At his former home in New Orleans, John E. Fowler read news accounts of Salt Lake residents joining together to battle the 1983 floods and was impressed.
Now as a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and president of the church's Salt Lake Area, Elder Fowler is confident that same community spirit can be employed in conquering rising youth violence."The floods are always in the back of my mind when I think of how to solve the gang problem. It's not a dissimilar situation," said Elder Fowler, a member of the Seventy.
In an effort to enlist the vast resources of area churches in the war on youth violence, Elder Fowler and Catholic Bishop William K. Weigand brought together local clergy Tuesday in the first of what is expected to be an ongoing forum for local religious leaders to share ideas and implement solutions to the area's social ills.
The interfaith clergy luncheon in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building came at the recommendation of Mayor Deedee Cor-ra-di-ni's gang task force, of which Elder Fowler and Bishop Weigand are members.
Leaders of local Catholic, Methodist, Baptist and LDS congregations discussed the causes of youth violence, heard success stories in the battle against crime and planned for future meetings.
"The churches can help," Corradini said after the meeting. "Many of the youth go to church on Sundays and are out gang-banging the following Friday."
The mayor told the gathering that incidents of gang violence have escalated an alarming 100 percent in the past 10 months, and if the city doesn't "get a handle on it we could lose our community."She asked the church leaders to identify families with children who are at risk and intervene early, before the pressure to join a gang begins to mount.
She asked for churches to recruit volunteers to help in local schools and appoint "mentors" to youth who have few, if any, role models.
Corradini noted the many church buildings and people that could be used for recreation programs that would keep youths busy, involved and out of trouble.
Bishop Weigand said religious leaders are equipped to deal with the underlying problem of low self-esteem among youths. He urged his colleagues to use their training to boost the self-image of those in trouble and get them to believe in themselves.
"Out of our own religious traditions we can look youth right in the eye and tell them they have a life in front of them. They have potential," he said. "God doesn't make rubbish."
Small group and individual efforts to overcome violence and protect youths were shared. They ranged from a community center established by the Jordan Methodist Church and to a neighborhood effort where adults simply sit outside their homes when kids are walking to and from school to greet the children and watch for trouble.
Elder Fowler committed the LDS Church's resources to the cause, including its translation services to help foreign-speaking parents and children communicate with school and community leaders.
As to how the interfaith initiative will affect rank-and-file Mormons, Elder Fowler said infor-ma-tion and suggestions gleaned from the interfaith meetings will be passed on to stake and ward priesthood leaders, who can help members work with other churches and civic groups in solving concerns in their respective neighborhoods.