Knowing there are Christian Reformed pastors and churches in close proximity to the turmoil, tragedy and grief in Minneapolis where public clashes with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers resulted in two deaths in January, The Banner asked, ‘How do you live in this moment as Christ's church?’
Eli Groenendyk, pastor of discipleship at Calvary Christian Reformed Church in Edina, Minn., shared some responses, noting it’s “a challenging topic with so many layers.”
Groenendyk joined Calvary CRC in 2018 and he says he didn’t expect so many national headlines to be made just miles from where they worship. In 2020 George Floyd died 5 miles away; the Lake St. riots that year were 6 miles away; the site of a $250 million fraud exploiting a federally-funded child nutrition program in 2025 was 15 miles away; a 2025 shooting at Annunciation School that killed two children was 2 miles away; and the deaths of Renee Good on Jan. 7 and Alex Pretti on Jan. 24, were 6 miles away.
“As a pastor with the Reformed worldview that Jesus is Lord of every square inch and every sphere of society, and that we are sent to be salt and light in unsavory and dark places, I have been trying to discern the church’s role in our city,” Groenendyk wrote to The Banner.
He said his church developed a partnership with a local gospel-committed, Black church in 2020, making “a priority to meet with their pastor every month for conversation and prayer. We have sent volunteers to their food shelf and participated in their men’s prayer breakfast.”
“After the riots, some of us went to the Lake Street area and picked up trash that was stacking up on the local streets. One resident asked what we were doing and thanked us for helping out. We also raised money for local businesses that were looted.”
“After the Annunciation Catholic School shooting, we prayed for the school fervently. One of our church member’s grandchildren was at the school that day,” Groenendyk recalled.
The shooting happened just two miles from his own daughter’s school, which went into lockdown that day, her first day of junior kindergarten. “I still tear up thinking about the two families that lost their kids.”
“Now we are in the midst of a political and often physical battle between Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, protestors, Department of Homeland Security officers, local police, and politicians at the city, state, and federal level. Everyone has strong opinions. Everyone has strong emotions,” Groenendyk wrote. In the midst of that he asks, “How do we ‘do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God’ (Micah 6:8)?”
First, he says, remember that “every human is made in the image of God (Gen. 1:27) and deserves dignity and respect.”
Groenendyk emphasized dehumanizing rhetoric from any side—whether toward immigrants, protestors, or law enforcement—must be rejected. Rather, making direct connections and serving neighbors can guard against being influenced by dehumanizing speech, such as some leaders calling ICE officers "gestapo" or other leaders calling Somali immigrants "garbage."
“In 2024, our church formed a Good Neighbor Team to welcome a Somali family to Minnesota,” Groenendyk said. “The married couple had four kids between ages 11 and 5. They had been at a refugee camp in Kenya for 12 years, waiting to come to Minnesota where the wife’s sister lived. We welcomed them at the airport and got to witness a big hug between the sisters with tears of joy. They moved to a small apartment and the wife got a job at a salon and the husband got a job at the Hilton Hotel. I had many respectful conversations about Jesus and Muhammad with them. I learned about Islam, and they learned about Christianity. We helped them install an air conditioning unit in their window and helped them study for their driver’s test—the Minnesota one is tough! The kids improved their English and LOVED playing the game “Sorry!” with us.”
Likewise, Groenendyk conveyed distress over the group of protestors that entered and disrupted worship at Cities Church in St. Paul on Jan. 18. “I was at the church just three months ago for church planter training. I know their pastor personally. The church is committed to plant healthy, Christ-centered churches across the Twin Cities. The protestors targeted them because one of their elders works for ICE.”
Groenendyk insisted, “Good law enforcement is a good thing,” recalling Romans 13:4. “For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.”
“Good laws restrain evil. Lawlessness is a vice,” Groenendyk said, also acknowledging that “racially profiling people, wrongly detaining people, not having proper warrants, and using excessive force” is wrong, adding, “I hope this isn’t happening.”
“We lament the loss of life, the violence, and the brokenness of our city,” Groenendyk said, noting that like the past instances of national grief, after the shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, the church had a special prayer meeting.
“Nobody weaponized prayer for their politics, but we gathered in the unity of Christ and prayed for the peace and prosperity—the shalom—of our city (Jer. 29:7). We pray that our church, and all the other churches in the Twin Cities metro, can be children of the light that can shine the light of the gospel of Jesus into dark and hurting places.”
For all the hurt and the headlines, Groenendyk expressed love for the city of Minneapolis. “I’m grateful that God called us to raise our family here. We experience amazing Christians and churches doing incredible good for the glory of God.”