On January 7, an extreme Santa Ana wind event gave momentum to two destructive fires in Southern California. By the next morning, much of the Pacific Palisades and Altadena communities in Los Angeles County were destroyed, leaving thousands of residents evacuated and homes burned. The fires continued to burn for days, while new fires continued to pop up throughout the area.
The Impact
The Eaton and Palisades Fires were the largest and most destructive blazes, burning a total of 37,469 acres. The impact of these fires was felt throughout the Southern California Conference, which serves all of Los Angeles County. Members from 12* SCC churches lost homes—more than 60* families throughout the conference family.
“Our hearts go out to all those affected by the devastating fires around Los Angeles,” said John H. Cress, SCC President. As a community of faith, the Southern California Conference stands in empathy with those who have been impacted, responding with action by opening distribution centers, disaster shelters, and mobilizing resources to support relief efforts. In times of crisis, we are called to be the hands and feet of Christ—bringing hope, aid, and compassion to those in need.”
Local Churches Offer Timely Aid
As members of the churches and surrounding communities were being evacuated, before the scope of the disaster was clear, multiple local churches immediately opened their doors to house those who had been displaced. Valley Crossroads church filled up their sanctuary with goods as families came to receive what they needed; Canoga Park acted quickly to coordinate with authorities on what was needed to become an evacuation center; White Memorial leapt into action by welcoming anyone who needed shelter and gathering goods; Hollywood church offered shelter and showers; and Normandie Avenue and Glendale Filipino churches also jumped into action.
As the days went on, many of these churches and others began offering various goods and support to those who had been impacted. Whether spiritual care or physical necessities, as the crisis evolved, so did the care offered by the churches evolved along with the crisis—from offering a place for shelter to goods distribution.
Financial Support
On January 8, the conference office opened the “California Fires” fund to receive financial contributions in response to many inquiries. (This fund can be accessed directly by visiting https://bit.ly/sccfires.) Later, an application was created for those who were affected by the fires to apply for assistance from this fund.
“In times of need, it’s reassuring that God always provides a way of supporting us,” said Kathleen V. Diaz, SCC treasurer/CFO. “We saw His hand impressing the minds of several around us at the same time. While we were putting plans together, without us even asking, we started receiving calls from organizations, community members, from members from other conferences, and a project that we were trying to develop, God was a step ahead of us, guiding the way.”
Response Efforts
The first efforts included deliveries of water, blankets, and food to the churches that were serving as evacuation centers. Then, the first weekend after the fires broke out, distribution and donations centralized at the conference office. The conference family gathered/mobilized in an extraordinary effort to support those who had been affected. On Sunday, January 12, a donation and distribution day at the conference office brought together almost 500 volunteers, and more than 100 families received necessary goods. Adventist Health Glendale and others donated goods, including masks, air purifiers, water, fresh fruit, and more.
“It’s been incredible to see our community rally together in response to this crisis,” said Royal Harrison, Executive Vice President for the Southern California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. “We are deeply grateful for the support that has come in, and we are committed to getting the resources in our care to the impacted communities.”
Blessings Beyond Expectation
There are countless ways God has worked during especially the early days of this disaster.
One such story takes place on the January 12 donation and distribution day. “I’m directing the last few hours of the day when most people have gone home,” Audrey Zorek, member at Vallejo Drive church and SCC executive assistant to the executive secretary. “Suddenly I see people talking to Brett [Poynter, SCC Los Angeles Metro Region director] and Kathleen [Diaz, SCC treasurer/CFO]. Kathleen brings them to me and says, ‘These guys are looking for something to do; can we use their hands?’ I say we can use the help—especially now. I ask how many of them, and they say seven. And I tell them this is perfect timing, they have no idea they are God-sent.”
This group of seven drove from Utah and are part of Gideon Rescue Co., a Christian-based grassroots organization that specializes in rescue and restoration services to communities.
Whenever there is a crisis or an emergency, a team is quickly assembled to go where the help is needed. They originally planned to meet a contact at Glendale Adventist Academy, but that person wasn’t there. Determined to still help in some way, they left the school, drove down Chevy Chase, and that’s when they saw the Adventist signage for the conference building.
As the group from Utah got to work packing boxes for the teardown, another need arose for pallets. As Zorek was brainstorming with Diaz, Danny Chan [SCC executive secretary], and others how to transport the heavy boxes without pallets, he gets a text from Ben Contreras, a friend and member of Vallejo Drive church, that simply says “still need pallets?” sent with a photo of about 30 pallets available at his work in Glendale.
“We were worried about pallets, and God answered our prayer right there,” Zorek added. “When God blesses, he gives you more than what you need. We used all the pallets that we needed, and we still had extra. Every time I think about it, I just thank God.”
During their Sunday-Friday stay in Southern California, the Gideon Rescue Co. volunteers also lent their helping hands to numerous other local entities, like the Pasadena and White Memorial churches, Adventist Health Glendale, and more.
Another testimony comes from Pasadena Spanish church that same weekend. “The [Eaton] fire was close to the church, a few blocks away,” recalled Ellis Flores, pastor of Pasadena Spanish church. The church was closed January 11 but was able to reopen sooner than expected because of help from the community. “The Church of Scientology stopped by and offered to help. There was a lot of dust and ash in the church. We’re a small group; most of our members are older. We were wondering when we could reopen and how we were going to clean. They brought 20 volunteers who dusted the pews and cleaned the walls, ceilings, and windows.”
Thanks to this unexpected help, the church reopened the following Sabbath, January 18, and was soon able to continue its weekly food bank on Sabbath. Normally the distribution took place in the church’s multi-purpose room, but members decided to move it outside. People driving by saw what was happening and started donating items.
“Little by little, we started to get juice, cases of water, frozen food items, fresh produce, toilet paper, personal care items like shampoo and toothbrushes,” Flores said. “A vegan restaurant, Cena Vegan, reached out and said they were looking for a space to offer hot meals in the community.”
Through Flores sharing about these experiences on social media, word got out and churches from outside of SCC, even as far as Chicago, reached out asking how to help. Mountain View Spanish church in Central California Conference got together with several other churches to deliver 6,000 lb. of clothing, water, and goods. The list goes on.
Soon, the church expanded to additional distribution days during the week—Sunday and Wednesday—partnering with local organizations such as Support+Feed in addition to Cena Vegan.
“We haven’t counted how many people we’re serving,” said Flores, “but it’s hundreds every week. We’re getting the hang of the new hours and services. At first it was just a big pile of stuff, but now we know what we’re doing.”
These stories are just a tiny window into the amazing work God is doing in Southern California.
*Figures as of January 31, 2025
