Presbyterian clergy in Minnesota are once again responding to a frightening situation. This time in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a city already marked by years of violence and trauma.
“We will not remain silent in the light of federal government actions,” said Meghan Gage-Finn, senior associate pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church.
“This is happening where we live and work.” — Meghan Gage-Finn
Gage-Finn and other Presbyterian leaders began speaking out after Renee Good, a 37-year-old poet and mother of three, was shot and killed by a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in downtown Minneapolis on January 7, 2026. Westminster Presbyterian Church, which Gage-Finn describes as “a spiritual home to the city,” is located just a mile and a half from where the shooting took place.
“This is happening where we live and work,” Gage-Finn said.
Mobilizing through interfaith and legal networks
In the days since the shooting, Westminster and other Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) congregations have leaned heavily on interfaith partnerships. Those partners, Gage-Finn said, are “standing united in the city where God has planted us.”
Westminster’s pastoral staff has shared immediate action steps with congregants, including connecting them with local resources such as the ACLU and a local immigrant law center, encouraging donations to food drives, and offering guidance on contacting elected officials.
Many church members, along with others in the community, had already been trained as legal observers and bystanders to witness ICE actions. That is reportedly what Renee Good and her wife, Becca Good, were doing at the time of the shooting.
Related reading: “In Minneapolis, clergy mobilize to manage ICE raids targeting Somali immigrants,” Fiona André and Ulaa Kuziez, Religion News Service
“Renee was a Christian who knew that all religions teach the same essential truth: we are here to love each other, care for each other, and keep each other safe and whole,” Becca Good said in a prepared statement the day after her wife died.
Though they had only been in the area for a year, Becca Good said they wanted to support their neighbors.
“We had whistles,” she said. “They had guns.”
Videos from last Wednesday show a masked federal ICE agent grasping the handle of Good’s car and ordering her to open the door. As she begins to pull away, footage shows another officer, also masked, pointing his gun at her and firing through the windshield.
Gage-Finn said interest in legal observer training has increased significantly since Good’s death.
A post on the Edgewater Presbyterian Church’s website states that Stated Clerk of the PC(USA) Jihyun Oh expressed “heartbreak and outrage” over Good’s killing, calling her a “child of God” and demanding accountability.
In a statement from the Office of Public Witness, Good was remembered as “a widow of a veteran, a wife and a mother who put herself in harm’s way not out of any desire to do harm, but to observe and bear witness to the actions of ICE.”
“We affirm the right to peaceful protest and lawful observation for all Americans, without the threat of repressive or deadly responses by government and law enforcement authorities,” the statement reads.
“I’m not mad at you.” — Renee Good’s last words, captured on video
“Ms. Good was one of us … Her last words, captured on video, were, ‘I’m not mad at you.’”
Growing fear and presbytery-wide response
News reports indicate that ICE activity continues to increase in Minneapolis and across Minnesota, fueling fear and anxiety in immigrant communities.
ICE is “roaming our city streets welding their cruel and merciless power,” Gage-Finn said.
“It’s a pretty scary time,” said Zachary Wilson, pastor and co-executive presbyter of the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area. “This is hyperlocal to us. The raids are targeted, quick, and brutal.”
Wilson described ICE agents pulling people violently from their cars.
“I just learned that one of our congregations had a Sudanese refugee member abducted by ICE,” Wilson said. “He’s already in Texas at a detention facility.
“We want ICE to leave. They are creating an unsafe environment with intimidation designed to terrorize the population in retribution for not being Trump’s allies,” Wilson said. “Minnesota is being targeted, and it is racially motivated.”
Related reading: “Clergy response to border patrol in Charlotte” by Patrice Gaines, Outlook reporting
The presbytery issued a statement the day of the shooting, calling for resistance “with hands and hearts, with marches and voices,” while also urging practical, local responses. Among them: donating sand and salt to the neighborhood where Good was shot to help keep protesters and safety volunteers from slipping on icy streets.
“This is a very specific Minnesota way to keep people safe while protesting in the area,” said Anna Kendig Flores, co-executive presbyter.
Flores described the presbytery’s response as grounded in what she called “holy outrage.”
“This is hyperlocal to us. The raids are targeted, quick, and brutal.” — Zachary Wilson
“Minnesota is known as a state that is welcoming to refugees and immigrants. It grieves our congregants to see beloved places in peril,” she said.
The presbytery has echoed calls from ISAIAH, a statewide multiracial and multifaith organizing group, for a local investigation into the shooting, for ICE to leave the state, and for the U.S. Congress to hold the current administration accountable.
Congregations respond locally
Other Presbyterian congregations across the Twin Cities are also responding.
Kristin Riegel, pastor of St. Luke Presbyterian Church in Minnetonka, a suburb eight miles west of Minneapolis, said ICE has been active in her area, as well. The congregation, she said, is experiencing deep grief and anxiety following Good’s death.
St. Luke has a long history in the sanctuary movement, having housed a refugee from Central America for nearly 25 years. Today, the church wants to “protect our migrant neighbors and stand up to ICE,” Riegel said.
This Sunday, the session will host a community listening session and propose concrete actions, including placing signage in the parking lot and inside the church, designating safe areas, supporting restaurants and other businesses owned by migrants, and strengthening coalitions with other organizations.
Related reading: “Chicago pastors confront escalating violence at ICE detention facility,” Harriet Riley, Outlook reporting
“I’m proud of the people of Minneapolis and Minnesota for standing together and showing that love is greater than fear,” Riegel said. “That brings hope in the midst of a dire situation.”
Another congregation, Peace Presbyterian Church in St. Louis Park, has faced ICE activity directly. According to Wilson, ICE agents used the church’s parking lot as a staging area without permission. The presbytery has since provided legal advice and guidance regarding signage in response to the parking lot occupation.
Flores said the presbytery is also urging members to join ISAIAH and other local organizations in an economic blackout planned for January 23.
Gage-Finn’s congregation in the heart of downtown has called for a special session meeting on Thursday to declare the church’s position on recent events in the city.
“I’m proud of the people of Minneapolis and Minnesota for standing together and showing that love is greater than fear.” — Kristen Riegel
“This is a very, very difficult time for Minneapolis,” Gage-Finn said. “We remain committed to the values of our faith.”
The co-executive presbyters Flores and Wilson said this: “…our call is to organize locally, one block at a time if needed, to care for one another and call for justice for Renee and every single one of our neighbors whose civil rights are being trampled.”
