Missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stop painting and planting to take a photo with (from top left to right) Zulu, Elder Marvin Perkins, Pastor Mike Hoffman, and Pastor Jesse Wall during the interfaith service project in Riverside, California, on April 16, 2005.
Members of the Church of Jesus of Latter-day Saints and St. James Church of God in Christ joined together to beautify Hunter Park in Riverside, California, and to get to know one another on Saturday, April 16. Organizers anticipated 75 participants—but when more than 200 men, women, and children showed up ready to work, 65 gallons of paint were used up within a matter of a few hours, the equivalent of three months of labor for park employees. "This is a day that the Lord has made" said Pastor Jesse Wall of St. James. "How wonderful it is to see all everyone here serving as one."
After the service project, all were treated to a picnic lunch, where there was more opportunity to get better acquainted before departing for the afternoon.
Approximately 300 came together later that evening for an interfaith devotional that featured musical numbers by Zion's Voice, an LDS choir, and a youth choir made up of youth from both St. James and the LDS church. Pastor Wall of St. James was the first speaker, telling the congregation "what a blessing it was to come together as we have today." The second speaker was Marvin Perkins of the LDS Church. "We all are here today, celebrating our love for the Lord and each other as brothers and sisters," Elder Perkins relayed. He also presented Pastor Jesse Wall with a copy of One More River to Cross, the first book in the "Standing on the Promises" trilogy by Margaret Young and Darius Gray. The series chronicles the lives of African-American Latter-day Saints from the inception of the Church to the present day.
The evening's events were concluded with comments from President Michael Grant, President of the Riverside Stake. He spoke about the importance of families in the LDS Church and recognized that common bond with the members of St. James. Deacon Willie Patterson and his family of St. James were recognized for their example in representing and promoting strong family values. President Grant presented the Patterson family with a framed copy of the LDS Proclamation to the World on the Family.