Gloria a Dios en el Westside

This morning I traveled to the Westside, to Mexican Christian Church, where I had consented to provide music for a funeral. Or rather, a memorial service. How appropriate it was to attend such a memorial service as the observed three-day Memorial Day weekend was about to commence! It was pouring rain -- a true "gullywasher" -- when I went out to catch the first of three buses to get from home to church. But by the time I was at the church the rain had eased considerably. And by the end of the service it had stopped. Therefore, we had good attendance.

I had been asked to do "Amazing Grace" and my choice of a second song. My choice was "Pues si Vivimos", the first verse of which is basically Romans 14:8 (in Spanish) set to music. When I began "Amazing Grace" I started out a capella, and didn't add guitar 'til the second verse. My initial experience of this beloved hymn was Judy Collins' entirely a capella recording of it, at my very first church camp, back in the summer of A.D. 1969.

And who was the deceased being memorialized? He was Jesse Ybarra, born and raised on the Westside. His family were members of M.C.C., and he spent many years working as a social worker at the nearby MCI/Inman Christian Center. The Center was begun about a century ago as an outreach ministry of the Disciples of Christ (my denomination) to the poor and destitute Mexican-Americans of San Antonio's barrio. He served in the armed forces during WW II and earned the Bronze Star -- a significant fact considering the approaching holiday. In mid-life Brother Ybarra moved to Riverside, California, where he worked in a similar institution. He died last month and was buried in Riverside.

After the memorial service, the Inman Christian Center held a reception in one of their buildings (but not the main one with which I'm familiar). And at this reception I found out WHY there had been a memorial service HERE for Bro. Ybarra. Attendees had been encouraged to share any memories of the deceased, and there were several middle-age to elderly men who had plenty of memories! Turns out that Jesse Ybarra had started a group at the Center for boys of the barrio, called "Las Palomillas", and these representatives of that group had high praise for what Jesse and the Center had done positively in their lives, to get them going down the right road: the road to good and productive citizenship instead of joining the gangs.

It deeply touched my heart to hear these old chicanos speak about their growing-up years on the Westside, and various incidents pertaining to their interaction with Bro. Ybarra and/or one another! How I wish I'd had a tape recorder going to capture these stories!

You know, dear reader, the Westside doesn't have a great reputation, being stereotyped as the poorest, most deprived, most crime-ridded section of this city of San Antonio. But when I hear tales of growing up on the Westside like I heard this morning, and like I've heard on Sunday mornings at M.C.C. (especially from Brother Villarreal who grew up on Guadalupe Street across from the church), I just KNOW that there is good here in the barrio! There are blooms rising above the trash, diamonds shining amid the dull coal! I remember a few years ago, when I often attended the evening service at Soldiers of Christ Church (another little Westside church), that Hermana Cabrera who usually preached -- and preached with PASSION -- would often utter a grito (cry or shout): «¡Gloria a Dios en el Westside!»

To which I say, in my heart, «¡Sí!»