In San Bernardino, where thoughts and prayers still matter

Two people quietly pay their respects Friday at the makeshift memorial erected for victims of Wednesday’s shootings at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino.

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

A memorial for victims of Wednesday's shooting at the Inland Regional Center. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

Following the San Bernardino shooting that left 14 dead, the power of prayer and thoughts has been debated. But in the following days, it’s been prayer, faith and commitment to action that has brought together a grieving community.

Vigils, prayer services and makeshift memorials with signs that read "We love San Bernardino" have popped up throughout the city and its neighboring areas. As the country waits to learn about the motives and reasons behind an unfathomable tragedy, the community at the center of it all finds solace in each other.

On the night after Wednesday’s shooting, thousands from San Bernardino and elsewhere around the Inland Empire came together at San Manuel Stadium. There, prayers were said and candles were lit in honor of the victims and their families.

San Bernardino is California's poorest city for its size. Pastor Joshua Beckly addressed that fact, but pointed to the strength of the community. As he did, the somber crowd turned hopeful.

We are a city full of hopeful optimists who will stay here, and who are still here because we believe God has something great for San Bernardino.

Pastor Joshua Beckly

Just before sunrise Friday, a crowd of about 50 gathered to pray at the St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church in San Bernardino.

Pastor Norman Copeland believes that a place of worship and prayer might be the best space to educate people and bridge cultures. He invited Dr. Aslam Abdullah, a Muslim scholar, Rabbi Hillel Cohn and others to join St. Paul’s community, turning the event into the church’s first interfaith service.

Prayer must be coupled with action. We are the hands and feet and voice that make the change.

Pastor Norman Copeland

A memorial set up at the corner of Waterman Avenue and Orange Show Road near the scene of last week’s mass shooting in San Bernardino.

(Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

A man prays beside a candlelit memorial not far from the scene of the shooting. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

Congregation Emanu El is the oldest Jewish congregation in Southern California. Rabbi Hillel Cohn oversaw it for much of his 53 years in San Bernardino. These centers of faith are often the first embrace of change, he said, recalling the time he sat in this very church in the midst of segregation.

"The diversity of a community is so important," Cohn said.

He pointed to the fact that the language said inside a church is different from the language spoken inside a temple or a mosque. But that in understanding each other’s cultures, a community becomes more than its differences.

We must stop demonizing each other.

Rabbi Hillel Cohn

People pray Saturday morning at a memorial. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

When he learned about the shooting, Dr. Aslam Abdullah hoped the assailants in question were not Muslim, but he told his wife he suspected that may be the case. When his fears were confirmed, he called upon San Bernardino’s Muslim community to organize vigils and distance themselves from a crime that would probably perpetuate Islamaphobia.

“"We all have a common goal,"” Abdullah said. "That is to stop violence and terror, and protect the greater community."

Only when we know who we are, will we be able to overcome our differences.

Dr. Aslam Abdullah

Jeelanne Gouda of Rancho Cucamonga prays during a vigil and prayer service for the victims of Wednesday’s shooting rampage at the Chino Valley Islamic Center on Friday.

(Jae C. Hong / AP)

Jeelanne Gouda of Rancho Cucamonga prays during a vigil and prayer service for the victims of Wednesday's shooting rampage at the Chino Valley Islamic Center on Friday. (Jae C. Hong / AP)

Salihin Kondoker’s wife Anies survived Wednesday’s attacks after being shot three times. Kondoker calls it a “miracle.”

The IT consultant and father of three addressed a small group of worshippers during a prayer service inside the Islamic Center of Riverside. The Kondokers have prayed at this mosque for 17 years, the entire duration of their marriage. This is the same mosque that Kondoker’s wife’s attacker visited too.

After the vigil ended, Kondoker said that religion is for peace. It's been a sentiment repeatedly echoed throughout a community still searching for answers.

Crime and religion should not be connected.

Salihin Kondoker

After sunset, people continue to arrive at the memorial site for the victims of the recent mass shootings at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino.

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

People pay their respects for the victims of the recent mass shootings. (Marcus Yam/ Los Angeles Times)