“Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.” – Psalm 150:1
Cities Church is situated in the Twin Cities, between St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota. This past Sunday, January 18, 2026, the faithful gathered at the church to collectively worship the Lord as they have for decades. Sadly, however, it was a service unlike any other.
As Pastor Jonathan Parnell stood behind the pulpit and began reading from the Gospel of John, dozens of left-wing protesters barged into the sanctuary and began yelling, shouting, blowing whistles, and more, disrupting the worship service. The protesters attempted to intimidate the congregation as they cursed at families, and even launched accusations not only at the adults, but also at the children.
Nekima Levy Armstrong led the lawless protest to disrupt the church’s worship service because she had an issue with one of the pastors on staff, who is also an employee of the Department of Homeland Security. Former CNN anchor, Don Lemon, who livestreamed the protest on YouTube, and others, are falsely claiming that the protesters are protected by the First Amendment to protest inside the church.
Simply put, that is an absurd claim. There is absolutely no right in the First Amendment to trespass on the private property of a church and viciously interrupt a sacred place of worship, traumatize the congregants, and refuse to leave the church grounds when repeatedly asked to do so peacefully. The reality is, congregants of the Cities Church are the ones who had their rights trampled on by the protesters.
On X, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi responded to the protest by stating, “Attacks against law enforcement and the intimidation of Christians are being met with the full force of federal law… If state leaders refuse to act responsibly to prevent lawlessness, this Department of Justice will remain mobilized to prosecute federal crimes and ensure that the rule of law prevails.” Praise the Lord that the U.S. Attorney General is defending the Cities Church and our religious freedom, and may the American Church allow this disturbing situation to only strengthen the Church’s resolve to fulfill her mission.
As we begin our “Let Us Pray” devotionals for 2026, we will be taking time during the legislative session to encourage you to pray, by name, for our elected leaders (see below). Let us commit to praying regularly for our Kentucky governmental leaders to act in ways that bring honor and glory to Jesus Christ and are a blessing to our Commonwealth.
LET US PRAY…
Father, please encourage and strengthen the Cities Church, both the congregants and pastors, to remain firm in shining Your light in the Twin Cities. Lord, may our religious freedom here in America be strengthened and defended strongly by our leaders. Father, empower churches all across America to remain strong for You no matter the costs. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Praying For Our Kentucky Leaders
Join us in praying for our elected leaders throughout the 2026 Legislative Session!
KY Legislators
Sen. Gary Clemons
Sen. Matthew Deneen
Rep. George Brown Jr.
Rep. Lindsey Burke
Rep. Emily Callaway
Rep. Josh Calloway