It was a packed house at First Congregational Church in St. Joseph on Wednesday night as Interfaith Action of Southwest Michigan held a solidarity rally for Minneapolis and the immigrant community.

Interfaith Action teamed up with Southwest Michigan Indivisible, the Berrien Immigrant Solidarity Network, and the OutCenter of Southwest Michigan for a vigil of support, prayer, testimony, and action. Clergy from several faiths spoke out, including the Reverend Jeffrey Hubers, president of Interfaith Action of Southwest Michigan and Pastor of First Congregational Church.

“This is about support, it’s about our fellow human being, it’s about supporting our migrant neighbor, but really we’re doing what we believe our faith traditions invite us to,” Hubers said.

Hubers said he was encouraged to see the message of the event resonating with people.

“It’s always great to see a variety of folks come together and I’m just, again, I’m very grateful for just people willing to live into those connections and that solidarity.”

Speakers asked supporters to oppose any stepped immigration enforcement effort that might occur close to home. The OutCenter’s Gerik Maverick told us he’s seeing people around Southwest Michigan getting more activated and involved the past few years.

“I think faith brings people together, and I think in this moment where people are having a lot of reasons to lose faith, having those lights, those moments of hope, those moments of coming together in unity are really, really important,” Maverick said.

And Maverick said the turnout Wednesday gave him some faith.

“I feel like folks are getting more activated, getting more organized and you know now it’s up to us to do something with all that energy and I’m really excited about the folks that are stepping up in this moment to do so.”

Attendees were urged to learn more about non-violent resistance and to help those in need. You can learn more at Interfaith Action of Southwest Michigan’s website.