They may come from different backgrounds and follow different paths towards spirituality, but for the groups that formed Wednesday night at the Manteca Civic Center, the goal was the same regardless of their respective beliefs.
Peace.
In accordance with the United Nations’ International Day of Peace, a group that has come to be known as Manteca Interfaith Community Appeal – consisting of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Manteca Presbyterian Church and the Manteca Islamic Center – gathered with residents Wednesday night to pray for peace amidst a tumultuous world.
And they even got the Manteca Police Department involved.
In addition to the congregational leaders who spoke at the event, Manteca Police Chief Nick Obligacion addressed the crowd and had kind words for the faith community that put everything together – telling them that seeing children of different backgrounds coming together “gave him goose bumps.”
“We’re all here for a reason – to treat people fairly,” Obligacion said. “And there’s a small part of our community that has lost sight of that.”
While he made a mention of the climate in America surrounding “peace” officers and the general atmosphere that they work with, he also likened some of the incidents to what members of certain faiths face when they’re painted with the broad brush of those who don’t have the best interests of their fellow man at heart.
Seeing the group’s banner – which showed three multi-ethnic hands locked together – gave Obligacion hope for the community’s future.
“We have 75,000 people here in our city, and it would be great to see 75,000 people all locking hands together,” he said. “If we just join together as a community, anything can be conquered.”
For Mohammad ElFarra, the Imam of the Manteca Islamic Center, the gathering was a symbol of the unity amongst different faiths, and a stand against those who act against the principals of peace for personal gain or a distorted view of the word of God.
While his congregation has been targeted by people with a misunderstanding of Islam in the past, ElFarra used his remarks to speak against those who use the world of Quran to spread fear and hatred across the world.
“Islam – which means to submit oneself completely and wholeheartedly to the will of God, calls for this peace, without a doubt,” ElFarra said. “Yet it is misdefined and misrepresented by a small amount of those that spread evil shamelessly and immorally in its name.
“Islam abhors and denounces in the strongest of terms – at all times – anything which opposes peace, from terrorism and all types of violence. The groups who use Islam as their banner to spread their hate and their evil have nothing to do with Islam and Islam has nothing to do with their actions, because their actions are definitely in direct contradiction of the Quran and the ways and teachings of our prophet Mohammad, may peace be upon him.”
Since forming MICA has raised more than $10,000 for the homeless students of the Manteca Unified School District in just over a year – with individual churches donating to the group before the money is converted into gift cards and delivered to district administrators that are able to identify the students that can most the assistance for things like shoes, jackets or school supplies.
Mark Wharff, the pastor at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, said that the ability of multiple congregations to come together extends the community outreach immensely when compared to what one individual church could do on its own.
“The hope is that through events like this, and what we do with the school district, that we’ll be able to attract other congregations and churches that will only strengthen what we’re trying to do – rippling out into the faith community,” Wharff said. “When we work together it’s increases what we’re able to do in multiples, and we want to see that continue to grow.”

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.