To give a taste of the selfless and effective ministry work being done by faith leaders and congregations around Minnesota, we spotlighted four churches, two in the metro area and two in greater Minnesota, as listed below. Please click on each story to read it. They will fill you with hope and faith.
- Pastor John Marboe, Zion Lutheran Church, St. Paul
- Pastor Doug Donley, University Baptist Church (UBC), Minneapolis
- Pastor Meggie Bergtness, Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd
- Pastor Faith Totushek, Grace United Methodist Church, St. Cloud
Zion Lutheran Church
Rev. John Marboe (Hard at work in the Boiler Room)
According to John Marboe, pastor at Zion Lutheran Church, his congregation’s actions during Operation Metro Surge stemmed from its ongoing work with Open Market Minnesota. This organization has been working with Zion Lutheran for several years and helped the church expand its outreach efforts quickly when the crisis arose.
“This program was the foundation, and able to quickly scale up to providing hundreds of households with food and sundries, with grassroots fundraising on social media and relational networks,” Rev. Marboe said. “Hundreds of neighbors, most not members of our church, have shown up for six days a week of packing, carrying, cleaning, eating, meeting, etc., to create the bags of provisions going out.
“It has been stressful, difficult, beautiful, meaningful, and in keeping with the Gospel: Feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, heal the sick, liberate the oppressed, love your neighbor as your very self.”
For more information about Open Market Minnesota, visit their website at openmarketmn.org.
University Baptist
Rev. Doug Donley
University Baptist Church (UBC), led by Pastor Doug Donley, has a long history of pushing back against the Christian nationalist agenda that is pervasive across the larger Christian spectrum. He feels the bigger churches, with Christian radio stations and national political interests, have been really silent in speaking against recent ICE activity here and nationwide. He also sees hope in the many small, feisty, activist congregations here pushing back against that to give a better narrative of Christianity.
Especially during the ICE siege, people here have been speaking about their faith in a way that lifts up the scriptures, of love God and love your neighbor–in other words, basic Christianity. When Christian nationalists say that’s not what Jesus was really about, that’s quite the stretch. The Twin Cities has shown throughout the recent surge that loving God and your neighbor is what encouraged so many to take to the streets in -23° weather to lift their voices, feet, hands, and heart in a way that will protect their neighbors. Not everyone can march, as he did on January 23 with other clergy at the airport, but we can all participate in some way.
UBC has been very active in all this, even without much ICE activity in Dinkytown, their Minneapolis neighborhood. Rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, they’ve been amplifying the work of others, particularly funneling financial support and energy where most needed. This is a marathon, not a sprint. The people on the front lines in December, January, and February can step back and let others tag in. Others work in the background, much like conductors on the underground railroad. It worked because it was secret. So, too, can our less visible efforts. The church works to support those going through their own traumas.
Pastor Doug said UBC believes in inclusion vs. exclusion. “We believe that diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) are the initials of God. We see those as assets and try to reflect that image of God in whatever way we can.” They use Isaiah 58:10-12 as inspiration (NRSVUE):
if you offer your food to the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,
then your light shall rise in the darkness
and your gloom be like the noonday.
The Lord will guide you continually
and satisfy your needs in parched places
and make your bones strong,
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water
whose waters never fail.
Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called repairers of the breach,
restorers of streets to live in.
Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd
Pastor Meggie Bergtness
Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd is a growing church on the south side of Moorhead. Rev. Meggie Bjertness, pastor of Adult Formation, stated that the church laid the foundation for responding to the ICE surge by bringing in Rev. Angela Denker in October 2025 to discuss her book “Disciples of White Jesus.” During 2025, they also hosted several study groups to discuss books about Christian nationalism.
Because the congregation is moderate and has a variety of political opinions, the pastors have not preached about Christian nationalism or the ICE surge in Minneapolis, but the staff encouraged people to become active during one-on-one meetings and small groups. Many asked questions about how to talk with family and friends with different views than their own, especially when those views lean towards religious extremism.
A large number of church members attended the constitutional observer training sponsored by the Immigration Defense Network and CASA in collaboration with area churches. In addition, a few church staff attended a Train-the-Trainer event so they could host additional training sessions. Commenting on the training sponsored by multiple Moorhead churches, Pastor Meggie said, “The biggest change I’ve noticed is how our partnership has grown with other churches in the area. We’ve partnered with Trinity Lutheran, Bethesda Lutheran, and UCC-Moorhead to host events where people can explore and give voice to their values.” She added that these partnerships extend to other denominational churches, the Unitarian Universalist church, mosques in Fargo and Moorhead, and the Interfaith Alliance Chapter.
Pastor Meggie closed by saying that when she meets with people who are questioning their beliefs and what is happening in the world, she asks, “What stories in scripture really spark your imagination about who God is?” The most common answers are the Prodigal Son, the Good Samaritan parable, Jesus and the woman at the well, and the first words Jesus spoke as a teacher: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.” “These stories are about loving our neighbors and family members who have gone astray and taking care of the sick, the poor, and the stranger,” noted Pastor Meggie.
Grace United Methodist Church, St. Cloud
Pastor Faith Totushek
Along with other faith leaders in St. Cloud, Pastor Faith Totushek at Grace United Methodist Church became concerned as she watched ICE Agents invade Chicago in the fall of 2025. In December 2025, Grace UCM, First UMC, Salem Lutheran, and other St. Cloud churches organized observer training with Unidos MN amid concerns about ICE affecting a growing refugee community of Somali, Afghan, and African immigrants in St. Cloud.
Their concerns were justified when, in January, ICE began targeting Somali and Latino communities, including on January 20. On that day, fifty ICE agents raided the Star City Mall, a gathering spot for Somali refugees.
Pastor Faith gave this report on how faith communities have partnered together to support and protect their neighbors during the ICE surge.
Grace UMC has been connecting with immigrants who are sheltering in place. We connected, gathered, and distributed 10-15 boxes each week. We’ve been working with Love First UMC and Salem Lutheran who have gathered food and provided drivers to deliver food. We have also worked with Arrive Ministries, which has gathered and delivered food to our Somali, Afghan, and African refugee communities. Arrive Ministries has also organized people to guard the children at bus stops and make sure they get home safely.
We have also done some work with the Catholic Charities in St. Cloud and with Fe y Justicia, a Latinix-led non-profit, which has been involved with legal work, food distribution, and neighborhood watch.
Iglesia Metodista Unida Yom Kippur, a Spanish congregation that meets in Grace UMC’s building, has gathered and delivered food to many sheltering in place. Iglesia Mision Divina, a Hispanic congregation in St. Cloud, has worked with Grace UMC to gather and deliver food to several families sheltering each week.
Many St. Cloud churches have also connected with Feeding Area Children Together and the school district to identify and deliver food to children in District 742.
On February 1, Salem Lutheran Church, First UMC, and Grace UMC organized a Multi-faith Prayer Vigil at South Junior High. We promoted it by saying “Praying for our Community, Seeking unity with our Siblings in Faith.” Two scriptures were read to start the vigil. They began with Matthew 25:35-40, which ends by saying “whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. The second, Leviticus 19:33-34, states, “When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt.” Those are good words to end with.
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