Standing In Solidarity and Holy Defiance

We stand in support and solidarity with DSF/CST graduates Revs. Tanya and Al Lopez, and all our students and alumni who are denouncing and standing up against the immigration raids throughout Southern California and across the country. 

On June 11, plainclothes men in tactical gear, masks, and guns showed up at Downey Memorial Christian Church (DMCC), where Tanya is the Senior Pastor and Al the Administrative Pastor, and detained and removed a man without any explanation. “By the time I saw him, he was already on the ground with three armed, masked, unidentifiable men surrounding him,” Tanya said. “I decided to engage, just trying to keep asking questions, asking people to identify themselves, and to tell me why they were taking him.” 

Tanya continued to talk to the men but had to back away when one of them pointed a gun at her. “ We’re nonviolently meeting the moment because that is what historically we have been taught by our teachers, our rabbis, our pastors, our imams, that we do not come out violently,” she said. “We come out with courage of conviction, and we say that this is not the way.”

Tanya called the experience “extremely scary” because the man who was removed from the church parking lot was “completely alone and had we not at least tried to see if we could call someone for him, there would be absolutely no record of him having been taken. These are essentially abductions, and they are being done rapidly and indiscriminately based almost purely on the color of people’s skin.”

On June 15, five DSF/CST graduates answered the call and showed up at DMCC to worship with the community. “It was important for me to show up because I wanted Downey Memorial [Christian Church] to know that they are not alone,” said Rev. Julie Davis (M.Div./2021) “And in particular I wanted them to know that my church stands in solidarity with them even though our congregants, right now at least, are not directly vulnerable to these overreaches of power. If you come for anyone in my CST, DSF, or DOC community, you’re coming for me too, and I’m going to respond — because we are all connected in our deep love for justice and compassion.” 

Rev. Gabriel Lopez (M.Div./2016), the Pastor at Iglesia Cristiana del Este de Whittier (Discipulos de Cristo), said he attended DMCC’s worship in a show of unity. “We need each other in times of crisis, and my – our – community is in crisis” he said. “The man they took could have been a member of my church. He could have been a member of my family. He could be a neighbor. By supporting DMCC, I felt like my congregation and I were supporting this unknown man and the rest of our community members who have been taken. We are supporting the family members of those who have been taken. We are supporting those who are living in anxiety of what is next. We supported DMCC, this unknown man, and the immigrant community because that’s what Jesús would have done and that’s what He calls us to do.”

The Bible reminds us, again and again, to treat strangers and immigrants with love, mercy, hospitality, and justice. As Rev. Lori Tapia, National Pastor for Obra Hispana*, shared in her pastoral letter on June 17: “In this time, let us rise, not in hatred nor violence, but in holy defiance and the power of the Holy Spirit. Let us be a sanctuary people, a people of peace, justice, and presence. Let us be the body of Christ, showing love to everyone and in everything. Let us pray for all those who suffer during this time, including the agents and lawmakers, and for a just and dignified resolution to what we are experiencing today, for the benefit of all.”Obra Hispana is collecting donations for legal fees, groceries, and other needs of congregations and communities. To donate, please visit this link. (Note: Select “Immigration Response” in the designation option.) 

*Obra Hispana is a group of Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) churches united in covenant, shared interests, culture, distinctive worship, distinct languages, and theological differences centered on Christ. They are a theological and social voice for the Hispanic people, and feel called to respond to the needs, realities, and challenges of the Spanish-speaking community in the US and Canada with a sense of support, commitment, and affirmation of the dignity of the Hispanic community.

Five DSF/CST graduates and a CMS/DMS graduate attended worship service at Downey Memorial Christian Church on June 15. Pictured are all the pastors who were present.