Journalist | Editor | Podcaster
FAITH
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press | The Signal
Growing up secular and entering journalism focused on politics, I was not immediately sure about being assigned the beat covering the religious community in the Santa Clarita Valley. My mission was to simply cover the material space, how the prominent faiths in the region were contributing to the common good in their politically fractured community. The spiritual did not factor only because I was never proselytized to; I was welcomed due to my constant appearances at events and determination to expand the Faith page to cover the Muslim and Jewish communities rather than solely on Christians, as my predecessor did. The relationships I built along the way not only injected energy into my stories – a good deal of those professional alliances continue on to today.
NEWS ARTICLES AND PROFILES
September 20, 2019
Six pillars stand as a monument to mankind at the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust. Etched on these monoliths, collectively called the Holocaust Monument and Martyrs Memorial, is the story of one of the darkest chapters of the 20th century.
July 19, 2019
Chabad of SCV’s Rabbi Choni Marozov has made it his birthday wish to once again raise money for Chabad’s Jewish Youth Initiative.
July 19, 2019
Newhall’s Elevate Church will be setting aside time for Santa Clarita Valley residents to receive financial guidance with Financial Peace University, beginning Aug. 12.
July 14, 2019
Residents at Pacifica Senior Living in Newhall were warmly received by pastors and members of Ekklesia Christian Community Church for services on Sunday.
July 12, 2019
Schools will be back in session in August, and the same goes with Our Lady of Perpetual Help’s transitional kindergarten program, which has a start date of Aug. 16.
July 12, 2019
The Rev. Megan Dowdell will be joining the Unitarian Universalists of Santa Clarita Valley as their new minister on Aug. 1, but she’ll have the chance to visit her congregation as a guest on July 21.
July 12, 2019
The Unitarian Universalists of the Santa Clarita Valley welcomed the Rev. Kenneth Collier on Sunday to talk at Vibe Performing Arts Center in Newhall about the history of racism in America.
July 7, 2019
Members of the World Mission Society Church of God brought water to residents of Ridgecrest who were affected by the recent series of earthquakes that began Thursday.
July 6, 2019
Bella Vida Senior Center will be working in collaboration with Providence Holy Cross Medical Center for a lecture on how to notice and how to prevent having a stroke on July 24.
June 30, 2019
Members of Muslim Youth of Santa Clarita and other southern California residents participated in a meeting with the American Muslim Orators, a chapter of Toastmasters International, at Los Angeles Fire Department Station 87 in Granada Hills on Sunday
June 28, 2019
Valencia Christian Center will be letting children run the show during its upcoming Fresh Look Youth Takeover at The Canyon Santa Clarita in Valencia on Sunday.
June 23, 2019
Besides being a journalist, Joseph Pulitzer was known for his contribution to the Statue of Liberty.
June 21, 2019
St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church’s preschool is gearing up to honor 50 years of teaching with a grand celebration in September.
June 16, 2019
Two Valencia churches joined together to provide a men’s barbecue for visitors and clients of Bridge to Home in Newhall on Saturday.
June 15, 2019
Higher Vision Church held the grand opening for its new expansion for children and families, called Kidventure, on June 1-2 and 8-9.
June 15, 2019
The Rev. Peter Farriday gave his final sermon for the Unitarian Universalists of the Santa Clarita Valley on June 9.
June 14, 2019
Congregation Beth Shalom’s Film Series continues June 23 with a docudrama around the life of publisher and businessman Joseph Pulitzer.
June 2, 2019
Author Leon Malmed returned to Santa Clarita to share his story about life during World War II and the Holocaust at Chabad of SCV on Sunday.
June 1, 2019
As the holy month of Ramadan comes to an end for 2019, Muslims in the Santa Clarita Valley and across the world will conclude it with Eid al-Fitr on Tuesday.
May 31, 2019
The Unitarian Universalists of Santa Clarita Valley is scheduled to move its services and other activities to Vibe Performing Arts Studio in Newhall beginning Sunday.
May 26, 2019
The walls of Santa Clarita United Methodist Church echoed throughout the performance of “Cosi fan tutte,” hosted by Mission Opera, on Sunday.
May 25, 2019
Our Lady of Perpetual Help is teaming up with the American Red Cross for a blood drive at the church’s Parish Hall on Sunday.
May 24, 2019
Located on Main Street in Newhall, Elevate Church maintains a persistent and encompassing social media presence, providing live-streamed services for the faithful in Santa Clarita and beyond.
May 19, 2019
Betsy Klein sat with the other guests who stopped by to watch “Who Will Write Our History” at Congregation Beth Shalom on Sunday.
May 17, 2019
The Unity Center of Santa Clarita will open its doors to the city for an interfaith dinner May 25.
May 17, 2019
The CBS Film Series will commemorate Yam Hashoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day, with its next film “Who Will Write Our History,” at Congregation Beth Shalom on Sunday.
May 12, 2019
The Santa Clarita Center for Spiritual Living welcomed its members to a book club gathering centered around the book “The Sermon on the Mount” on Sunday.
May 5, 2019
Congregation Beth Shalom gave their fourth-year preschoolers a fun send-off with their Preschool Prom on Sunday.
May 4, 2019
In an effort to help renovate the school’s gym and other parts of campus, Santa Clarita Christian School held its fundraising gala, “The Courage to Dream Big,” at Blomgren Properties on Friday.
May 5, 2019
For Muslims around the world, the holy month of Ramadan is ritual to reconnect with family and commit to good thoughts and good deeds.
April 30, 2019
Muslim Youth of Santa Clarita gave children, teenagers and parents an idea on how to keep themselves safe from the ills of social media and online culture during a youth support program in Santa Clarita on Sunday.
April 27, 2019
Over the span of Easter weekend, Higher Vision Church and RIP Medical Debt went beyond their goal to collect $1 million to abolish people’s medical debt.
April 27, 2019
To promote mutual support and peer mentoring, Muslim Youth of Santa Clarita will be holding a youth support program Sunday.
April 21, 2019
While families attended Easter service at The Sanctuary Church in Santa Clarita on Sunday, children geared themselves up for a glow-in-the-dark Easter egg hunt within the church’s classrooms.
April 21, 2019
As music and laughs filled adjoining hallways, families and friends from Temple Beth Ami celebrated the second night of Passover with a Seder at Santa Clarita United Methodist Church on Saturday.
April 20, 2019
As he and his wife, Randie, consider it less of a retirement and more of a transition, Rabbi Ron Hauss is looking forward to his new life following his 70th birthday May 27.
April 20, 2019
As part of the celebration of Easter, families will have the chance to go to Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park on Saturday or Sunday to watch a presentation reenacting the life of Jesus Christ, hosted by five Santa Clarita Valley churches.
April 20, 2019
Through part of an Easter message to the community, Higher Vision Church in Valencia is working to help families struggling with medical debt through its Easter services, which began Thursday and will go on into Sunday.
April 19, 2019
Members of Christ Lutheran Church gathered for a procession with a giant cross down McBean Parkway from Bridgeport Marketplace in observance of Good Friday, ahead of Easter, the Christian holiday.
April 13, 2019
Children made a mad dash to collect as many eggs as possible during the ninth annual Easter Eggventure at Bethlehem SCV in Canyon Country on Saturday.
April 13, 2019
Santa Clarita’s Jewish community is helping people get ready for the weeklong celebration of Passover, which starts April 19.
April 12, 2019
Nothing says “Happy Easter” for children like a continuous egg hunt, which is one of the activities at Bethlehem SCV’s ninth annual Easter Eggventure in Canyon Country on Saturday.
April 7, 2019
Under one man’s direction and performance, Crosspoint SCV will present the one-man show “Barbarian” on April 18.
April 2, 2019
With an outlook toward action, members of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Santa Clarita Valley watched a presentation and discussed the effects of climate change at the SCV Senior Center on Sunday.
March 30, 2019
Congregation Beth Shalom is once again providing Santa Clarita residents with a new documentary set to be screened as part of its CBS Film Series on April 14.
March 30, 2019
As he tours the United States, German-born rabbi Yitzchak Mendel Wagner will be making a stop in Santa Clarita to give the presentation “The Jews are Back: 80 Years After Kristallnacht, Has Germany Changed?” at Chabad of SCV on Tuesday.
March 24, 2019
New branches were added to family trees as visitors to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on McBean Parkway at its Santa Clarita Valley Family History and Genealogy Fair on Saturday.
March 24, 2019
Todd Smith initially wrote a blog about the faithful battling depression.
What followed from the senior pastor of Crossroads Community Church was a book and a path for help.
March 18, 2019
The Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station received flowers and a message of gratitude on Saturday for monitoring the safety of local mosques in the wake of a mass shooting at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, on Friday.
March 17, 2019
Three of Santa Clarita’s synagogues brought the third annual Purim carnival to William S. Hart Regional Park for celebration and fun on Sunday.
March 16, 2019
Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Newhall opened its doors to parishioners and the Archbishop of Los Angeles at the beginning of a weekend-long celebration of the church’s 75th anniversary.
February 17, 2019
As a way to reflect Black History Month in the United States, the Santa Clarita Christian Fellowship Church welcomed regular church members and newcomers to the third part of their weekly Celebration of Soul on Sunday.
February 11, 2019
Despite its reviews and subtitles, movie goers at Congregation Beth Shalom admired the screening of “Let Yourself Go,” the subsequent film in the synagogue’s CBS Film Series, on Sunday.
January 27, 2019
Children walked their families through the halls of Congregation Beth Shalom on Sunday during its annual Fathers, Uncles, Dads, Grandpas, Everyone Day.
January 20, 2019
Arnie Sisk watched as the latest additions to Congregation Beth Shalom, a Holocaust memorial sculpture and a surrounding plaza, were dedicated on Saturday.
Sisk Plaza, as it’s called, memorialized Sisk’s late wife, Candi.
December 29, 2019
The CBS Film Series is looking to continue into 2019 with its latest film, “93Queen,” which will screen at Congregation Beth Shalom on Jan. 13.
December 22, 2018
With smiles, cookies and glitter all within proximity of each other, Calvary Lutheran Church opened its doors to families with its first Christmas For Kids on Saturday.
December 16, 2018
Hundreds of families joined together for some food and presents at the 13th annual Festividad for Christ Community Christmas Celebration at Faith Community Church in Newhall on Saturday.
December 1, 2018
This is a great place to showcase a sample of your written work or write a short description about your project. Did you collaborate on a print or multimedia project? If so, dazzle your visitors with images and video. Make sure to include a link to the full live project or document so readers can enjoy the entire piece.
November 18, 2018
Congregation Beth Shalom welcomed its 18th annual holiday boutique, bringing small businesses and families together on Sunday.
June 10, 2018
Parents and their young children danced to the sounds of the 1980s at the Congregation Beth Shalom Preschool Prom Sunday afternoon.