On the Sunday following the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, Senior Pastor Mauricio Ruiz gathered with more than 250 of his congregants at Elevate Church on Main Street in Newhall.

He knew that the country was marked by division and conflict, not only because of recent events but also because of the current polarizing political debate.

After praying for the families of both presidential candidates at the time — Trump and President Joe Biden, who had not yet dropped out of the presidential race — he began to see the problem, he told his clergy colleagues at the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station.

The SCV Clergy Council, which was one of Captain Justin Diez’s first targets when he took charge of the station, meets regularly to discuss what Ruiz called “wins and losses,” meaning situations from which they can learn and opportunities for the community to grow.

“As I was leaving the stage, someone managed to get past our ushers to the stage, blocked me and started spreading political hatred,” Ruiz told the gathering of local pastors.

But this is exactly where the hours of dialogue, training with his staff and communication with the SCV Clergy Council made the crucial difference, he told the group.

“The security forces realized there was a situation when I put my hand on the gentleman, who started swearing and became a little aggressive towards me. I just put my hand on his back,” he said, explaining a previously discussed signal. “When the security forces saw that, they came in.”

He also told the story to point out how important prior training, the availability of walkie-talkies and – perhaps most importantly – security cameras were in this situation, especially after false claims had been made about safety protocols.

He was able to show the officers responding to the disturbance exactly what had happened and how his security team, which included off-duty police officers, got the entire situation under control within about 20 seconds without causing another incident.

Diez praised the community’s efforts, adding, “I think the answer is obvious, but do you think the preparation was worth it?” he asked Ruiz after the story.

“I was reassured because we had done everything we could, both physically and naturally, and we had prepared a security team that knew how to handle a situation like this,” Ruiz said. “And thank God we had that team there because … it could have been bad.”

Diez also wanted to encourage members to engage in dialogue about how they can help each other, not only in building community but also through more concrete outcomes, such as state and federal grants.

Diez called the quarterly meetings a “force multiplier” for good, adding that they create outreach opportunities, including giving out Narcan giveaways and informational meetings.

Previous estimates suggest leaders have a reach of about 20,000 people in about 60 congregations, which range in size from larger groups like Real Life Church to smaller neighborhood gatherings.

“They are force multipliers for everything we need to communicate to the people who attend their services,” he added. “And that can be crime statistics, that can be public service announcements, it can even be if there’s a new protest in Santa Clarita.”

Abdo Jaber, director of the Islamic Center, came to Wednesday’s meeting to share some of those findings and help others do the same. He has been a big supporter of the SCV Clergy Council since Diez founded it in 2020, he said.

He cites one of the biggest benefits as a renewable grant from the Department of Homeland Security that his community has received twice and that has helped the facility build fencing, lighting and other security measures.

The first grant provided the center with $200,000 to improve its security. Jaber encouraged others to apply and was available to answer any questions from those interested in the application process.

“We strongly support the SCV Clergy Council,” he said.

“It’s a good unifying force to bring us all together in the same room. It allows us to reach out to each other and support each other,” he said, adding that he wanted to mention the scholarship deadline in the article.

Other practical security issues were also discussed with regard to dealing with protests of any kind, be it a situation like the Israeli-Palestinian protests outside City Hall in October or a problem with the municipality.

At the meeting, Pastor Kevin Pisano of Real Life Church mentioned the importance of examining a church’s membership to see if they can utilize any expertise they may already have.

Pisano, who is also the church’s director of security and facilities, said members with law enforcement experience helped his church develop policies and procedures that are supported by the church’s insurers.

Members of the group also discussed lessons learned from the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, which prompted city officials to preemptively request the National Guard as a security measure.

At a time of great tension in the church, Pastor Joe Beran of Bethlehem SCV saw an opportunity.

“Without sounding too cliche, man, I think my first impression is that Santa Clarita is a lot more united than it first appears. And what I mean by that is, it’s a time when, if you look online, everyone thought the world was going to end and there were going to be massive, building-destroying riots and things like that,” he said, referring to some of the looting and destruction that took place this summer.

His church had gone to the protests with a large banner and asked those who were angry to write on it what they thought God should do in the church.

“Then we would pray with and for the people and bring them the hope in Jesus,” he added.

Beran also compared some modern political discourse to a form of idolatry. People often protest and look to their politicians for saviours rather than trying to make a difference in their own community, which could have a far greater impact, he said.

Ruiz said that even four years later, the conversations taking place through the SCV Clergy Council, created by Diez and Eric Morgenstern, the sheriff’s department’s chief chaplain, are still helping to make the SCV a better place to live.

It’s not just about crowd control in times of crisis – there are also discussions about cyberbullying and other mental health issues, for example, which have led to training opportunities and films to help residents, Ruiz said.

“I think places of worship play a very critical role in bringing that message to our city. Because when, let’s say, 15,000 to 20,000 people attend places of worship, it makes the community much stronger and it has a voice to promote unity, to promote peace and to promote a sense of, you know, ‘Why can’t we reason together without having to fight each other?'”

The application deadline for all local communities wishing to apply for funding from the $76 million California State Nonprofit Security Grant Program is September 23.