Saved from the 70s' drug scene in his teens, our client, immigrant pastor Ché Ahn, now has a vibrant worldwide ministry. But today, Pastor Ché, Harvest Rock Church and all its members face threats of criminal charges and fines. Read on to learn more about our client and how you can help. -Mat

When Ché Ahn was saved in 1973, he was a drug addict and a high school dropout. Ché says he felt about as far from God as one could get. Although his father was a pastor, Ché was totally disinterested in Christianity and was experimenting with Eastern religions like Zen Buddhism. Ché readily admits his compass was off, but he was hungry for spiritual truth.

One weekend when Ché was seventeen, he was at a wild party when he became bored. He found a quiet, vacant bedroom in the back of the house he was at and found himself beginning to talk to God.

Ché cried out loud, "God, I don't know if You exist. But if You do exist, and what my parents told me as a little boy is true, that You died for my sins and that there is a Heaven and a Hell, I want You to reveal Yourself to me and reveal the truth to me."

Ché says that at that moment, he felt a surge of energy envelop his body, touching him with warmth and love he had never experienced. His mind, Ché says, was suddenly cleared as if someone had pulled up a window shade, and he knew that Jesus was real. Christ’s death on the Cross was a real event, and His act of love was directed to Ché, personally.

Ché immediately left the room and told all his friends about his encounter with God, and although they believed he was just high on drugs, this was no one-time event. That encounter with God, and the reality that he could be reconciled to Him through Jesus Christ, changed Ché Ahn’s life forever.

A Life Reconciled to God and preaching the Good News

Ché broke his addiction to drugs and decided to spend his life glorifying Jesus! “When God met me in that back bedroom over forty years ago, He did not condemn me or tell me how terrible I was; He overwhelmed me with His love and forgiveness,” Ché says.

When we truly experience God's abundant, extravagant love, we begin to walk in "newness of life." When that happens, one cannot help but share the joyous Good News, which is exactly what young Ché Ahn set out to do.

Ché completed seminary with a doctorate degree. Forty-seven years after his conversion, Ché has preached in over 70 countries, and through the outreach of Harvest International Ministry and his church, he has planted thousands of churches worldwide -- including 162 in California alone.

Such a large and effective ministry has now become a prime target for the lawless governor and misguided bureaucrats of California.

When Gov. Gavin Newsom issued his statewide shutdown orders mandate on March 19, 2020, all churches were ordered to close.

Harvest Rock Church closed in-person services. During this time, it became apparent that closing the churches was taking a huge toll on the community. The elderly were isolated, the sick suffered alone, the children cried for fellowship and every social ill greatly increased. Seeking God’s direction, Pastor Ahn reopened his church on Pentecost Sunday, May 31.

In a series of edicts delivered July 6 through July 13, Gov. Newsom first allowed churches to barely open, BUT ONLY if they discontinued singing and chanting and limited indoor attendance to 25% of building capacity or a maximum of 100 attendees.

Then the governor banned ALL WORSHIP for any jurisdiction on the County Monitoring List, which covers about 80 percent of the state’s population. This “no worship” ban includes private homes with anyone who does not live in the home.

While banning worship, Gov. Newsom encouraged protestors, saying, “God bless you. Keep doing it.”

As Pastor Ahn puts it, in attempting to direct the church how to worship, CA Gov. Newsom had declared himself “a little god.” And this pastor serves no god but THE Lord God Almighty!

On August 13, the CRIMINAL DIVISION of the Pasadena city prosecutor’s office sent a "Cease and Desist" letter informing Pastor Ahn, the staff, and every parishioner that they faced criminal charges of one year in jail and $1,000 in fines per day that the Church remains open. Additionally, the mayor of Los Angeles, where one of Harvest’s affiliate churches is located, has threatened to cut off all power and water to churches... as well as to any institution, building or even personal home of people who do not obediently stay in their cages.

On August 12, Liberty Counsel appeared in federal court to defend Pastor Ché Ahn, Harvest Rock Church and Harvest International Ministry, and 162 other California-based churches. Our case is now pending at the Court of Appeals.

Please pray that we have a good panel of three judges who will adhere to the Constitution and understand that Caesar cannot ban worship.

This California case is just one of the FIVE federal lawsuits we have filed on behalf of churches in California, Illinois, Kentucky, Virginia, and Maine against governors who disregard our Constitution and religious freedom. These governors also behave as “little gods” in thinking they can force churches to do their will. A sixth case will soon be filed in another state.

A generous supporter has established a CHALLENGE GRANT which will effectively DOUBLE the impact of your donation today. Please, do not miss this opportunity. Select here or the button below.

Faithful pastors and churches standing for religious freedom need you today. Please, answer their call.

Mat Staver
Founder & Chairman

P.S. As I mentioned above, a generous supporter has established a CHALLENGE GRANT which will effectively DOUBLE the impact of your donation today. Please don't let this opportunity to DOUBLE your effective support pass you by. America's pastors and churches are relying on YOU, a faithful Liberty Counsel supporter, to help ensure religious freedom remains FREE!

P.P.S. I am offering a FREE download of our "Silence Is Not an Option" (SINO) DVD and booklet. This vital training details exactly what pastors and churches can do politically. If we had consistently voted biblical values, rogue governors would not be illegally restricting churches today.

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