Mia and I left Windycon before 9AM on the morning of November 9. As we now regularly do, we went to St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Evanston, where we had been members from 1977 to 1997. I immediately saw that the church was very full for the Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost. The worship was as lovely as ever.

The Church is doing well, but the world has changed since we were last there in February. Evanston is just north of Chicago and so has been a target of Operation Midway Blitz. A few weeks ago the Rector had to phone several members of her staff and tell them not to come to work: She had been warned of a possible ICE raid. Just the Friday before (November 7) she had been one of the clergy visiting the Broadview Detention Center, asking that clergy be allowed to visit the detainees for prayer. The request was denied. After the service I heard her talking to a parishioner about another visit to Broadview. It was a very practical conversation about logistics. I had a sense of being in a war zone, much closer to the front lines than our home in Minnesota. You can hear more in her sermon.

It was not a “fun” visit, but I am really glad we went. We talked with several old friends. St. Luke’s has been important to us for decades, and we were there to support its ministry. As I mentioned, the church was quite full. Taking a firm stand against the evil works of the Trump administration has not scared people away. Quite the contrary. I have noticed the same in our current parish, St. Clement’s in St. Paul. That Sunday at St. Luke’s gave me new hope.