I so grateful to be the new Pastor at the Lutheran Church of Martha and Mary in Mt. Prospect, IL. The first week started out with us acknowledging our mortality at two Ash Wednesday services.  

Christians from many traditions use the 40 days before Easter (minus Sundays) to get deeper into their faith and discipleship.  The season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday.  Crosses of ash are placed on people's heads while they hear "ashes to ashes, dust to dust, you are dust, and to dust you shall return."  It reminds us we're not perfect, and we're going to die, that living now matters, and that Jesus knew what it was to be a dusty human and is with us through it all.  I love being honest about death in the church because we're all going to die,  and that's ok.  

To see videos, audio, and more images from this week at Lutheran Church of Martha and Mary, check out the 

When you see ICE in your neighborhood,
1. Write down every detail of what you see and hear. This includes:

• how many officers there are,
• where you saw the incident occur,
• how long the incident took place,
• what time the incident took place,
• what the officers look like,
• If they took someone, who did they take
  • Describe what the persons looked like,
  • How many people they took,
  • Was it the same amount of people that they originally were looking for,
• What did they say to the people they were interacting with,
• Did they threaten the people they were interacting with,
• Did they have any papers or identification on them,
• Did they show up and then go away and then show up again,
• Did they stop to make a call,
• Did they say they were police while still wearing ICE shirts,
• Did they have any documentation on them and did they show it to anyone,
• Did they circle the building, jiggle handles on Doors, check windows or other entrances to see if they were locked,

2. Anything the people they talked to said, and by people I am including,

• People they were looking for,
• People they talked to while in the process of searching, for instance Neighbors or bystanders,

3. Take video or pictures what you see, including:

• The officers,
• The people they were attempting to interact with,
• Conversions they have with people of color, bystanders, and other law enforcement,

Casa has Community leaders in all counties surrounding the city that can respond to an incident. They have networks to identify any people who have been taken and get them help. They can provide services two family members who have been left behind. It's really important that you call this number.

If you are not an immigrant, perhaps you could print some of the cards at the end of the document below and have them available to hand out, or event on tables at your churches.  

At the button below is a direct link to the "know your rights" hand‐out that Casa provides. It is mostly geared toward immigrants. But in it is important information for you to know. For instance, you need to know that if ICE demands information from you about your neighbors you have no obligation to tell them anything or to say a word. This is extremely important.
ICE is allowed to lie to you. They can say they are police. They can say that they can arrest you for saying nothing. They will fish for information in a sneaky way, any possible way to get information from you about the people they are targeting. No question is an innocent question. Doesn't show you false documents or false identification. Do not become an accidental volunteer for them.