Dear Editor:

I feel that even though having a safe 4th of July show is great, having a church sponsor is not.

Is Calvary Chapel Downey sponsoring it to recruit members? Maybe. Is there going to be a separation of church and state, maybe not.

I do not feel well about a church sponsoring an expensive event. Who is it really for, us or the church?

Eduardo Gonzalez
Downey

Dear Editor:

I attended the fireworks show at Downey High School several years ago when Calvary Chapel hosted it and it was not a welcoming experience.

My family was preached to relentlessly before the fireworks started, to the level that it was borderline harassment.

While my family and I do believe in God, our faith is a private matter and we didn’t appreciate the pressure to “accept the Lord” at a time when we were simply trying to enjoy a Fourth of July fireworks show.

Maybe we were partly at fault because we weren’t aware the event was being put on by a church. But we never would have expected that considering the event was being held on public school grounds.

I’m not advocating for Calvary Chapel to not host a fireworks event but people should know what they are walking into. And I hope the church properly reimubrses the school district for expenses.

Stephanie Martinez
Downey