Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Nov 25, 2006
POMONA - The drive-by killing of a 3-year-old boy Sunday could become the catalyst for Pomona's churches to work together.
Churches in this city often operate separately to help the community by feeding the hungry and reaching out to troubled youth.
Photo Gallery: Mourners hold vigil for drive-by victim
Video: Vigil held for 3-year-old killed in drive-by
But when a tragic event occurs - like Ethan Esparza's shooting - congregations stop to reflect.
"We just ask ourselves, 'Are we doing enough?"' said Glenn Gunderson, senior pastor at First Baptist Church of Pomona.
Last week a group of local church leaders called on community members - including other clergy and their congregations - to come together and discuss violence and other issues facing the city.
The goal of Thursday's meeting at Lincoln Avenue Community Church is to find ways churches can help make Pomona a better place to live in, organizers said.
"I have to admit, we are isolated," Gunderson said. "There probably is a need for greater networking."
All houses of worship could benefit from coming together, but it's not common practice, he said.
"It's not for lack of desire," Gunderson said. "We need to take the time to do that."
Among the congregations that haven't been as active in addressing the city's gang and violence issues are some of Pomona's Catholic churches.
Now, parishioners of St. Madeleine's Catholic Church, in the eastern part of the city, may find Ethan's death having an impact on them.
Ethan's relatives attend St. Madeleine's and his funeral will be held at the church Tuesday, said the Rev. Alex Aclan.
That fact, plus a recent drive-by shooting near the church, make violence an issue that parishioners may want to discuss soon.
In October, just as an evening service was about to begin, shots were fired outside the church. At the time, Aclan was leading a procession.
"Someone came up and said to me 'Father, they're shooting outside!"' Aclan recalled.
Parishioners rushed inside the church and closed the doors behind them. No one was injured and the service continued, Aclan said.
In his five years at the church, Aclan said he'd heard of problem apartment complexes or break-ins, but never crimes of this magnitude.
"We've been pretty much insulated," he said.
St. Madeleine's parishioners, who are active in One LA -an organization that focuses on bringing people together to tackle problems linked to housing, education or crime that impacts families - will surely discuss the two incidents at house meetings, Aclan said.
Being able to talk about such issues with other church groups is something that could be beneficial, he said.
At Pomona's Sacred Heart Catholic Church, the Rev. Juan Silva said parishioners have been more involved in the activities of One LA-Industrial Areas Foundation than Pomona-specific groups.
The organization focuses on bringing people together to tackle problems linked to housing, education or crime that affect families.
Gang activity hasn't been at the top of concerns for those in One LA through Sacred Heart parish, Silva said.
"If everybody brought up gangs we would have to focus on that," he said.
In his 7 1/2 years at Sacred Heart, gangs or youth violence haven't been a focus of church programs, he said.
During that same period Silva has conducted five or six funerals for people who have been victims of street violence.
Silva said the exact circumstances surrounding those cases aren't clear to him, even though he has asked relatives about the deaths and whether gang activity played a role.
At Shield of Faith Christian Center, located in the western part of the city, Bishop Henry Alexander said the church is looking for ways to give young people alternatives to negative behavior.
Often individual churches find they have a particular need they can fill, he said.
"Niches sometime are the most effective" way of dealing with some problems, Alexander said.
Bringing various churches together may not produce results for addressing some of the city's problems, Alexander said, but he's open to the idea of meeting and networking with others.
"I'd be willing to consider collaboration," Alexander said.
He just doesn't want to see any red tape come from working together.
"What we don't need is another bureaucracy and a failed effort," Alexander said.
At First Christian Church, members have been reaching out to neighbors for several years trying to determine what some of the community's needs are, said Pastor Mike Fronk.
Along the way, Fronk and others have found that even though people see problems, many times they think there are no solutions.
The church, working with its neighbors and One LA, is trying to help residents realize they can be agents for change, Fronk said.
"People really aren't engaged in public life in Pomona," he said. "I think there's been a life of passivity for so long they feel they can't make change."