Church to Dedicate Repaired Building

The 1994 Northridge earthquake may have destroyed 95% of their church, said the Rev. David Espinoza Sr., pastor of Iglesia La Trinidad in San Fernando, but it failed to shake either the spirit or the faith of the 1,000-member congregation.

Today, after more than two years and $1 million worth of repairs, most of it done on a volunteer basis by church members themselves, Espinoza and his congregation will dedicate their new Spanish-style building during a public celebration.

“I feel so proud to be their pastor,” Espinoza said. “You can’t imagine how gratifying it has been to see everyone come through. We are not a rich congregation but we are very loving and supporting.”

Because La Trinidad, which is affiliated with Assemblies of God, a Protestant Pentecostal denomination, does not offer service of a nonreligious nature on a daily basis, Espinoza said, it was not eligible for federal quake relief to nonprofit organizations.

The church did receive about $100,000 in corporate and private donations and raised money by holding car washes and selling tamales and “everything else you could think of,” Espinoza said.

To make up the considerable difference, however, La Trinidad relied on labor donated by skilled members of the congregation.

“Now that it’s almost completed I get very emotional when I go inside,” said Peter Regalado, who, as a boy, helped his father build the original structure.

This time around Regalado, serving as foreman of the construction committee, again worked side by side with his father, and with his two sons who, like him, are carpenters.

“Everything on our grounds we built ourselves,” Regalado said.

“We put our blood, sweat and tears into this place.”

The theme of the dedication service will be “Celebrating God’s Faithfulness,” said Espinoza.

It will be begin at 2 p.m. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and feature speakers and a free meal provided by the church.

Iglesia La Trinidad is located at 1150 O’Melveny Ave.