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After activists disrupted a Minnesota church service over a pastor’s ICE role, leaders vowed legal action, defended worship freedom, and urged peaceful dialogue while continuing to proclaim the Gospel.

An American Baptist church, victimised by open borders protestors last weekend, has responded.

Answering anti-ICE activists who invaded the Church’s morning Sunday service, Lead Pastor Jonathon Parnell said the congregation would seek legal action.

Defiant, Parnell declared that St Paul’s Church in Minnesota would not bow down to bullies.

“On Sunday, January 18, a group of agitators jarringly disrupted our worship gathering,” he recounted.

This was unlawful and unbiblical.

“They accosted members of our congregation, frightened children, and created a scene marked by intimidation and threat.”

“Such conduct is shameful. It will not be tolerated.”

“Invading a church service to disrupt the worship of Jesus — or any other act of worship — is protected by neither the Christian Scriptures nor the laws of this nation.”

Pastor Pledges Legal Action and Defends Freedom of Worship

Using the violent intrusion as an opportunity to preach the Gospel, the short Cities Church statement, published on their website, called for dialogue, not escalation.

“We welcome respectful dialogue about present issues,” Parnell wrote.

Especially “about how the realness of Jesus, as revealed in the Bible, provides the only final answers to the world’s most complex and intractable problems.”

“Jesus is real,” asserted Parnell.

“When we gather on Sunday mornings to worship Him, we gladly give ourselves to what is most central and sacred in our life together: loving one another and seeking the good of the Twin Cities.”

Inserting the Lordship of Christ into the middle of the carnage, the pastor said,

“Jesus Christ, the divine Son of God, lived, died, and rose again for the rescue of all who put their faith in Him.”

“He offers a love that transcends cultures, borders, policies, and politics.”

Because we are “those who have been loved and rescued by him, we will not shrink from worshipping Jesus.”

Neither “will we stop “teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah” (Acts 5:42).

“Church buildings are meant to be places of peace and solace, where worshipers can hear and live out this message,” Parnell argued.

“We therefore call on local, state, and national leaders to protect this fundamental right.”

Along with the horrified Trump administration’s Department of Justice, the church is “evaluating next steps with their legal counsel.”

Talking about the Church invasion on X, Trump Attorney General, Pam Bondi, stated,

“Attacks against law enforcement and the intimidation of Christians are being met with the full force of federal law.”

DOJ Weighs Possible Civil Rights Violations

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon added that the DOJ’s civil rights division would be looking at “potential violations of the federal FACE Act.”

This was because “these people desecrated a house of worship and interfered with Christian worshippers.”

For context, the FACE Act is most often deployed by Democrats against pro-life advocates praying and protesting outside abortion mills.

The far-left protestors stormed the church to demand the resignation of David Easterwood.

This is because Easterwood is a Cities Church pastor, as well as the “Acting Director of Enforcement and Removal Operations within ICE in St Paul’s.” (See here and here).

Activists, including Black Lives Matter Inc.’s Minnesota branch leader, Monique Cullers, want the pastor gone.

Alleging that ICE operations were not “aligned with Jesus Christ,” she called Easterwood’s position in the church an “abomination.”

Cullers, who participated in pushing Christians out of the church, claims Easterwood’s pastoral role is in “conflict with his position as an immigration – border control – official.”

Another activist, an alleged Democrat candidate, reportedly joined those accusing the church of being “a house of the devil.”

He later allegedly cheered on shutting the church service down, boasting, “Who shut this down? We shut this down!”

It’s worth noting that the entire anti-Trump circus appeared to be encouraged by ex-CNN host Don Lemon, who live-streamed the Church invasion.

Rejoicing Under Persecution

Alongside his formal reply to the anti-ICE activists, an unshaken Jonathon Parnell wrote,

“Remembering too well the slurs hurled in our sanctuary, name-calling I will not repeat, especially not in print.”

“I asked my children if they were insulted on Sunday, and they said, ‘Yes.’”

Parnell then said he “asked them if the Spirit of God rested upon us, and if that wonder alone is the blessing that helps us reinterpret the insults.”

“They recalled, in an instant, our church’s response: The hugs and tears and palpable unity.

“Our love for one another truly shone through.”

The lesson here, Parnell implied, was to bear the injustice.

Quoting from 1 Peter 4:12, he said,

“If anyone suffers as a Christian — not a murderer, thief, evildoer, or meddler, but a Christian — ‘let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.’”

“His word is the lamp to our feet and the light for our path, and anchored in its truth.”

“Rejoice in the trial,” Pastor Parnell said.

“See God’s blessing, and keep doing good.”