After Shooting, California Churches’ Lunar New Year Celebrations Turned Solemn

Last weekend, pastor Jesse Chang had prepared to gather with his church in Monterey Park, California, for worship and a Lunar New Year potluck. Instead, his wife woke him up early Sunday to tell him a nearby shooting had killed nearly a dozen people.

He quickly realized everything about the service would need to change. His predominantly Asian and Latino congregation, River of Life, meets in a building just four blocks from the crime scene.

With a 65 percent Asian American population, Monterey Park in Los Angeles County is considered the...