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	Phoenix Church Mourns Pastor Who Killed Himself By Laurie Merrill Arizona Republic. April 26, 2011 http://www.azcentral.com/community/chandler/articles/2011/04/24/20110424phoenix-church-paster-mourned0424.html The mood was somber Easter Sunday as congregants of the Trinity Baptist Fellowship Church in Phoenix mourned the suicide of their pastor, who took his life last week in the face of a sex scandal. "It's just shocking," churchgoer Maritza Gonzales said of Pastor Nick Minerva's death as she entered the place of worship on the 3200 block of East Southern Avenue. "It's going to be tough," said Suzanna Saucedo, another worshiper. "It's because I always saw him as a person who really cared, and now he's gone. He taught us how to be strong." Minerva, 52, shot himself Thursday after a standoff with Chandler police attempting to serve a warrant on suspicion he was luring a 14-year-old girl into a sexual relationship. Minerva, who lived in Tempe, was the married father of four children. He had been pastor of the south Phoenix church since 2004, and had a loyal group of followers. Prior to that, he was pastor of First Baptist Church in Bagdad, Ariz. since 2000. Minerva had also at one time been a probation officer, congregants said. The message Sunday was of hope, healing, and peace as visiting church member Tobi England spoke of Jesus Christ's resurrection. "I have prayed for the pastor's family non-stop," England said at the start of the service. The Minerva family, he said, "is asking for your prayers and support." The church issued a formal statement Sunday that says in part: "While we do not condone the activities that have taken place we know that our God is in control, and we are putting our complete trust in Him." Since July, Chandler police said Minerva had been chatting online with a person believed to be a 14-year-old girl, and then, unknowingly, Chandler detectives. The chats were "inappropriate," police said. At one point, police said, he exposed his genitalia via a web camera. He was attempting to meet the person he thought was a girl, police said. Police said Minerva gained his online correspondent's confidence by warning her to beware of online perverts. He said he "hated" people who were sexually explicit online. Minerva's communications with the person he thought was a teen continued until Thursday, when police contacted him, said Chandler Police Detective Frank Mendoza. Instead of surrendering, Mendoza said, Minerva barricaded himself inside and later shot himself. On the website of the Phoenix church, Minerva wrote: "It was in January of 2004 that our family had the opportunity to come to South Phoenix. In our first service we were joined by seven faithful members at TBFC to set off on a great and exciting adventure. Since that first service God has blessed our church in a great and mighty way. "Trinity Baptist has become a place where hearts are challenged and lives are changed. This website will give you an idea of what God has done here. You will see how our church can serve you and how you can serve the Lord here through TBFC. "It is our goal here at TBFC to meet the spiritual needs of the South Mountain community. We would be honored to serve you, so please feel free to contact us if we can help meet the spiritual needs of you or your family." In His Service, Pastor Nick Minerva Jeremiah 21:8 Police cannot stress enough that parents need to monitor and restrict their children's access to the World Wide Web. These are links to web sites for parents of teens to learn about Chat room dangers. - www.azicac.net/ - www.netsmartz.org/Parents Police are urging any other victims or anyone else with information to contact the Chandler Police Department at .
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