📝 From the Pastor’s Desk

It’s Been a Week of Chaos and Uncertainty

Dear Holy Covenant,

This has been an incredibly difficult and heavy week for our city.

The arrival of ICE and Border Patrol agents in Charlotte has created widespread fear, chaos, and uncertainty. Parking lots emptied as families stayed inside. Many businesses closed their doors, some just to the public, others indefinitely. Schools across the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area saw thousands of children kept home out of fear for their safety.

We were told that ICE and Border Patrol were coming to arrest violent criminals. But that is not what our community witnessed. Instead, people were unlawfully detained while working, shopping for groceries, standing on sidewalks and in parking lots, and even while on church grounds. Our city was disrupted in profound ways, with early estimates suggesting that the economic impact may reach into the millions.

As of today, there is still uncertainty about whether these operations have ended or whether Border Patrol has indeed left Charlotte…

Peace and Blessings,

Rev. Christopher Czarnecki
Senior Pastor, Holy Covenant UCC

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