Take these local church action items from the resolutions approved at the 2026 Michigan Annual Conference and act on them in faith.
Lay and clergy members of the Michigan Annual Conference voted on a range of business matters, including several items and resolutions calling for action at the local church level. This article summarizes the action items for local churches to share with their members as reminders of all the good we accomplished together as United Methodists and disciples of Jesus Christ.
Gardens of Hope Campaign Extended
One year after approving a campaign to raise $215,000 for ministry partners in Haiti, members approved a motion from the floor to extend the campaign following an update from the Michigan Haiti Task Force. Nearly $110,000 has been raised so far by more than 150 churches, but that is still $105,000 and about 370 congregations short of the goal.
>>ACTION ITEMS: The goal is for every United Methodist church in Michigan to give at least $350 to this connectional campaign by the end of 2027. Learn more and give now to support the campaign. Watch for details about a bike ride fundraiser scheduled for Labor Day weekend.
R#2025-8, “Support for Greater Accountability in Immigration Enforcement in Michigan”
This resolution was approved on the consent calendar, and the rationale cited Bishop David Bard’s public testimony before the Michigan Senate on November 6, 2025, in support of the three state bills listed below. Read Bishop Bard’s testimony.
Here is the approved resolution:
The Michigan Conference of The United Methodist Church supports the following Michigan Senate and U.S. House of Representatives Bills:
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- Michigan Senate Bill 508 would designate schools, places of worship, hospitals, courthouses, and organizations providing services to pregnant women, victims of crime, or disabled individuals as protected spaces from immigration enforcement, unless there is imminent public danger or a judicial warrant.
- Michigan Senate Bill 509 would protect the privacy of personal information by prohibiting government entities from giving personal identifying information to others for the purposes of immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant.
- Michigan Senate Bill 510 would prevent law enforcement officers from wearing masks to conceal their identity unless they are conducting an undercover operation or other permissible instances.
- U.S. HR 1061 – protect immigrant families and communities – support the Sensitive Location Act.
Further, The Michigan Conference’s Board of Justice and Immigration Task Force will provide opportunities for Michigan United Methodists to advocate for the passage of these bills into law.
>>ACTION ITEMS: Contact your state senator and ask them to support Bills 508, 509, and 510. Find your senator and reach out to them. Contact your U.S. representative and ask them to support HR 1061. Find your representative and reach out to them. Watch for more details from the Board of the Justice and Immigration Task Force. Contact the Board of Justice and Immigration Task Force with any questions or for information on how to get involved.
R#2025-9, “Call for End to Racial Profiling by ICE”
This resolution was approved, with a rationale rooted in Scripture and our United Methodist Social Principles, which call us to condemn racism and reject laws and policies that marginalize or discriminate against individuals or communities based on perceived racial or ethnic differences.
Here is the approved resolution:
The Michigan Conference of the United Methodist Church calls for immediate actions to put an end to ICE’s current practice of employing racial profiling in their immigration enforcement and detention procedures as such discrimination is completely immoral and is completely counter to The United Methodist Church’s Social Principles.
First, we call upon Michigan United Methodists to communicate the following message to the U.S. President and Michigan’s members of congress. Second, we authorize the Conference secretary to send the message to the U.S. President, U.S. Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, and Michigan’s U.S. senators and congressional representatives. Third, we authorize the Conference secretary to send the message to the President of the Council of Bishops.
Statement calling for an end to ICE racial profiling as an immigration enforcement practice (as inspired by a statement by the Greater Detroit District, Church & Society Committee)
“The Michigan Conference of The United Methodist Church calls for the United States Government to take aggressive executive/legislative actions to put a prompt end to the ICE egregious practice of racial profiling in its immigration enforcement strategies and tactics for targeting and restraining individuals for possible detention and deportation.”
“ICE must be prevented from making immigration stops merely based on someone’s appearance, language spoken or where they work. ICE should not have the license to seize anyone on the basis of appearance, speaks a language other than English, happens to be black or brown, lives in a majority minority community, or appears to work in a low wage job.”
“We cannot stand passively idle and tolerate masked federal agents, with perceived legal impunity, seizing, detaining and interrogating people, including U.S. citizens, based merely on how they look. It violates a fundamental American value of equal protection and treatment under the law.”
”We call on the U.S. President (through executive order) and the Secretary of Homeland Security (through the agency code of conduct statement) to immediately cease all racial profiling practices currently being pervasively employed as an immigration enforcement tactic.”
“We call on the congress of the United States to pass legislation that prohibits racial profiling in any government (federal and state) law enforcement activity.”
>>ACTION ITEMS: Contact the U.S. president and your U.S senators and representatives using the suggested statement above. Send a message to President Trump. Find your senators and representatives and reach out to them.
R#2025-10, “Active Support for the People of Ukraine”
This resolution was approved, with a rationale rooted in a call to stay actively committed to supporting our siblings in Ukraine during this horrific humanitarian crisis that has enveloped the people since February 2022.
Here is the approved resolution:
In the spirit of the United Methodist Social Principles (¶165.C) which state, “We believe war is incompatible with the teachings and example of Christ.”
Following the call of the Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church which urges all congregations to pray, fast, and support the people of Ukraine, as well as the work of the United Methodist Church in Ukraine and neighboring countries;
And responding to the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) efforts to provide grants aiding Ukrainians need for food, water, medicine, loss of heat, electricity and shelter during the war.
The Michigan Annual Conference is urged to reaffirm its solidarity with the people of Ukraine and United Methodists in the Eurasia region in their struggle for peace, justice, and survival. Also, all local churches are encouraged to continue lifting up the people of Ukraine in worship and prayer.
Furthermore, be it resolved that the Michigan Conference invite all churches and members to actively support the humanitarian efforts by contributing to UMCOR Advance #982450 (International Disaster Response); To facilitate this the Michigan Conference UMC is asked to provide links to UMCOR and other donation sites.
>>ACTION ITEMS: Local churches are encouraged to continue lifting up the people of Ukraine in worship and prayer. Download resources from Discipleship Ministries. Continued financial giving to support ongoing United Methodist humanitarian relief is also requested. Give now to UMCOR Advance #982450, trusting that 100% of donations go toward this relief effort.
R#2025-11, “Advocate for Responsible Pentagon Spending”
This resolution was approved on the consent calendar, and the rationale stated that funds spent on militarization could be better used to address problems Michigan families face daily, such as the availability of affordable health insurance and housing, as well as the high cost of groceries.
Here is the approved resolution:
We urge Michigan United Methodists to consider a meaningful strategy for engaging their local congregation in faithful conversation, study and prayerful reflection on matters related to war and military service (see Social Principles: The Political Community, Section F). Furthermore, we urge conversation participants to consider an active response such as the following letter that can be sent to their U.S. Representatives and Senators Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin to encourage them to support responsible budgets in the Defense and Energy/nuclear weapons Departments for our national security.
Congress: 202-224-3121 peters.senate.gov, 202-224-6221 slotkin.senate.gov, 202-224-4822 Contact your Representative via lastname.house.gov
Please send messages similar to the following:
As a voter and United Methodist, I disapprove of proposals to increase defense spending by $500 billion for 2027. That increase is more than China, Russia, and Iran spend on their militaries combined.
I fear that this move to raise defense spending by 50% to about $1.5 trillion for 2027 will cost roughly $37,000 per household over ten years. But many Michiganians struggle to pay for healthcare, housing, and education.
I agree with our United Methodist Social Principles: “We grieve that in a world where so many live in poverty, governments continue to dedicate enormous resources to preparing for and conducting wars. We are especially distressed by the proliferation of nuclear weapons and call not only for an end to their production, but for their complete elimination.”
We do not need to spend $1.7 trillion on the modernization and upgrading of our entire nuclear arsenal. We need bold actions to reverse the buildup of nuclear arms.
A majority of Americans support reducing Pentagon spending if the reductions wouldn’t harm military personnel and their families.
The $1.5 trillion dollar budget for the Departments of Defense and Energy/nuclear weapons is unnecessary. To have responsible national security, I urge you to work towards lower Pentagon budgets, driven by a more intelligent and restrained foreign policy, and a more economical approach to producing weapons.
Please inform me how you will work to responsibly rein in spending our taxes for national security.
Sincerely,
>>ACTION ITEMS: Contact your U.S senators and representatives using the suggested letter above. Find your senators and representatives and reach out to them.
R#2025-12, “Humanitarian Aid for Gaza and the West Bank”
This resolution was approved with a rationale rooted in Scripture and in our call to pray and actively advocate for peace in the Holy Land and access to humanitarian aid for Palestinians.
Here is the approved resolution:
We urge Michigan United Methodists to ask their U.S. Senators and Representatives to support the passage of the UNRWA Funding Emergency Restoration Act, S. 898 and H.R. 2411, to rescind the temporary pause and to restore future funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency. In addition to members writing individual letters, we authorize the conference secretary to send letters to all Michigan U.S. Representatives and Senators Peters and Slotkin.
We implore members of Congress to publicly call for full humanitarian access into all parts of Gaza and the West Bank to ensure that adequate food, fuel, medicine, clean water, and shelter are available for Palestinian civilians who are in desperate need.
>>ACTION ITEMS: Contact your U.S senators and representatives and ask them to support the passage of the UNRWA Funding Emergency Restoration Act, S. 898 and H.R. 2411. Find your senators and representatives and reach out to them.
The publication of this article was made possible thanks to generous financial gifts from local United Methodist churches in Michigan through Ministry Shares. Thank you! Learn about the impact of Ministry Shares on mission and ministry in Michigan and around the world.
Last Updated on July 14, 2026