Jenna Ellis: ‘This is harassment, abusive, and unconscionable.’

In the fight between Los Angeles County and Pastor John MacArthur’s Grace Community Church over religious liberty, the county went petty. Los Angeles County notified Grace Community Church via letter that on October 1 it is being evicted from a parcel of land it uses as a parking lot. The church has held a lease on this land for 45 years.

Is this retaliation for fighting Los Angeles County’s ban on indoor church worship services? Lawyers for John MacArthur and Grace Community Church think so.

Los Angeles County is retaliating against Grace Community Church for simply exercising their constitutionally protected right to hold church and challenging an unreasonable, unlawful health order,” said Jenna Ellis, Special Counsel to Thomas More Society: “In America, we have a judicial system to ensure that the executive branch does not abuse its power, and Grace Community Church has every right to be heard without fear of reprisal. The Democrats’ message to Americans is clear–if you don’t bow to every whim of tyranny, the government will come after you. The Church has peacefully held this lease for 45 years and the only reason the County is attempting eviction is because John MacArthur stood up to their unconstitutional power grab. This is harassment, abusive, and unconscionable.

This eviction is for a large area of the parking lot utilized by the church—and has been leased since 1975. The land is in the flood control area and unsuitable for most uses.

The dispute between MacArthur, Grace Community Church and Los Angeles County began when the church decided it would hold indoor worship services despite the county and California bans on indoor church services. The county has taken MacArthur and the church into court at least four times in the last several weeks seeking judgment against the church.

30 thoughts on “RETALIATION: LA County evicts John MacArthur’s Church from land leased for parking lot”

  1. Dear LA County officials,
    The bible says touch not my anointed and do my prophets no harm! You are not fighting a church, you are fighting God and he always wins!

    It also says, vengence is mine, I shall repay saith the Lord!
    Just know this will not ho unpunished by God!

  2. Your story is reminding me of Paul and his brothers in Christ! And God was with them too ! And God was “before” them too !!!!’

  3. The devil is alive and well in LA County! Shameful abuse of the first amendment! Time for Christians to stand up to evil democrats!

  4. Dear Mr Pestrella,

    I personally have no connection with Grace Community Church, however I wanted to write an express how dangerous the LA Counties cancelation of the churches parking lot after 45 years is very concerning by your abuse of power.

    Please feel free to let me know if there are additional facts I may not be aware of that has caused this action by the county.

    Sincerely,

    Scott Renkes
    678.232.1818

    1. Can you send that to him? That is an excellent start, but I think we’re preaching to the choir here.
      What in the world happened to California? This is so sad and of course frustrating.

  5. Shocking! Would we standup and fight if we had opportunity to stop the Holocaust? The answer is Yes! What’s different about this situation? Hitler conducted business the same way, get it? Wake up America, now is the time to stand before it’s too late!

  6. How irresponsible of the County in these times of monetary difficulty they would forfeit revenue from otherwise useless land all in the name of getting even with h a Church attempting to do what a Church does. God knows that there are people who need what they have to offer.

  7. These officials in Los Angeles are under demonic influence! I am so frustrated and angry over this. My church in Florida could be threatened like this someday. I pray that the church will stand under this horrible attack from the enemy of our souls.

  8. Romans 13 forewarned GCC of this. Nothing California government requires violates God’s command. Christ says, “And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.” GCC not even willing to comply with face masks. They will call it persecution.

    1. This is a ridiculous statement. So when the government tells a church to disobey God and violates the church’s first ammendment rights. We should not only go one mile, but go the extra mile to disobey God because the government told us to do it. They have taken GCC to court 4 times so far and not accomplished anything (the judges ruled against the county all 4 times). Now they are retaliating by petty stuff by taking away parking lot that GCC has leased for 45 years. And you want to mock and ridicule GCC? You need to read your Bible and the constitution. Jesus died for sinners just like you, repent and put your faith in Christ.

      1. The government has a responsibility to protect the lives of its citizens. If a pastor rejects science in such a way as to encourage his church to act in ways that could lead to unnecessary and avoidable sickness and death, the state has a right to intervene. GCC could find other ways to meet, online and/or in small groups, like thousands of other churches all over the country, and still obey God AND the government orders. Nothing in scripture requires the church to meet in a giant building as a megachurch.

    2. DW you have a very bad and incorrect interpretation of Romans 13. Paul/God says in Romans 13 that we are to obey “authority” only, and that all authority comes from God. California and the County leaders are not issuing orders that are “authority” or authoritative. They are unlawful and unreasonable orders, thus the believers there have no duty to obey the orders since they are not authority. The orders violate the supreme laws of Calif. Constitution and U.S. Constitution so they are not authority and are unlawful. Plus, they violate God’s laws and commands in the Bible, so they are especially not authority. An alleged ruler or order cannot be authoritative if it violates God’s laws because God is the source of all authority and the supreme authority. Christ’s commands were to an individual, not discussing government authority. And that statement is a GENERAL statement, not Absolute. There are many exceptions to Christ’s general rule found in the Bible commanded by Christ. They are commanded to kick out very wicked believers out of the church if they refuse to confess and repent (1 Cor. 5). Peter and John refused to obey the leaders in Acts 4 & 5 and said they would obey God and not Man. Jesus told the disciples to bring a sword or two on their journey, which means godly self defense, against wicked unauthoritative people.

  9. I am so thankful for pastor John MacArthur and Grace Community for taking this stand. It is outrageous and so sad to see America, the country that has stood for justice and liberty and freedom turn away from these values—a nation conceived in liberty and dedicated to the idea that all men and women are equal and hold inalienable rights. One of these rights from the very beginning has been the right to worship. It is not just John MacArthur who is being attacked, but every one in this country who values this freedom.

  10. We are praying for a John M and his church – they are on the side of the eternal God who rules over all. Do they not know – these sons of men, that for all their opposition to the work of The gospel, God will bring them into judgement. You cannot oppose God and win. He will always have the final say. Not the supreme courts, not the Governor or his lackeys or even the President himself. So Mr Governor you might wish to have a rethink about what you are trying to do to the servant of the living God even in your blindness. Shall not the judge of all the earth do right -Justice and truth are in God’s hands.

  11. The Lord is in control. He is Sovereign over everything. We know persecution is coming and is here. I will pray for my pastor John MacArthur and our church. I will pray for Jenna Ellis as well. This is abusive and mean. We need to pray for the public works department of Los Angeles. We need to pray for their salvation.

    1. Natascha, that is a totally unbiblical statement. The Bible nowhere ever says “the Lord is in control”. In fact God himself says in many places that He is NOT in control at all. Yes, He is sovereign but He gave us free will to believe Him or not, to obey Him or not, and he gave us much authority to rule in his place. Like he told Adam and Eve to rule over the animals, garden and world and it was not God in control. He put Adam and Eve in control. God can overrule people whenever He wants, but if people refuse to do their duty to God, often God leaves them to suffer the shirking of their duty to God to fight for freedom as He commands in His Word many times (see Jer. 22), just as Jesus allowed the German believers to be tortured and killed because they did not fight against evil rulers, and same under Russia Communists.

  12. I know, they are so despicable. To want to pray for people like yourself who don’t know God through Jesus Christ is the worst thing ever. To want to gather together and sing the praises of a mighty Creator who is kind and merciful and forgives sinners who hate Him and His people is basically unforgivable. I don’t know where these horrible people get off being so… Christian. How dare they!

  13. If I lived near that church I would drive people there and back if they lose their parking. I know I am just one person but it’s what I would do.

  14. Put a salon on the premises. Now that L.A. changed the rules for Pelosi, maybe they’ll ignore the rules for Grace Church.

    1. That salon is closed forever. The salon owner said she doesn’t even feel safe returning to the city of San Francisco.
      I’m not sure where you got that version of the Pelosi at the hair salon story, but you have it backward. That is one really cruel woman. Ruins a completely non-political lady’s business, and her supporters somehow are able to threaten the now former salon owner’s life.
      This is not how we do things in the United States! And i feel so stupid and helpless. Young people? Please step up. I’m disabled and have spent the year with my very high risk parents. I can’t do front lines any more. Don’t be like the World, some of these comments are doing that, and folks? We never want to be indistinguishable from the World. If Christ lives in you, you have been set apart. Not above, but apart. Pray. Study, fast, whatever you are called to do.

  15. I know that America would not be where it is at this time. If the” people that are called by His name would all take Pastor MacArthurs example. We have allowed Government to take over . As America is now it would take a miracle from God to reverse the strong hold it has over the Christians and our belief in God. We must wake up… today it’s a parking lot, tomorrow is closing the church’s. We are seeing the writing on the wall !!!!

  16. What is the city going to do if they close off the parking lot and find vehicles parked in it? These very likely could be vehicles with homeless people, and the city wasn’t going to be enforcing parking restrictions because of covid-19.

    The city most likely will put chains to barricade cars from entering or leaving. Pity any homeless person who is now unable to leave the lot, or whose vehicle is towed and now has to pay towing fees.

    45 years this lease is in effect, but now it will be discontinued!!?? No new lease negotiations? Sounds like vengeance to me.

  17. I’m sorry, just checking, did I hit my head and travel back in time? Because this is getting way, way too close to the Soviet Union that I was en route to, with 70 pounds of food, clothing, and yes, the illegal Bibles, back in 1990. Illegal to even own a Bible in the USSR then. People were happy to have one page.
    It is mind blowing that now, at the age of 50, my country could turn into the country I wanted to travel to as a Missionary since age 17. Way back in 1986. I knew that I was immeasurably blessed to love in the United States, and to be able to worship freely. I remember looking at my bookcase as a teenager and my heart hurting because I had three Bibles, and people in the Soviet Union weren’t allowed to have one.
    I don’t know what to think or do, but we absolutely must not be like the Church I’m Germany I’m the 1930s. We have no excuse.
    I’m exhausted and there’s no time to be exhausted. How can we help Pastor MacArthur ‘s church? He has done so much for so many! My Mom used to listen to him on the radio, regularly. She was my first and best Bible teacher, surely learned from Pastor MacArthur, as the church we attended was dead, and about to become a bastion of Liberal … garbage, sadly. I
    The Government must stay out of Church. We know this, they know this. I will be praying – I know so many already are, so I’ll join the praying. We have been “locked down” since March. It is September. This isn’t the Plague. Are rioters all riddled with Covid -19?

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