United Methodists are still reeling over the Nov. 7 shooting of 13 people at a Thousand Oaks, Calif., bar frequented by college students. The dead include a 21-year-old student with ties to United Methodist Church Westlake Village in California.
Vigil Candles
Photo Courtesy of Jim Burklo
A joint vigil planned for Nov. 9 was postponed because of the threat of wildfires around Thousand Oaks. A notice from the California-Pacific Annual Conference asked churches and individuals to hold vigils at their local venues. Another vigil planned for Nov. 10 at United Methtodist Church Westlake Village likewise was postponed because of wildfire evacuation orders.
Among the victims was Noel Sparks, 21, who grew up in UMC Westlake Village. Her death was announced via a Facebook post:
"It is with heavy hearts that we notify you that Noel Sparks was among the victims of last night's shooting. We grieve with Tony Sparks and Wendy Anderson."
The Los Angeles Daily News identified Ms. Sparks as a student at Moorpark College and quoted the UMC Westlake Village's pastor:
"Rev. Dr. Walter Dilg, senior pastor at the United Methodist Church, said Noel Sparks was active at the church during her childhood years, serving at the choir and Sunday groups. But when she got into college, she started going to a different church.
“'Having her reared at our church, there are a lot of people who are terribly heartbroken over this,' he said.'
The Los Angeles Daily News listed the shooting victims as:
- RON HELUS: The Ventura County Sheriff sergeant was shot running into the Borderline Bar to help. Read the story
- CODY COFFMAN: The 22-year-old had been meeting with recruiters and planned to enlist in the Army. Read the story
- JUSTIN MEEK: He worked as a promoter at Borderline Bar. The 23-year-old was a former student at Cal Lutheran. >Read the story
- NOEL SPARKS: She was a Moorpark College student who liked horseback riding. Read the story
- ALAINA HOUSLEY: The 18-year-old was a Pepperdine University freshman who aimed to study law. Read the story
- TELEMACHUS ORFANOS: He survived the Las Vegas mass shooting, but he couldn’t survive the one in Thousand Oaks. Read the story
- SEAN ADLER: He was a security guard at the bar, but he has just opened his dream business: a coffeehouse. Read the story
- DANIEL MANRIQUE: He was an ex-Marine sergeant who dedicated his life to helping emotionally scarred veterans get back on their feet. Read the story.
- BLAKE DINGMAN: This 21-year-old Newbury Park resident played high school baseball at Hillcrest Christian School in Thousand Oaks. Read the story.
- JAKE DUNHAM: He always answers his phone, his father said, but it just keeps ringing.Read the story.
- KRISTINA MORISETTE: She graduated from Simi Valley High School and reportedly worked as a cashier at the bar. Read the story.
- MARKY MEZA JR.: He worked as a busboy and food runner at the bar and would have turned 21 in less than two weeks. Read the story.
Bishop Grant Hagiya of the Los Angeles Area issued a pastoral statement:
"To the people of the California-Pacific Conference of The United Methodist Church:
"My heart grieves over the loss of 13 children of God at the Borderline Bar and Grill.
"This senseless violence has no theological answer and we are left once again with the numbness and suffering that has happened recently in Pittsburgh and Florida. I cry out to God, 'when will it end?' I then realize that God cannot stop this violence we are inflicting upon ourselves on a regular basis. I am sure that God grieves even more than we do because it is God’s own creation that is lost and taken by those who have turned their back on the goodness of God’s longing for our world.
"Today, we must pray for the victims, their families and loved ones, and for the perpetrator who could not be in his right mind over such senseless violence. In prayer, I believe that God will show us our next steps to take on violence such as this.
"Let us keep in our prayers Noel Sparks, a member of our Westlake Village UMC, who was tragically killed in this mass shooting, her family, loved ones and friends. Let us continue to pray for those who were wounded, those fighting for their lives, their families, the first responders and the communities from which they came.
"It is a time now for us to turn to God and God alone. We cannot save ourselves, so we turn our hearts and minds to the One who can.
"Be the Hope,
"Bishop Grant J. Hagiya, Los Angeles Area Resident Bishop"
In the days after the shooting, United Methodista circulated a litany from Bishops United Against Gun Violence, a group of some 80 Episcopal Church bishops working to stop gun violence in the United States. The litany listed most of the best-known mass shooting in the United States over the past 20 years.
"The cumulative effect of the litany is staggering," wrote the Rev. Daniel Benedict, a retired United Methodist clergy and worship expert to fellow members of The Order of Saint Luke, an ecumenical monastic association. Read the litany here.