Cities Church

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Cities Church
St. Paul's On-The-Hill Church 1.JPG
St. Paul's-on-the-Hill pictured in 2012 before its closure and sale to Cities Church
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Location1524 Summit Avenue, Saint Paul, Minnesota
Coordinates 44°56′28″N93°09′54″W / 44.9411°N 93.1650°W / 44.9411; -93.1650
Built1913
Built byW. M. Carlson
Architect Emmanuel Louis Masqueray
Architectural style Gothic Revival
Website citieschurch.com
Part of West Summit Avenue Historic District (ID93000332)
Added to NRHPMay 4, 1993
Denomination Southern Baptist Convention
History
Former nameSt. Paul's-on-the-Hill Episcopal Church
Specifications
Nave height60 feet (18 m)
Floor areaSanctuary: 9,000 square feet (840 m2)
Annex: 11,000 square feet (1,000 m2)
Total: 20,000 square feet (1,900 m2)
Clergy
Senior pastor Jonathan Parnell

Cities Church is a historic church building in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Completed in 1913 as St. Paul's-on-the-Hill Episcopal Church, the Gothic Revival building is a contributing property to the West Summit Avenue Historic District. After the Episcopal congregation dwindled, the church was closed in 2015 and the building was sold. In 2020, Cities Church, a Baptist congregation, purchased the building.

Contents

During the 2026 U.S. immigration enforcement protests, a group of demonstrators disrupted a Sunday service of Cities Church to protest a lay pastor of the church who was alleged to be a senior official of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Minnesota. Several of the demonstrators were arrested and charged with violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which prohibits disruption to the exercise of religious freedom at a place of worship. The protest in the church was widely condemned or criticized by religious leaders representing different theological views and perspectives on immigration enforcement.

Architecture

The apse and tower of St. Paul's-on-the-Hill in 2012 St. Paul's On-The-Hill Church 2.JPG
The apse and tower of St. Paul's-on-the-Hill in 2012

St. Paul's-on-the-Hill was built in 1913 by W. M. Carlson to a design by Emmanuel Louis Masqueray. The Gothic Revival church includes a rose window in its west end. The walls are random-coursed ashlar-cut limestone and the red-tiled roof is gabled with a parapet. [1] The roof had to be redesigned after it failed to drain properly during Minnesota's harsh winters. [2]

Near the apse on the north side of the church is a two-story stone tower topped by a spire. The tower is adjacent to an entrance porch featuring a crenelated parapet. The side walls feature stained-glass lancet windows set between limestone buttresses. [1] The church has 33 stained-glass windows. [2]

An entrance porch on the west end was added later and is covered by a shed roof and corbie-stepped parapet. The rear of the church includes a modern addition with gabled and flat roofs to house childcare facilities, office, a kitchen and meeting space. [1] [2]

History of the building

St. Paul's was founded in 1854 and erected a building in 1857 in Lowertown. Early members included Governor Henry Hastings Sibley, Minnesota House Speaker John L. Merriam and Governor William Rush Merriam. The church moved to West Summit Avenue in 1913 and hired Masqueray, who had designed other prominent churches in Saint Paul, to design the church. Masqueray's design made use of the limestone, tower spire, altar, pews and stained-glass windows of the 1857 building that were relocated to the building by ox-cart. [2]

St. Paul's churchmanship was Anglo-Catholic. Over the course of the 20th century, attendance declined and was further affected when a former priest at the church was convicted of abuse of a minor. It losgt its parish status and became a mission of the Episcopal Church in Minnesota before closing permanently in 2015. [2] The building was sold to a real estate developer in 2018 who intended to turn it into a performing arts center and conservatory. [3] The building remained a "historic nonoperating cemetery" because John Wright, a former rector, was buried in a crypt under the sanctuary in 1919. [2]

History of Cities Church

Cities Church was planted in 2016 through the North American Mission Board. [4] [5] It is a Southern Baptist Convention (SBC)-affiliated church that adheres to the Reformed 1689 London Baptist Confession. [6] [7]

Cities Church began renting the former St. Paul's building after the 2018 sale. [3] The congregation purchased the building from the developer in February 2020. At the time, it had 500 people in weekly attendance. The St. Paul Conservatory of Music continued to rent classroom space and use of the sanctuary for its performance hall. [5]

2026 immigration enforcement protest

On January 18, amid the 2026 U.S. immigration enforcement protests, several protesters disrupted a Sunday worship service at Cities Church to protest against lay pastor and elder David Easterwood, who activists alleged was the acting field director for Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Minnesota. [8] [9] Videos taken during the disruption showed dozens of protestors chanting "ICE out!" and "David Easterwood, out now!" during the scheduled service in the church's sanctuary. [10]

That afternoon, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon posted on X that the Department of Justice (DoJ) was "investigating the potential violations of the federal FACE Act" by people "interfering with Christian worshipers". [11] [12] The 1994 FACE Act was intended to prevent people from impeding patients' and employees' access to abortion clinics, and it includes a provision setting penalties disruption of worship services. [13]

Three present at the protest were arrested on January 22, including former president of the Minneapolis NAACP chapter Nekima Levy Armstrong. [14] The three were released the next day following court orders. [15] Federal magistrate judge Douglas Micko denied the Justice Department's application to bring charges against journalist Don Lemon, who had been reporting on the protest, and denied an application for FACE Act charges against Levy Armstrong and one of the others arrested. [16]

On January 20, Judge Micko found probable cause in three out of eight arrest warrants presented to him by the DoJ. According to CBS, "When [Micko] declined to sign the other five, Minnesota's US Attorney Daniel Rosen personally called the court and demanded that his decision be reviewed by a district court judge." The matter was assigned to Chief Judge for the US District Court for the District of Minnesota Patrick Schiltz, who said he would review the decision by the 27th. The DoJ claimed that a national security emergency required immediate signing of the warrants, but on January 23 a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit declined to order the district court to sign the warrants. [17] On January 30, Attorney General Pam Bondi said that Lemon, another journalist, and two others had been arrested by federal agents at her direction for their roles in the protest; [18] according to the Associated Press, "The four were charged with conspiracy and interfering with the First Amendment rights of worshippers" under the FACE Act. [13] [19] University of Texas law professor John Greil said that videos of the protest appeared to show the activists intimidating worshipers. [20] On February 2, two more demonstrators were arrested and charged with violations of the FACE Act. [21]

Cities Church issued a statement saying that the protesters "accosted members of our congregation, frightened children, and created a scene marked by intimidation and threat." The statement added that "[i]nvading 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." The church said it was reviewing its legal options and "called on federal officials to protect all houses of worship from similar protests." [20] The protest was widely condemned by conservative figures like Donald Trump [12] as well as by evangelical leaders, including Franklin Graham, [22] Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Albert Mohler, [4] SBC President Clint Pressley [20] and Biola University professor Ed Stetzer. [23] Religious leaders who opposed ICE's enforcement tactics also expressed concern about the protest in Cities Church, with Episcopal Bishop of Washington Mariann Budde saying that "no one should fear for their safety or security in a house of worship" and Cooperative Baptist Fellowship minister Brian Kaylor saying it would be "very alarming" if protests in houses of worship spread. [24]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Nomination Form: West Summit Avenue Historic District" (PDF). U.S. Department of the Interior. p. 31. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Chin, Richard (January 29, 2016). "St. Paul church for sale has beauty, history and a buried body". Twin Cities. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  3. 1 2 Norfleet, Nicole (February 22, 2018). "St. Paul's Church on the Hill sold to developer who envisions a performing arts center". Star Tribune. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  4. 1 2 Adams, Liam (January 23, 2026). "Minneapolis church ICE protest rattles SBC about worship safety". The Tennessean. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  5. 1 2 Morris, William (February 19, 2020). "Developer Rupp sells St. Paul's Church on Hill to congregation". Finance & Commerce. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Cities Church – SBC Churches Directory". SBC Churches Directory. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Beliefs". Cities Church. May 2, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  8. ↑ Brook, Jack (January 18, 2026). "DOJ vows to press charges after activists disrupt church where Minnesota ICE official is a pastor". 12News. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
  9. ↑ Kim, Soyoung; Wald, Jeff (January 20, 2026). "Activists call for Cities Church pastor to resign over ICE leadership conflict". FOX9 KMSP. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
  10. ↑ Fortin, Jacey; McCarthy, Lauren (January 22, 2026). "Protester Nekima Levy Armstrong Who Interrupted Minnesota Church Service Is Arrested, Officials Say". The New York Times. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  11. ↑ Lebowitz, Megan (January 19, 2026). "DOJ civil rights chief blasts Don Lemon for covering anti-ICE protest inside church, vows charges against protesters". NBC News. Retrieved January 25, 2026.
  12. 1 2 Rose, Andy; Hammond, Elise (January 19, 2026). "Trump officials investigate protesters who interrupted Minnesota church service, targeting ICE official". CNN. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  13. 1 2 Funk, Josh; Smith, Peter (January 30, 2026). "What to know about the civil rights charges Don Lemon faces for covering church protest in Minnesota". AP News. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Anti-ICE protest at Minnesota church leads to 3 arrests but no charges for a journalist". NPR. January 22, 2026. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
  15. ↑ Sepic, Matt (January 24, 2026). "Church protesters freed as White House circulates fake arrest image". MPR News . Retrieved January 30, 2026.
  16. ↑ Montoya-Galvez, Camilo; Jacobs, Jennifer; Lynch, Sarah; Kaplan, Jonah (January 22, 2026). "Minnesota magistrate judge rejects charges against Don Lemon over anti-ICE church protest, blocks some charges for 2 protesters". CBS News . Retrieved January 30, 2026.
  17. ↑ Lynch, Sarah (January 24, 2026). "Appeals court declines to order lower court to sign arrest warrants against Don Lemon, others in church protest". CBS News . Retrieved January 30, 2026.
  18. ↑ Folkenflik, David (January 30, 2026). "Feds arrest 4, including Don Lemon and Minnesota journalist over church protest". NPR. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
  19. ↑ Durkin Richer, Alanna; Tucker, Eric (January 30, 2026). "Journalist Don Lemon arrested after protest that disrupted Minnesota church service". Associated Press . Retrieved January 30, 2026.
  20. 1 2 3 Smietana, Bob (January 21, 2026). "Cities Church Considers Legal Options After Sunday Protest". MinistryWatch. Religion News Service. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
  21. ↑ Thompson, Howard (February 2, 2026). "St. Paul church protest: 2 more arrests made in MN". FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  22. ↑ Wise, Talia (January 21, 2026). "Christian Leaders Respond to Anti-ICE Protest During Minnesota Church Service". CBN. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  23. ↑ DeRose, Jason (January 30, 2026). "Church protest leads to debate among Christians about the morality of working for ICE". NPR. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  24. ↑ Smith, Peter; Stanley, Tiffany (January 25, 2026). "Protests inside churches are unusual despite long history of civil disobedience in the US". Twin Cities. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
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