Bishop Sally Dyck sent an open letter to Illinois Governor Rauner asking that he reconsider his decision to temporarily stop accepting Syrian refugees to the state. “United Methodists across the world, including Germany, have been involved in resettling Syrians in our countries and states. It is part of our biblical tradition (Deuteronomy 10:17-19 and Luke 10:25-36) and our long history as people of faith (our global United Methodist Committee on Relief),” wrote Bishop Dyck. “Most Syrians are caught between the violence in their homeland and the refusal or difficulty of settling in a place of peace. These are families like yours and mine, longing to be safe and to have a future of peace.” Bishop Dyck also reminded the Governor that proper and diligent screening is necessary for all refugees entering the United States and has taken up to two years to complete in order to insure safety. Bishop Dyck asks all United Methodists across Northern Illinois to continue to pray for all Syrian refugees and Governor Rauner during this critical time of our history. Mayor Rahm Emanuel has signed on with 18 other mayors around the country, indicating that he is open for the city of Chicago to receive more refugees from Syria. Read Bishop Dyck’s entire letter. Read the UMC.org article – Speaking up for Syrian Refugees GBCS statement: umc-gbcs.org/quotes/on-the-refugee-crisis Read a personal reflection from the Northern Illinois Justice for Our Neighbors’ Supervising Attorney.