our flesh on this day because our hope compels us to say: we are for justice, we are for peace, we are for courage, we are for integrity, we are for truth, we are for process, we are for a commitment to common humanity and dignity for all of God’s people.
“And we will not be swayed, because we have this hope as an anchor. It is hope not just for some day. It is hope for this day. We are here to say we are working toward the fulfillment of all our hopes for ourselves and for our neighbors in Christ — for someday, but also for this day. Hope is the antidote to fear, and we, dear people, will not lose hope.”
Minister JaNae Bates Amari, co-executive director of ISAIAH Minnesota
Rev. JaNae Bates Amari (photo by Sarah Whiting)
Rev. JaNae Bates Amari opened up the discussion by calling out the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for doing the opposite of what they are supposed to do: using an unaccountable militia that has “has treated Minnesota like an occupied territory” by harassing and terrorizing neighbors, immigrant families, Muslim leaders and targeting schools — and now taking the life of an American citizen.
“In the Bible, it says, woe to those who decree unjust laws. Today, that role belongs to DHS, to ICE, and to those in Congress who refuse to hold them accountable. Hundreds of clergy across this state have gathered together with three demands in this moment. One, that the ICE officer who shot Renee Good be arrested, charged, and prosecuted. Federal badges do not put anyone above the law. That also means that the FBI must release the evidence to Minnesota law enforcement so that they can actually investigate.
“The second demand, ICE must immediately cease its surge in operations in the state of Minnesota. ICE has proven itself to be a reckless, incompetent, and incapable — unable to respect human dignity, human rights, the Constitution. They must leave the state.
“The third demand is that we call on Minnesota’s congressional delegation and the United States Congress: This is your job. Oversight is not optional. Step in and investigate. Hold DHS and Kristi Noem accountable. To every person listening, I encourage you to contact your professional leadership and let them know that ICE has no place here. Let them know that this must be investigated and prosecuted. Let them know that the FBI must release the information to the BCA [Bureau of Criminal Apprehension] here in Minnesota so that they can do an investigation without federal impediment.
“All of our faith traditions here represent love and compassion and justice and peace. To demand peace means that we must demand justice. We stand here with community because we know that when violence happens, we cannot be silenced. When our neighbors are hunted, we do not hide. We organize.”
Rev. Bates Amari ended with these thoughts:
“If you need to cry, cry. If you need to shout, shout. If you want to protest, protest. As we stand together, greet your neighbor. Love one another. Do not be dismayed. Do not be divided. We stand with you. We are neighbors. This injustice will not stand. It cannot stand. We will not allow people to divide us by our race, by our religion, by our class, or by anything else, because we’re Minnesotans and we care for one another.
“We’re going to show the rest of this country the kind of care we have for one another.”
Find the Facebook video from Unidos MN here
Rev. Sara Morse, Hazel Park Congregational UCC, Saint Paul (photo by Sarah Whiting)
“I am here to witness today. I want to stand with my colleagues. I want to stand with our community. I want to share and express love to our neighbors.” — Sara Morse
Dr. Tanya Sadagopan in center, conference minister of the United Church of Christ (photo by Sarah Whiting)
“We understand that turmoil and fear are tools, but we have something way more powerful. We have something way more beautiful. We are connected and we have the holy spirit behind us. This moment is a movement of all that is good in this world.” — Dr. Tanya Sadagopan
Rev. Dr. Kelly Sherman Conroy, All Nations Indian Church (photo by Sarah Whiting)
“This is for people to be able to release trauma. The community has been triggered. Having leaders of faith being vocal and present is important… to create spaces to be able to share more voices and bring the morality back.” — Rev. Dr. Kelly Sherman Conroy
Cearah Hamilton (photo by Sarah Whiting)
“I’m here standing in my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and what he would instruct us to do, and that is to support our neighbors. We start by showing up and using our voice. We need love and peace right now. We’re praying for peace. I want to encourage everyone that might feel hopeless in this moment — we are not hopeless when we have one another and we push back against fear.” — Cearah Hamilton
Katrin Welch at Renee Good’s memorial site (photo by Sarah Whiting)
“I need to be here to ground with other human beings and know what is real — to get that conviction in myself so that I can be inspired and empowered to continue mutual aid work, to get people groceries, to get kids home. My heart needs it. I’ve been living here a few years, and I have never been anywhere where people cared better for one another. So I feel really grateful actually, to be in this city right now — to be part of networks that are helping, that are resisting, in such peaceful, nonviolent and effective ways.” — Katrin Welch
(photo by Rev. Jim Foti)
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