California-Nevada Conference | December 04, 2025
STOCKTON, Calif. — Following a devastating shooting on Saturday evening in Stockton that took the lives of four young people and left many others wounded, local United Methodist Churches and clergy have come together to offer support, care and love to the impacted community.
Rev. Ella Luna-Garza, pastor of Central UMC in Stockton, acted quickly when she heard the news, holding a time of silence during worship and gathering the worship team for a meeting following service to plan a prayer vigil for that afternoon.
On Sunday afternoon, Rev. Luna-Garza, joined by Pastor Darrell Arnold, Pastor of St. Paul's UMC in Stockton, took part in a prayer vigil lead by faith-based community organization, Faith in the Valley. At the vigil, faith leaders, community members and local officials gave words of support, prayer and calls for change.
Rev. Luna-Garza offered a prayer on behalf of Central UMC and United Methodists in the area. She began by reminding those gathered that change must begin with ourselves and with love, "If you want to see love, you gotta be love. If you want to see peace, you gotta be peace. If you want to see joy, you need to be joy and if you want to have mercy, you need to be merciful."
Later on Sunday afternoon, Central UMC hosted a Stockton Community Prayer Service in their sanctuary. Pastor Darrell Arnold, Rev. Jola Bortner, pastor of St. Mark's UMC in Stockton and Los Rios District Superintendent Rev. David Niu were all present for the service to offer care and support to the community. The service was a time for members of the community and the families of the victims to come together in a safe space to pray, share what they were feeling and find support. For Rev. Luna-Garza, offering support for the community comes down to one thing, "if the church isn't there when they need us, they'll never need us." The service was featured by local CBS 13 news in a video segment.
At this event, the congregation and Rev. Luna-Garza were able to connect with the aunt of one of the victims. They are working to find ways to continue to offer support and be a safe place to land for victim's families as they grieve these devastating losses.
We are grateful for the leadership of Rev. Luna-Garza and the partnership of Pastor Darrell Arnold and Rev. Jola Bortner as they, along with the United Methodist congregations of Stockton, show love, care and support for their community during this difficult time. Please continue to keep the community of Stockton in your prayers.
Hanna Widlund works in communications for the California-Nevada Conference of the United Methodist Church.