By Dianne Anderson

In this world, bad things happen. The why of it all is the question of the ages.

Pastor Ivan Pitts, reminiscing about an old friend’s birthday, recalls the basis of Habakkuk’s entire argument about how the rain falls on the just and the unjust, why some get blessed, and others don’t.

His old friend, the victim of a senseless killing of a young man at a university picnic in 1990, is still remembered on his birthday by many close friends, and he is greatly missed.

“I know he loved me, and he did not leave this world knowing where he stood in my heart and 39 other people in the text [thread] that love him. He had an impact on me, it is in living beyond him,” said Pastor Pitts, Senior Pastor of Second Baptist Church in Santa Ana.

A lot of people have lost others in these past few years, but he believes the tragedy presents a learning moment for life. What he learned is that when someone is special in life, they need to know it.

“Tell people you love them,” he said. “That’s what I learned from the tragedy of a Black man accidentally getting shot at a picnic. You can’t waste time in showing your love for people, or holding anger and grudges.”

Now Pastor Pitts is about fully physically recovered from a vicious attack earlier this year by a stranger, and there was another lesson. He could rise up in anger and bitterness, but it made him more aware of how much more work needs to be done.

He fought off his attacker, and ran for help. The man, who was having a psychotic break, was arrested.

Pastor Pitts said mental illness is a reality that his church and the rest of the world can’t ignore. For whatever question of why, his 15-year-old son reminded him that he was strong enough to fight the attacker, but his wife could have been a target that day.

“In his mind, he said mommy runs that same day, she wouldn’t have been able to fight him,” he said. “Because of my interaction with him, [the attacker] was caught and hopefully never do that again.”

At the same time, he feels the deepening divisions in churches nationally. Fighting as a church body over petty politics is wasting time, instead of handling the bigger issues of society.

“People are hurting, the homeless are hungry. We fight over stupid stuff, we destroy people over that,” Pastor Pitts said. “We are supposed to love folks regardless of where they stand on particular issues.”

This past year has seen its share of pain, but the attack has challenged him to forgive quickly. He said people should not wait to show love daily.

“What happened doesn’t give me permission to hate the guy, to carry bitterness and anger in my heart. The Lord was betrayed in every possible way, and he loved, forgave and demonstrated how we are supposed to respond,” he said.

The church is also responding in several other big ways by supporting nonprofits with the widest impact on the most people. Among them, SBC assists Wiseplace, which has wraparound services for abused women that have fled their homes, and are homeless.

“This is the highest population for sex trafficking,” Pastor Pitts said. “They help women with a place to live for two years, it allows them to get their lives back together. Sometimes they get reunited with their children, get a job, and go to do amazing things.”

Each November, the church thanks organizations with about $150,000 in monetary support divided up among several programs, including Southwest Community Foundation’s work with the homeless. New Hope Elementary School has a very high poverty rate, and receives basic needs items and gift cards.

Many parents worked in service sector fields and were hit hard by COVID, now have generations living in one household. They have trouble getting shoes that fit. Grant funding also helps his church care for people with mental illness, as they partner with several agencies to reach the most vulnerable in Orange County and in Long Beach.

As part of the SBC Family, he said they also support international programs, one in Nigeria, as well the I Can Fly International in Kenya, which works with vulnerable young girls and young boys from getting caught up in the multi-billion global exploitation sex trafficking industry.

“They have an orphanage, they call it a day school, and now we’re partnering with them to help these kids go to college,” he said.

Recently, the SBC Family celebrated Pastor Pitts’ tenth anniversary.

Kelita Gardner said from the start, Pastor Pitts was sensitive to the heart of the congregation, wanting to connect and learn the history of the church, and help the congregation heal. She said he is the second longest-tenured pastor, having come to the church following the sudden loss of Pastor John McReynolds, who had served three decades.

This past year, the church continued its strong focus on community health fairs and local vaccination clinics. Pastor Pitts is also a part of the HEAAL Collective, one of five churches, two medical organizations, and one faith-based organization.

This week, SBC church members will start ABC Chat (Association of Black Cardiologists) program that runs through November 12. The training is on community health advocacy to empower everyday people to become health advocates, who then can train the community across various health topics.

On October 22, the church co-hosts a Be Well Together Community Healing Series, part of a Community Suicide Prevention Initiative. That forum features mental wellness conversations with Dr. Earleen Parsons Ross. The event runs from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., located at 4300 Westminster Ave., Santa Ana.

On November 13, SBC is also gearing up to host the Spirit of the Heart health fair at Second Baptist, Johnson Chapel, and Friendship Baptist Churches.

“There’s such a huge need. We can’t do everything but we’ll certainly do our best with what we’re able to,” Gardner said. “We want everyone to be aware of the resources available, and have the conversations to let them know that it’s okay to get help.”

For more information on events and times, see https://sbc.family/