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Ladera Community Church recently installed Rev. Evelyn Vigil, signifying her new role as the permanent pastor of the church. As the country faces political and social turmoil, Vigil said the church is a place for community action and support.
About 75 church members attended the installation on March 22, where Vigil took her vows to promise to serve the church faithfully by “preaching and teaching the word of God.”
Ladera Church is also part of the United Church of Christ Santa Clara Association, which includes over 20 churches, said Vigil. About 13 pastors from neighboring churches joined the service of installation to support Vigil’s appointment, filling the pews with a wave of red stoles, significant to the Holy Spirit, she added.
Since its inception in 1954, the church has built a reputation for inclusivity, social justice and civic engagement. In the 1980s, the church built a cottage behind its sanctuary to house a refugee family from Laos and for decades has welcomed the LGBTQ community to the congregation.
“I love this church and community,” said Vigil, who previously served as the church’s bridge pastor. “[The community] is involved, alive and smart. They don’t wait around to just be spoon-fed. They want to get out there and do some work in the world.”
Vigil herself has been a steward of justice for disadvantaged communities throughout her career. For 18 years, she served as a chaplain in Santa Clara County jails and has directly worked with migrant communities and farmworkers.
According to the church, the pastoral search committee interviewed several candidates for the position and unanimously voted to have Vigil serve as the senior pastor of the Ladera congregation.
On Election Day, the church held a special meditation and prayer event for the community to gather and find peace during “troubled times.” As one of her goals, Vigil said she would like to start a biweekly meditation session that is open to the entire community.
Although congregations like Ladera Church often have committees dedicated to social justice and activism, the church itself must remain nonpartisan due to its status as a tax exempt entity. Vigil believes that preaching to one side “is not right.” She said faith leaders should be “preaching the gospel so that people can see what is happening in the world today.”
However, she commends the members of the church who have found their calling in voicing their political views through protests and demonstrations. Local activist groups such as Indivisible Portola Valley have partnered with the church’s Social Justice Committee to organize demonstrations in Redwood City and around the Bay Area.
“It doesn’t have to be that we turn the world around today, but we are able to make pockets of kindness and love in the world,” said Vigil. “I think that people are hungry for that right now. We don’t see it enough.”
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