Father Glenn Jenks, pastor of the church, and parishioners from other congregations and denominations met at the church parking lot Saturday to hold a prayer service in hopes of uniting both sides of the controversy.

Jenks said he was pleased with the large number of people in attendance, both Hispanic and Anglo, offering their support for his church’s efforts.

“I’m not surprised we had this many people,” Jenks stated. “I’d hoped we’d have a large turnout. We’re very pleased. We wanted to sincerely pray for answers and solutions.

“This gives us a visible voice, if you’ll excuse the mixed metaphors. It shows that there’s another way to approach this than the ones being used by other voices. What is dangerous is there has been only one voice heard."

Jenks invited members of AFR, who were gathered along Cave Creek Road in front of the church in protest, to join the prayer service. The bikers declined.

“Hiring illegals is against the law,” Childress said. “We’re trying to get people to hire legal workers. Ultimately, we’d like to see Cave Creek as less of a magnet for illegal workers. He’s (Jenks) aiding and abetting–he just doesn’t want to admit it.”

AFR numbers about 200 members statewide, according to Childress.

“We organized last summer. We’re trying to put pressure on the politicians to enforce the laws. They’re listening to the special interest groups to make sure to maintain the status quo. The illegals are not the problem; they’re just a symptom of the problem,” Childress said. “We’re not insensitive to poverty and hard luck, and we’re not here to confront the workers. The government is just not enforcing the laws.”

The Town of Cave Creek started the practice of aiding day workers several years ago, but some residents took offense at the town’s efforts and the church stepped in.

“It was a way to try and keep the workers in one area instead of having them scattered all over town. This has been going on for about six years, but it’s only been controversial for about the past three,” Jenks related. “I don’t think it’s the government’s place to help the workers, either. I personally don’t want my tax dollars spent that way. It’s the job of the churches and religious institutions.”

Jenks said besides providing the workers with a place to congregate each morning and registering their name on a roster for that day, the church helps in a number of other ways.

“We provide a bag of food for them if they didn’t find work that day. We have a nurse that sees to all of their first aid needs–the cuts, scratches and blisters.

We have an agreement with doctors and dentists who charge us half price for their services. The doctor is paid on the spot and the guys pay us back as they can. We kind of determine how much they can afford.

“We have a big Christmas party every year. There are gifts for everyone. Santa Claus comes and hands out the gifts. Then there’s a big meal. It’s a lot of fun for them.”

Jenks noted the workers are fiercely protective of the program and police it themselves.

“The program is theirs,” Jenks said. “When we have a problem, we call them together and present a few possible solutions and they decide the policies. They screen new workers and if he has a problem with drugs or alcohol, they tell us. It’s the closest thing to a democracy they’ve ever dealt with.”

The Saturday service was conducted in English and Spanish, and a number of workers participated along with the congregation.

“This is healthy for the parish and healthy for the day workers,” Jenks stated. “They (AFR) operate on the belief that if they’re (workers) desperate enough and miserable enough, they’ll go home. That’s not going to happen. Whatever they have here is better than what they had at home.

“You’re never going to build a wall high enough or send enough military to the border to stop the flow of immigrants until you make it legal for them to come here and work.”

Yolanda Popoca, active with the Cave Creek Day Workers program, said the prayer service sent a message of support for the workers in attendance.

“I think this showed the guys there’s a lot of love here,” she said. “Not everyone has hatred. It makes everyone look hateful because of the few who are. That’s just not true.

“We’re not going to solve the immigration problems. It takes up to 15 years to get a visa to stay here legally.  Somehow there has to be a solution from the government.”

The general consensus from all factions is that government is dragging its feet in finding a suitable end to immigration issues.

Bill Elliott with the Valley Interfaith Project, a coalition of nine Valley churches united through social justice issues, called the bikers “smart.”

“They understand the justice issues involved, but they seem to struggle with the humanitarian  issues. The galvanizing issue for them seems to be the criminal element,” Elliott said. “The politicians are not seriously trying to solve the immigration problems.”