At a St. Landry Parish Administrative Finance Committee meeting, leaders of Opelousas Life Church said parish staff and the parish president's representative forced the congregation from church property days after a sale that church representatives said gave them 30 days to vacate.

The church's pastor, Pastor Kearny Thomas, told the committee that on Dec. 29, 2024, "we were chased out of the sanctuary with a man with a gun on his hip and his hand on his gun." He said the congregation later was prevented from retrieving items from the sanctuary and that parish representatives moved property on the site.

Associate pastor and real estate broker Angela Angelo said the church completed a sale Dec. 23 and was given a 30-day vacate notice. "The agreement at the table was that we had 30 days to vacate," she said, and she told the committee she had been told by parish staff the church would not be rushed from the property.

Attorney Elbert Guillory, who spoke for the church, said he had discussed the incident with the St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office. "They felt that this is a civil matter and not a criminal matter," he said, and he added that he had advised his client not to file criminal charges in order to avoid escalating the dispute.

The committee sought legal guidance. The council's legal counsel told members they "cannot take any action tonight," saying the committee was not able to conduct an investigation or vote on remedies during the meeting.

Parish President Jesse Ballard addressed the committee and described the property as a government building under his authority. He said the transfer "was done legally, and we are following the law through the letter," and that the parish office would arrange appointments for the church to retrieve items as instructed.

No formal action or vote was taken by the committee on the church's requests during the meeting. Committee counsel offered to meet with Attorney Guillory and report back to the council; Guillory told the committee he would contact the counsel the next day to discuss resolving the situation. The church representatives requested a full, transparent investigation and accountability measures and warned they would seek legal remedies if the parish did not address their concerns.

The sheriff's office determination that the incident was a civil matter and the absence of a logged criminal complaint were reported to the committee by the church's attorney. The committee did not launch an independent investigation at the meeting and was advised any inquiry would need to be handled by a third party such as the sheriff's office or by following processes outside the meeting.