Our Mission – Discover what God can do through YOU
We are an inclusive community of faith and celebrate our Christian beliefs through worship, fellowship, and service in a safe, welcoming, and supportive environment. We create vital, relevant ministries for diverse generations, families, and individuals. We enrich spiritual life and encourage witness and action for a more just, loving, and peaceful world.
Our Vision – Seek to know, love, and serve GOD
To be an all-embracing Christian community seeking to connect individuals and families of all generations with God’s unconditional love and to one another.
Our Values – Celebrate, embrace, and welcome ALL to God’s house
- Faith Exploration: Our values include learning to become more authentic followers of Jesus by sharing and exploring beliefs from our own traditions and the traditions of others whose insight into the divine is seen through different lenses.
- Connecting over Gathering: We value connecting our lives through fellowship, worship, and Christian ritual as part of our spiritual journey.
- Active Faith: We value action that is based upon Jesus’ teachings and our belief in the importance of social action to help bring justice, harmony, and equality to the world, locally and globally.
- Radically inclusive: We value radical inclusivity and affirm all persons without regard to sexual orientation, age, gender, ethnicity, education, ability, or socioeconomic class.
- Healing and Wholeness: We support health, healing, stewardship, and peace for our world. We partner with organizations that participate in building and sustaining healthy persons, healthy communities, and a healthy environment.
Welcome the Strangers Among Us
January 07, 2025
“I was a stranger, and you welcomed me...” (Matthew 25:35)
There are many images in scripture for the life of faith: the body of Christ (I Cor. 12), the household of God (I Peter), and the vine (John 15). While John Wesley taught that our life of faith entails personal holiness, he also helped us understand that our life together is one of social holiness. A pastoral letter from the United Methodist Council of Bishops, “Beloved Community: An Antidote to Extremism” (Sept. 19, 2024), reminds us that love of God inevitably leads to love of neighbor. It is that love that causes me to seek your prayers and faithfulness.
While I support the legitimate efforts of law enforcement to protect the safety and security of our communities, I also support ordinances and statutes that protect the rights of immigrants in Illinois and Wisconsin.
Paragraph 163 of The 2020/2024 Book of Discipline says that “we affirm that every form of government stands under God's judgment and must therefore be held accountable for protecting the innocent, guaranteeing basic freedoms and liberties, protecting the natural world, and establishing just, equitable, and sustainable economies.”
Insofar as the scripture calls us more than 35 times to love the stranger, I call us to stand with nonviolent migrants, immigrants, and refugees in this country, who live in the shadows of society in a state of perpetual fear. I prayerfully ask us to reject the measure of mass deportations and consider families that include citizens and noncitizens, parents, and children, who must not be separated from each other. A recent Council of Bishops letter, “Addressing the Plight of Migrants, Immigrants, and Refugees” (Dec. 18, 2024), states that “they are our neighbors, our friends, and members and pastors of our churches.”
I reject the needless provocation of Chicago as a stated ground zero for a mass deportation effort. I call on federal and state governments to work out bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform that will solve our issues and provide healing for the nation.
At other times in our history, whether it be the Trail of Tears, the Japanese detention centers, or the legacy of slavery, when the United States government has moved or restricted a mass of people, a tragic loss of life and generational cycles of harm result. The tool of mass deportation is not necessary and is abhorrent to followers of a nonviolent Jesus.
Once again, please pray for the migrants, immigrants, and refugees among us and welcome them with the fullness of Christian love, remembering that as we welcome these our brothers and sisters, we welcome Jesus our Lord.
Thank you.
Peace,
Daniel W. Schwerin, Bishop
Northern Illinois-Wisconsin Episcopal Area
The United Methodist Church
A Statement from First United Methodist Church of Elgin
February 2, 2025
At First United Methodist Church of Elgin, and in alignment with the Social Principles of the United Methodist Church and policies coming from the Northern Illinois Conference of the United Methodist Church, we reaffirm our commitment to welcoming the stranger, as scripture calls us to do. Jesus teaches in Matthew 25:35, “I was a stranger, and you welcomed me.” This passage continues in verse 40: “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
Our faith compels us to extend love, hospitality, and protection to all, regardless of background or circumstance. We are deeply troubled by recent immigration enforcement actions in our community, particularly those targeting individuals based on race, language, or appearance. Racial profiling and discrimination contradict the teachings of Jesus and undermine our shared humanity. As Archbishop Desmond Tutu reminds us, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” Silence is not an option for people of faith.
Some may ask why the church is addressing immigration. This is not about politics—it is about moral responsibility. The Bible consistently calls us to advocate for the oppressed and marginalized. Our commitment to justice is central to our Christian witness.
Our Policy and Commitment
First UMC – Elgin stands as a place of sanctuary and justice. We will not permit ICE, Homeland Security, or bounty hunters to enter our sacred space without a judicial warrant signed by a duly elected judge within the past 30 days. We also remind our community of their rights:
- You have the right to remain silent.
- You do not have to open your door without a judicial warrant.
- You have the right to speak to an attorney.
We reject harmful assumptions about citizenship. Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens by birth, yet many remain unaware of this fact. Citizenship cannot be determined by skin color, language, or accent. Immigration enforcement disproportionately impacts Black and brown communities, reinforcing systemic bias. However, fear is not limited to undocumented individuals. Many racial and ethnic minority citizens—both native-born and naturalized—worry that they, too, may be unjustly targeted, detained, or harassed. The reality that certain hairstyles, such as locs or braids, are associated with racial profiling only deepens these concerns. No one should feel unsafe in their own community because of how they look, speak, or where they were born.
We also understand that some of our volunteers and partners may not feel comfortable asking ICE agents to produce a judicial warrant. If that is your concern, please contact Dr. Felicia LaBoy at revlaboy@fumcelgin.org.
Moving Forward
We encourage our community to remain engaged without becoming overwhelmed. Systems of injustice rely on distraction and fatigue to weaken resistance. We urge you to:
- Focus on two or three key issues to avoid burnout.
- Seek wisdom from trusted experts and faith leaders.
- Pause before reacting—discernment leads to wisdom.
- Stay connected—change happens in community.
Together, let us pray for immigrants, enforcement officers, and our community. May we be instruments of God’s peace and justice for all.
Should you have any questions or need further information, please don’t hesitate to contact me at revlaboy@fumcelgin.org or 847-741-0038.
Sincerely,
Rev. Dr. Felicia Howell LaBoy
Lead Pastor/Life Coach
