The Church's Journey: Balancing Faith, Justice, and Community

In the aftermath of the devastating Eaton Canyon Fire in Altadena, California, three Pasadena community leaders—Mayra Macedo-Nolan, Pastor Kerwin Manning, and Megan Katerjian—join host Mark Labberton for a sobering and hopeful conversation on what it takes to rebuild homes, neighbourhoods, and lives. Together they discuss their personal losses, the long-term trauma facing their neighbours, the racial and economic disparities exposed by disaster, and how the church is rising to meet these challenges with grit, grace, and faith.

Their stories illuminate how a community holds fast when the media leaves, when vultures circle, and when the work is just beginning. This is a conversation about sacred presence, practical resilience, and the enduring witness of faithful service—even in the ashes.

Mayra Macedo-Nolan is executive director of the Clergy Community Coalition of Greater Pasadena

Kerwin Manning is senior pastor of Pasadena Church

Megan Katerjian is CEO of Door of Hope Ministries

Helpful Links and Resources

• Door of Hope Pasadena – Family homelessness intervention and fire assistance program
• Pasadena Church – Kerwin Manning’s congregation and relief center
• Clergy Community Coalition of Greater Pasadena – Mayra Macedo-Nolan’s organization supporting pastors and churches
• Isaiah 61:3 – “Beauty for ashes” verse referenced by Kerwin
• Andre Crouch – “Soon and Very Soon” – Gospel anthem of hope quoted by Pastor Kerwin

Show Notes

• CCC (Clergy Community Coalition) rapidly pivoted to virtual meetings the morning after hurricane-force winds and fire struck Altadena.
• “We moved it to virtual … and then we had no idea what was gonna happen that evening and overnight.” —Mayra Macedo-Nolan
• After the fire started, fifty-six participants gathered online, including city leaders and faith-based partners, forming a core response network.
• “Everybody wanted to be together … especially in a crisis like this.” —Mayra
• Pastor Kerwin and his wife Madeline evacuated with almost no notice after hearing the sheriff outside their door.
• “We, Madeline and I, like so many others, were fleeing for our lives.” —Kerwin Manning
• For weeks, they didn’t know whether their home was still standing; the priority became their church and community.
• “We didn’t know if our home was standing … we were more concerned about our church, our community.” —Kerwin
• Pasadena Church began relief work immediately—even before confirming their own housing stability.
• “This is the first interview or anything I’ve done online back in my home.” —Kerwin
• Door of Hope’s CEO evacuated with her children and lost her home; she quickly organized shelter responses for others.
• “I found out that my house had been entirely destroyed.” —Megan Katerjian
• Within ten days, Door of Hope launched a formal housing assistance program for fire-affected families.
• “Door of Hope had launched what we call the Eaton Fire Housing Assistance Program.” —Megan
• The CCC became a spiritual and logistical backbone for Altadena’s recovery, activating two decades of community-building.
• “This was a time that it was really important for the local clergy to be in conversation with one another.” —Mayra
• Pasadena Church became a distribution hub, serving as far east as any organization in the city.
• “We wore our church members out.” —Kerwin
• Over two months, the church distributed daily essentials from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., shifting to a long-term weekly rhythm.
• “We thought we would do it for a couple of weeks … we were doing it every day … for about two months straight.” —Kerwin
• “We might run out of water, we might run out of toothpaste, but we refuse to run out of smiles and kindness.” —Kerwin
• Altadena’s west side—long a haven for black and brown families—suffered the worst structural damage and displacement.
• “Altadena had been a haven really for black and brown families who couldn’t purchase homes anywhere.” —Mayra
• Many affected residents were informal renters or multigenerational households without clear legal housing claims.
• “These are the stories of people … for whom there is no path back to Altadena anytime soon.” —Megan
• Eleven churches were lost or damaged, including small and under-resourced congregations still unsure about rebuilding.
• “We lost ten houses of worship, and one was partially burned … essentially eleven.” —Mayra
• Local churches served both members and neighbors regardless of formal affiliation, often the first to show up with aid.
• “We don’t do any of this work alone.” —Megan
• CCC supports over a hundred churches across Pasadena with infrastructure, grants, emotional care, and community strategy.
• “We want them to be okay … and then as they serve their church members and the neighbors surrounding their church.” —Mayra
• Door of Hope offered security deposits, rent, emergency shelter, tool replacement, and even vehicles to affected families.
• “Beauty for ashes”
• “We just have to do more of it.” —Megan
• Volunteers gave out handwritten cards from kids across the country; some were shared at distribution events.
• “I’ve got a box full of cards from kids … just like it’s going to be okay. We’re praying for it.” —Kerwin
• A guiding pastoral metaphor: vultures circling a wounded deer, and the need to protect the vulnerable from predation.
• “The vultures were circling … and I covered the deer … and the vultures left.” —Kerwin
• “The needs have not slowed. …  Finances always follow just heart and compassion and awareness.” —Megan
• “You learn so much in the middle of crisis. One of the things that crisis does is it confirms character and you realize like what people are made of when you're going through something.”
• “Until. Until the need is gone, until we don’t have to do it anymore.” —Kerwin
• The immigrant community faces a second “fire”—ICE raids and deportation threats layered atop housing loss.
• “The intersection of those … the two fires, the fire that we didn’t know we were gonna have, and the fire that we knew was coming.” —Mayra
• CCC pastors protested ICE actions together, maintaining peace through community presence and music.
• “The pastors were there … and then it’s just … it’s a sacred party.” —Mayra
• Latino cultural traditions of protest, grief, and celebration shaped a healing, communal public presence.
• “We cry and we’re gonna probably celebrate and eat food and dance together.” —Mayra
• Local leaders are pushing back against a ten-year recovery timeline with a goal of rebuilding within three to five years.
• “We reject that. She said three to five years, that’s what we’re gonna push for.” —Mayra
• Community grief deepened when the first burned lot was sold; hope emerged again when the first rebuilding began.
• “There they go … it’s gonna start selling.” / “We think there was … this collective celebration.” —Mayra
• “Soon and very soon we’re gonna see the King.” —Kerwin
• Kerwin invoked Isaiah 61:3: “Beauty will rise” as a spiritual theme for their church’s recovery ministry.
• “We believe that we’re able to continue to do what we’re doing knowing that, trusting that beauty’s gonna rise.” —Kerwin
• The phrase “Altadena is not for sale” became a rallying cry—although some elders opted to relocate for peace.
• “It’s up to you. Our prayer is that more people will want to stay than leave.” —Kerwin
• Ongoing challenges include zoning delays, state and county coordination issues, and political friction at the national level.
• “The church has always been a vital provider of resources, critical social services and resources in communities on an ongoing basis in normal time.” —Mayra
• ”The greatest sense that you get from being there is people are together. There’s a sense of unity and community protection that is very palpable.”
• A sacred party
• Resilience and God’s presence and strength
• “It feels like our president doesn’t like us … our governor … whatever they’ve got going on affects us.” —Kerwin
• “The church … is always a vital provider … of resources, critical social services … in normal time.” —Mayra

About the Guests

Mayra Macedo-Nolan is executive director of the Clergy Community Coalition of Greater Pasadena, where she leads efforts to strengthen faith-based response to systemic inequities in housing, education, and social services. Formerly on pastoral staff at Lake Avenue Church, she’s spent two decades in community leadership in Pasadena and Altadena.

Pastor Kerwin Manning is senior pastor of Pasadena Church and a founding leader in the Clergy Community Coalition. A long-time advocate for youth and justice, he’s served the Pasadena community with a heart for unity, compassion, and spiritual renewal.

Megan Katerjian is CEO of Door of Hope, a Pasadena-based non-profit serving homeless and at-risk families. With over twenty years in non-profit leadership, Megan is also an ordained pastor with deep roots in faith-based social services and community development.

Production Credits

Conversing is produced and distributed in partnership with Comment magazine and Fuller Seminary.