A far-left pastor of a Florida United Methodist Church lit a candle wrapped in barbed wire in honor of accused MS-13 gang member and alleged wife beater Kilmar Abrego Garcia during his Easter Sunday service, saying the United States government “kidnapped” him.
The sermon was given by Rev. Andy Oliver of Allendale United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg, where he compared the El Salvadoran illegal alien to one of the criminals who were crucified alongside Jesus Christ before his Resurrection:
Rev. Andy Oliver (he/him/his), pastor of Allendale United Methodist Church in St Petersburg, Florida, lights a candle wrapped in barbed wire in honor of alleged wife beater Kilmar Abrego Garcia—during his EASTER church service.
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) April 21, 2025
"We continue to pray for Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who… pic.twitter.com/LZvHbQBCoc
“We continue to pray for Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who the Supreme Court has ordered must be returned home after our government unlawfully kidnapped him,” Oliver said.
Scripture tells us that on Good Friday, Jesus promised a thief hanging beside him that they would be together in paradise. And while we don’t expect paradise from our government, we do expect due process. While we do not need our leaders to emulate the grace of Jesus, we yearn for any official who wears a cross to speak words that mirror Jesus’s mercy and compassion — instead of Pontius Pilate’s fear and contemptment [sic].
Jesus declared, ‘The truth will set you free.’ So God, make every government official tell the truth — that these detention centers have more in common with concentration camps than with prisons.
Abrego Garcia’s wife, an American citizen, accused him of beating, scratching, and ripping her clothes off in a 2021 court document requesting an order of protection, Breitbart News reported.
On top of being an alleged abuser, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported that Abrego Garcia was arrested with “rolls of cash and drugs” on him along with “two other members of MS-13” before he was transferred to El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) in March of this year:
1. When Garcia was arrested he was found with rolls of cash and drugs.
— Tricia McLaughlin (@TriciaOhio) April 16, 2025
2. He was arrested with two other members of MS-13.
3. Two judges found that he was a member of MS-13. That finding has not been disturbed.
4. When arrested he was wearing what is effectively MS-13’s uniform. pic.twitter.com/iDY7jP371Y
“Two judges found that he was a member of MS-13. That finding has not been disturbed,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “When arrested, he was wearing what is effectively MS-13’s uniform.”
Despite the serious allegations against him and his illegal non-citizen status in Maryland, progressive lawmakers and churches have thrown their support behind Abrego Garcia.
A review of Allendale United Methodist Church’s Facebook page revealed a trove of far-left agenda-pushing, including a photo of their welcome sign stating “RESURRECTION ISN’T A METAPHOR — IT IS A JAILBREAK. FREE IMMIGRANTS NOW”:
If your celebration of Easter resurrection is compatible with the disappearing of immigrants, you might be doing it wrong.
Posted by Allendale UMC – St. Petersburg on Saturday, April 19, 2025
Rev. Oliver has also directed illegal aliens on how to evade Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention, speaking at a St. Petersburg council meeting with an “ABOLISH ICE” shirt and projecting an “ABOLISH ICE” message on the side of his church building:
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS: If St. Petersburg Police detain you without probable cause, ask ‘Am I free to go?’ and then walk away. And if anyone is unlawfully detained under this new ICE administrative warrant policy, we will ensure you have top legal counsel and that this city pays for violating your constitutional rights. Pastor Andy spoke to this today at City Council. SPPD’s new ICE policy and his full speech is in the comments.
Posted by Allendale UMC – St. Petersburg on Thursday, March 13, 2025
Cooperating with ICE does harm. Do no harm!
Posted by Allendale UMC – St. Petersburg on Tuesday, March 11, 2025
Another recent post congratulated Sen. Corey Booker’s (D-NJ) recent 25-hour anti-Trump marathon speech on the Senate floor, saying he was “praying with his feet” as he spoke from the podium:
24 hours and going… praying with his feet ️
Posted by Allendale UMC – St. Petersburg on Tuesday, April 1, 2025
The Methodist church also takes part in LGTBQ pride, with the official page posting church members posing with drag queens at such events:
Great day at Pride at the Village! Thank you John Gascot for organizing a wonderful event!
Posted by Allendale UMC – St. Petersburg on Saturday, March 1, 2025
In a celebration of “Transgender Day of Visibility” the church posted graphics claiming that “transness show us the image of a transformational and transcendent God”:
Happy Trans Day of Visibility ️⚧️
Posted by Allendale UMC – St. Petersburg on Monday, March 31, 2025
Olivia Rondeau is a politics reporter for Breitbart News based in Washington, DC. Find her on X/Twitter and Instagram.
