On May 15, the sanctity of a house of worship was shattered when a gunman opened fire at the Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods, which was hosting a congregation of the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church. The shooter killed one person and wounded five others.
As with many such atrocities, there were stories of heroism that counterbalanced the senseless cruelty of the act. Sports physician John Cheng threw himself in the line of fire, dying in an attempt to prevent others from being shot. Visiting pastor Billy Chang struck the gunman with a chair, and he and others managed to subdue him.
The tragedy could have been far worse. Heroism, and an unbreakable bond of community, saved many people that day.
Those selfless acts, as much as the tragedy itself, moved Pacific Symphony President John Forsyte and Carl St.Clair, the orchestra’s music director, to organize a concert at the church to honor the people who worship there, the brave souls who faced down evil, and the Orange County Taiwanese community at large. The concert, which featured members of the symphony, the Pacific Chorale and soprano Anna Schubert, took place Wednesday evening in front of an appreciative and at times emotional audience.
