Aurora’s Wesley United Methodist Church will join northern Illinois congregations supporting immigrants Sunday, Sept. 13.
Wesley pastor Reverend Tammy Scott said the church will participate in “Faithful Action: Love Your Neighbor,” a series of area immigrant advocacy demonstrations sponsored by the UMC Northern Illinois Conference Commission on Religion and Race.
According to Pastor Scott, after 10:30 a.m. worship Sept. 13, Wesley members and friends will:
•Share an outdoor story walk. For about a week, posters will be placed along the property line at 14 N. May St. to tell stories of immigrant families and their experiences..
•Congregants will walk along Galena Boulevard and May Street reading stories from local immigrants.
•Use sidewalk chalk to show love and support.
•Wear blue to show support.
•Invite friends and neighbors to participate September 12-20.
“The event,” Rev. Scott said, “is to bear witness to God’s commandment to ‘love your neighbor as yourself’ and acknowledge the humanity and dignity of our immigrant siblings. Our Christian faith and Wesleyan social activism call us to engage, support, and witness,” Scott said.
The celebration is a followup to a June 15 march held in Schaumburg at the NIC’s 185th annual conference to show the Commission’s support and advocacy for immigrants.
Other churches participating Sept. 13 include Friendship UMC, Bolingbrook; First UMC Elmhurst with Bensenville; First UMC, Glen Ellyn; Community UMC with Hope Indian, Naperville; and Maple Park UMC, with DeKalb UMC.
—Al Benson