by Stefan Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
LOS ANGELES, USA (Worthy News) – Authorities in the most populous county of the United States have banned meetings of Church on the Beach, which had been holding public beach services for nearly two decades.
The decision by Los Angeles County has been challenged by the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ). “For 18 years, Church on the Beach has been faithfully serving its community by holding worship services on Redondo Beach with proper permits from Los Angeles County,” the advocacy group said in a statement obtained by Worthy News on Tuesday.
“Approximately 120 people gather every Sunday morning to worship in God’s creation, with many attendees specifically choosing this setting because they have had difficult or negative experiences in traditional church buildings,” the ACLJ added.
The group said its legal team sent a detailed demand letter to officials, outlining the “constitutional violations” of singling out one organization because of its viewpoint and discriminating against members.
“Our letter made it clear that the county’s actions violate well-established First Amendment principles as articulated by the Supreme Court in cases like Widmar v. Vincent and Lamb’s Chapel.”
The ACLJ warned that it had given Los Angeles County “until March 20, 2025, to provide assurances that this discriminatory policy will be ended and that churches will be free to use the beach under the same generally applicable rules as nonreligious gatherings.”
NO PERMITS
Yet the Department of Beaches and Harbors recently told the Church on the Beach that it would no longer issue yearly permits for “religious activities,” Worthy News learned.
Instead, the county reportedly announced that “grandfathered” groups would be allowed only six annual events, with $250 permit fees required for four.
It also is restricting the meetings to specific locations.
“The key fact: None of these rules apply to nonreligious groups. Even more concerning, a county official told the pastor that churches ‘don’t need the beach’ because they can ‘meet in a building’ – a statement that demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of both religious freedom and the specific ministry of Church on the Beach,” the ACLJ complained.
The Church on the Beach views its mission as reaching at least some of the county’s nearly 9.7 million people with the Gospel who may otherwise not attend worship services.
The ACLJ added that the “beach location isn’t merely a preference – it’s a crucial component of their ministry’s outreach to those who might never step foot in a conventional church.”
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that a preliminary memorandum of understanding with Iran is effectively “over” after Tehran’s latest attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, even as he left open the possibility that U.S. negotiators could continue talks if they choose.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to arrive in Israel on Wednesday for his first official visit to the Jewish state since taking office, as Washington and Jerusalem coordinate amid a rapidly escalating confrontation with Iran and growing Israeli concern over a possible U.S. sale of F-35 stealth fighter jets to Turkey.
The United States launched a new wave of military strikes against Iran on Tuesday after three commercial tankers were struck by projectiles in or near the Strait of Hormuz, sharply escalating pressure on Tehran and placing an already fragile ceasefire under one of its most serious tests.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired missiles at commercial vessels near the Strait of Hormuz early Tuesday, escalating tensions just hours after massive funeral processions for slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei featured chants of “Death to Trump” and “Death to Bibi.”
Prosecutors began presenting evidence Monday against Tyler Robinson, the man accused of killing Christian conservative activist Charlie Kirk during a campus event at Utah Valley University, as the state seeks to move the case toward a murder trial and possible death penalty sentence.
A Paris appeals court on Tuesday cleared a path for Marine Le Pen to potentially run in France’s 2027 presidential election, while upholding her conviction for misusing European Parliament funds and requiring her to serve one year under electronic monitoring.
China’s test-firing of a submarine-launched ballistic missile across the Pacific has drawn condemnation from the United States and several Indo-Pacific governments, intensifying concerns over Beijing’s expanding military reach and lack of transparency.