The following comes from a March 10 newsletter from Pacific Justice Institute:

After a small church had been turned away and tried for years to get approval to use its own property, Pacific Justice Institute got involved and won them the right to hold worship services.  Praise God!

St. Mary’s Orthodox Church traces its roots to India.  Believers often face intense persecution in that part of the world, and several families escaped to Los Angeles a few years ago.  In 2008, they scraped together enough funds to buy property in a semi-rural area of L.A. known as Chatsworth.  The property had a small recreational building and was situated between a Methodist church and an equestrian program for the disabled.

In 2010, the church applied for a use permit and was surprised to be turned down, even though their two neighbors supported their request.  They had not expected to find this type of opposition in America.

In 2014, the church again sought a permit and encountered opposition—not from their immediate neighbors, but from other community members who opposed the project just because it was a church.

Just last week, we learned that the Planning Commission approved a permit for the church; they will now be able to use the property they purchased almost 8 years ago and will no longer have to meet in a rented hall.  What a blessing!