Immigration and migration have been intricately entwined with the human experience throughout history. Trinity Wilmette is launching “Welcoming the Stranger,” a multi-week current event series exploring the complex dynamics of immigration through diverse perspectives. The series features experts, scholars, and community leaders to help us understand immigration challenges and inspire informed action. (St. John's is a cooperating organization for this series.)

Welcoming the Stranger with Claudia Marchan
Sun., Jan. 19 – 3:30 pm

Claudia Marchan, Executive Director for Northern Illinois Justice for Our Neighbors, will share her experience working with NIJFON to advocate for people seeking freedom, safety, and opportunity in the United States.  She will provide insights on US and IL state laws and their impact on immigrants and communities.

Video Presentation and Live Discussion “Desde Cero: The Migrant Journey in Chicago”
Facilitated by Professor Katy Arnold of DePaul University
Sun., Feb. 2 – 3:00 pm 

A video presentation of the NBC documentary “Desde Cero – The Migrant Journey In Chicago” (1 hour), followed by a presentation and discussion.  Professor Katy Arnold will provide an overview of the current migrant situation in Chicago and America, why it is happening, and common misunderstandings related to migrant rights in the US.

Chicago Mosaic and Dr. Amy Tyson – Immigration Stories  in Chicago of Objects Kept, Lost, or Left Behind
Sun., Feb. 16 – 3:30 pm

Join author Dr. Amy Tyson in discussing Chicago Mosaic: Immigration Stories of Objects Kept, Lost, or Left Behind (2023). Chicago is made, to a large extent, of the stark regrets and hopes of immigrants. These stories remind us that immigrants are people and that the United States is largely made of immigrants and their descendants.

Book Study – Welcoming the Stranger Edited by Ori Z Soltes and Rachel Stern
Facilitated by Rev. Dr. David Handley
Sun., Mar. 2 – 3:30 pm
Book: The essays in Welcoming the Stranger explore immigration from historical, theoretical, theo­logical, and practical perspectives, offering an enlightening and compelling discussion of what the Abrahamic traditions teach us regarding welcoming people we don’t know.

Immigration Stories with Community Leader Martha Name
Sun., Mar. 16 – 3:30 pm

Martha Name is a Community Services Organizer and property manager who has instituted a thriving community program in a HUD-subsidized 310-unit building named Lakeside Square Apartments in Uptown. Residents today are primarily immigrants from Africa and Southeast Asia but have changed over the years.

In partnership with SaLT, the City of Highland Park, the Village of Wilmette, and the Village of Winnetka, we invite you to participate in the "Take Care" Packages Project. This effort is designed to assist migrants, who recently have been arriving via bus from Texas to Chicago suburbs while they await transfer to the Chicago Processing Center. 

The "Take Care" Packages are a tangible expression of our community’s care for others. We recognize the challenges faced when arriving in a new community, state, or country, so we aim to ease transitions by providing essential items promoting well-being and comfort. Each “Take Care” Package will serve family needs, but also symbolize our collective commitment to fostering a supportive and inclusive environment for all.

St. John's is a drop-off and volunteer point for the “ Take Care” Package Project. Your generosity and support can impact the lives of those in need. Here is a specific list of requested donations:

• Non-Perishable Food/Drink
  • Bottled water, granola bars, packaged healthy snacks
• Personal Items
  • Face masks, Travel-size first aid kits, Travel-size Hand sanitizers/wipes, Travel-size Advil and Tylenol, Travel-size toothbrushes/toothpaste, Travel-sized lotion, chapstick, and soap/shampoos
• General
  • Flashlights with extra batteries

St. John's hosts an annual concert, GoodFest, which features good music and good bbq, all for a good cause, Family Promise North Shore Chicago. Their mission is to help families with children in homeless situations return quickly to permanent housing. 

Family Promise provides shelter, meals, job search assistance, and other support for families in our community while working to address the root causes of their homelessness.

With partners like Tributosaurus, Antler Chandelier and the Backyard BBQ alll joining in, GoodFest it will be a great time. So join us Saturday, Sept. 14  2024 at 5:00 PM. Tickets are $30 in advance and $40 at the door. Bring your friends and family! Get your tickets now!

Please join members of First Presbyterian Church and St. John's Lutheran Church of Wilmette for this four-week Zoom class, led by The Rev. Andrew Packman.  Pastor Andrew, a PhD student at the University of Chicago Divinity School, is writing his dissertation on race and the gospel. The class will gather from 7:30 to 8:45 pm on four consecutive Thursday nights beginning on October 22, 2020, and running through November 12, 2020. Each class will include 45 minutes of presentation, 15 minutes of breakout conversations and 15 minutes of wrap-up time. The presentation in each session will be recorded and viewable later on YouTube. 

This class is designed as a primer on race in American life. We’ll explore the history of race as an idea, identify the different forms racism has taken throughout American history, and reckon with the enduring racial legacy of Chicagoland’s housing market. As Americans, we’ll learn how to have more intelligent conversations about one of the most combustible and confusing issues in national life. And as Christians, we’ll learn to think theologically about the way that race continues to order our world, infusing its evil into even our most seemingly innocent choices.  

The St. John’s Justice Team is hosting a four-part education series October 11, 18, 25, and November 1, 2020, that touches on multiple forms of institutional racism, including housing and education. All are invited to join us from 11 am to 12 pm each Sunday morning on this Zoom link (Meeting ID: 706 849 468, Passcode: 903886).  Through this series, we hope to learn more about how the North Shore has come to be so lacking in racial and economic diversity, how efforts to work against historical injustices have been received, and how we might work to create a more inclusive community. 

October 25

Cindy Levine, President of the Wilmette League of Women Voters and Caroline Goldstein, the League’s Affordable Housing Committee Chair, will give us an overview of the current landscape of affordable housing in Wilmette and an update on the process of reinstating the Village’s Housing and Human Relations Commissions. We would love to have you join us!

November 1

Dino Robinson, Founder and Director of the Shorefront Legacy Center in Evanston, will offer a presentation on the subject of reparations and how the city of Evanston is actively involved in addressing this issue. Mr. Robinson will set aside time for questions and comments. This promises to be a most enlightening discussion about this timely topic.