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Jan. 23, 2026
Dear friends in Christ,
Listen to these words from the Prophet Jeremiah:
“Wicked men appear among my people setting snares and traps to catch their fellow humans. With unbound appetites, full of fraud and deceit, they grow powerful and rich, and bloated. Ruling without justice, respecting no one’s rights, they oppress the powerless and the needy.” (Jeremiah 5:26-28). Does this ancient text fall afresh on you in these days?
It’s been a week since ICE significantly increased its presence in Maine; the operation (appallingly named “Catch of the Day”) strikes terror, especially for those who are being cruelly snatched up and unlawfully detained.
What’s happening is being described as a response to immigration policy and a means to apprehend criminals. What I witness is a government-sponsored paramilitary terrorizing primarily Black and Brown neighbors. Maine’s Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP) said this in a statement yesterday: “We can confirm that many of the people arrested have no criminal record. We can also confirm that many of the people who have been detained are asylum seekers, following a lawful process.”
Let me be crystal clear: the people most vulnerable are members of our church, residents of our neighborhoods: they’re part of Maine. Whether we’re in Bangor or Rangeley, Lewiston or Winthrop, Portland or Camden—wherever we live and worship—we’re the body of the church, and when one of us suffers, we all suffer.
Yesterday, the Bishop of Washington (D.C.), who is in Minnesota supporting Bishop Loya and visiting her family, called to offer support and encouragement. The day before, Canon Teresa Pinney was buoyed by a similar conversation with her counterpart in the Diocese of Minnesota. It was as though each of them was holding us in arms of solidarity and strength.
I wish I could call every one of you with a similarly comforting—and galvanizing—message, to say we’re going to get through this, and with the Holy Spirit’s guidance, we’ll reach out our arms through deeds of mercy and compassion, and in peaceful protest and demonstration.
In every age and time, when people hurt and whenever human dignity erodes, faith leaders have stepped in. We are they who stand for the rule of law and for due process, and so we shall rise!
There are four ways the Episcopal Church in Maine is rising:
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We’re praying, including a diocesan-wide online Compline led by our clergy and broadcast on our YouTube channel on Mondays at 7 p.m. for the next three weeks.
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Second, we’re working on a project in which every congregation can choose to make meals for organizations in Bangor, Lewiston, and Portland who will deliver them to homes where people are sheltering in place. There will be more details to come, but it's not too soon to organize and inspire your congregation to cook.
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Third, we’re raising money, as we do for any emergency or relief project. Your donations made here will be used to give commissary money to detainees, to defray the expense of legal services, and to support the many organizations and people who are the Love of God incarnate. No gift is too small and no gift is too big.
- Finally we’re demonstrating and peacefully protesting at ICE Out rallies in Portland (Friday, Jan. 23, at 5 p.m. in Monument Square) and Lewiston (Saturday, Jan. 24, at 12 p.m. in Kennedy Park).
For more information and resources please visit our website and the Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition. Soon, we’ll send information about the meal delivery project, as well as training events for those called to demonstrate. Be sure to check back often for updates, and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
May Christ, the Son of God, be manifest in you, that your lives may be a light to the world; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you, and remain with you always. Amen.
Faithfully in Christ,
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