In Sympathy: Martin Deppe
Rev. Martin Deppe, a retired member of the Northern Illinois Conference, passed away on Friday, October 23, 2026.
UPDATE: February 2026
We are deeply grateful for the generous response of the Northern Illinois Conference. We distributed $60,000.
These gifts enabled us to distribute three rounds of support directly and compassionately to the 20 Hispanic/Latinx churches and ministries within our conference, while also extending support to other communities experiencing similar hardship. Assistance focused on immediate and critical needs, including rent, bill payment, food, transportation, legal fees, and essential support for families in crisis.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the churches, clergy, and laity across the conference who have responded with compassion and generosity. Your faithful giving was more than a financial contribution; it was a testimony of love, unity, and shared commitment to our Hispanic/Latinx communities. Thank you for standing alongside our immigrant siblings and for embodying the gospel in such a tangible and transformative way. This is the church at its best: listening, responding, and standing together.
In a time marked by uncertainty and fear, we continue to practice hope, not as an abstract idea, but as faithful action rooted in love.
In these difficult days, it has become increasingly dangerous for our Hispanic/Latine neighbors to leave their homes—including for work, which results in lost pay; to take children to their school bus stops; to shop for groceries; and to attend worship services.
To provide some relief, Bishop Schwerin has established an Emergency Solidarity Fund. It will assist primarily Hispanic/Latine people (but also other immigrants) who are increasingly vulnerable. (Read the Bishop's article here.) Gifts from this fund will help people with whom our churches directly minister and those in our towns and neighborhoods.
This fund will be collecting funds through Jan. 16, 2026. The goal is for the first round of funds to be distributed in early November 2025.
Please consider giving to this fund as a way to follow Jesus’s commandment to love our neighbors.
Donations are no longer being accepted. Thank you to all who gave.
Watch a video from our Bishop regarding the fund.
For more information or questions please contact the Northern Illinois Conference Connectional Ministries Office.