HUMBOLDT PARK — A Humboldt Park church is keeping its doors open around the clock to start the new year while members fast in order to help the city heal from violence.
The senior pastor at New Life Covenant Church, Wilfredo “Choco” De Jesús, wants his church to be a bridge between his congregation, the neighborhood and the Police Department.
De Jesús, who has been the pastor for 15 years, has been starting every new year with a 21-day fast but implemented the "safety in the sanctuary" program of keeping the church's doors open for 24 hours a day this year.
"The idea is really on the heels of all this violence that's happening in Chicago," he said.
During the three-week initiative the church has been hosting community gatherings, homework help, meals, movie nights and family-focused resources.
"We did that in light of what’s happening in our city," De Jesús said. "What’s happening in our education system. What's happening in Humboldt Park with so many single moms."
The church has also hosted a police roll call inside the church, the first time it had hosted a roll call for officers starting their shift.
"We must be leading the way in the community and serve as a bridge between us, the community that’s right now fearful of the police department, that’s skeptical, and the police department," De Jesús said.
A number of community activists and pastors of other congregations came to De Jesús asking him to join their protests and calls for the mayor's resignation, but De Jesús said he did not think that was the right approach as a church.
"I'm saying to myself, 'I just don't want to do that. We need a solution. We need to come with another way to try to deal with this issue of violence in our city,'" the 51-year-old pastor said.
The church, 3400 W. Division St., began both the fast and the Safety in the Sanctuary 24-hour-a-day initiative on Jan. 4 and will keep its doors open through Jan. 24.
Every night at 6 p.m. the church hosts a family meal with food provided by local restaurants or church members.
On Sunday night, 22 homeless people spent the night in the sanctuary, De Jesús said.
"Every person who comes in here, you have to at least ask the question 'where would they be if they were not here?'" he said. "That city's so cold."
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