A Seattle congregation is pledging to stand with the family of a member who was gunned down outside their church site last week. Sunday night, hundreds came to a vigil outside the Pursuit Northwest church to remember Christopher “LeBron” Castleberry.
The 28-year-old newlywed was murdered in a shooting at a youth barbecue he attended with his wife and son. An estimated 30 bullets were shot into the crowd in the church parking lot.
Earlier this year, violent protestors invaded a worship event hosted by the same church. Organizers say all the violence and hatred won’t stop them from spreading the gospel.
The church’s Christian rally back in May had descended into chaos when protesters stormed barricades, hurled urine-filled water balloons, and shouted obscenities. The organizers of that rally are still demanding justice and equal treatment under the law.
The “Mayday USA” rally, attended by families and children, was disrupted by what organizers describe as a violent mob intent on targeting Christians.
“People from our church got physically beaten by radical leftists,” said Pastor Russell Johnson of Pursuit Church Northwest. Seattle police arrested 23 protesters, while attendees reported witnessing lewd behavior aimed at children.
But the city’s response further inflamed tensions. Seattle’s mayor reportedly blamed the rally’s organizers, calling the event “anti-trans and anti-gay.” Tim Barton of WallBuilders questioned the double standard, saying, “I don’t think the mayor would have said anything had this been a Muslim rally or an LGBTQ rally.”
In the aftermath, Johnson and other religious leaders began working with federal officials and legal teams. “Those legal actions are underway,” Johnson said. “We have to let it play out.”
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino weighed in on the attack on social media, writing, “Religious freedom is not a suggestion.”
Just days after the Seattle event, Los Angeles denied the group a permit for its final rally—though it approved a Pride event for the same location the following weekend. In response, Mayday organizers shut down a section of Hollywood Boulevard and held an impromptu worship service.
“When I think of Peter, Paul, Jesus… they faced persecution,” said co-founder Ross Johnston. “They never backed down.”
Support for the group has come from national religious liberty advocates. During the first meeting of the newly formed Religious Liberty Commission, Attorney General Pam Bondi pledged to root out anti-Christian bias.
“You can’t eradicate the hate for Jesus Christ in people’s hearts,” said First Liberty Institute senior counsel Keisha Russell, “but the government must understand it’s not allowed to take part in that kind of hostility.”
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First Liberty recently released a Religious Freedom Index ranking all 50 states. Florida ranked first, while California came in at 43rd. Washington state ranked eighth. But Barton said laws are only as effective as the leaders who enforce them. “There might be some states with decent laws, but they’re not defending or upholding them.”
First Liberty leaders said they’ll push for federal funding to be cut from cities that fail to protect religious freedom. “There has to be a legal, civil, and financial consequence for people who operate like this,” Johnson said.
