Indian tribe trying to force Christian church to leave its own property rips up driveway congregants use

By Bob Unruh

There’s been a fight for months now between the Northern Arapaho tribe on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming and the Foundations for Nations Christian church.

It seems a pastor for Foundations, which operates on its own private land and has served its community in a long list of ways, including a food bank, preached on a biblical basic: that the only way to heaven is through Jesus.

Tribal members were enraged, as they had just finished a tribute to their ceremonial pipe, and leaders ordered the church to leave, an opportunity it declined. Then they tried to demand the church get tribal permission to operate, which again was declined.

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Now tribal leaders have taken their war against the church to a new and physical level: They’ve ordered the destruction of a driveway used by church participants to go to church.

It’s documented by the Cowboy State Daily.

The report describes how tribal leaders “oversaw” a heavy equipment scheme to remove the drive.

It was Foundations Pastor Sarah Lucas who in July had talked about Jesus, the Bible’s claims, and described how the tribe’s Sun Dance provided tribal members with “idols.”

The Northern Arapaho Business Council, which runs the reservation, told the Christians to go away, but they didn’t.

Now a digging machine has gouged a roughly two-foot-deep trench across the drive leading to the church parking lot.

The report said spectators, “mostly tribal members,” watched, “photographed it, laughed and chattered.”

Anti-church protester Alice Thomas claimed it was an “illegal driveway” so the tribe “came in and just removed” it.

NABC Chair Keenan Groesbeck said the organization had voted on the move, but refused to comment further.

While the destruction was under way, the report said, “About 15 feet away, on the church side of the fence, a wooden cross stood in the ground displaying two signs. One read, ‘Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the father except through Me.’ The other read, ‘Jesus loves you and so do we! – FFN.'”

Lucas has had to seek protection orders against Thomas and another protester for publicizing her home address and a photo of her home.

The report explained, “Foundations for Nations incorporated in Wyoming and settled on the reservation in 2017. It has offered child and youth ministries, food provision and other philanthropy. The church was forthright about its mission. Its website calls it a multi-cultural, multi-generational church seeking for people to ‘have a relationship with God, be ignited to reach people with the good news about Jesus, and work together to impact communities.’ Its statement of belief says that Jesus is ‘the only way to heaven and the only name that can be called upon to gain eternal life.'”

The church’s legal representatives have explained to tribal officials they have no right “to interfere with the quiet use and enjoyment of privately owned property for religious worship.”

The Associated Press has reported on the fight, characterizing Lucas negatively in that it claimed her sermon was “condemning” of tribal ceremonies.

The lawyers, from Liberty Counsel, also have explained the tribe has admitted it does not, and cannot, regulate the church.

It was Liberty Counsel that wrote a demand letter to the Northern Arapahoe Business Council, noting the tribe’s demands that the church leave its own property.

The tribe responded with a resolution demanding “outside organizations” get tribal permissions, but it also admitted that its demands do not “apply to activities beyond the lawful jurisdiction of the tribe.”

“The resolution is an indirect admission the NABC has no jurisdiction to make the church leave,” the legal team said.

At one point, the tribe insisted officials had the right to “review and approve” church sermon content.

Liberty Counsel noted, “Under the 1981 decision in Montana v. U.S., the U.S. Supreme Court held that Indian tribes do not have inherent civil regulatory authority over non-Indians on non-Indian-owned private land within a reservation.”

Further, the First Amendment, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the Indian Civil Rights Act all prohibit discrimination against the church based on its faith.

‘Statutory violations’: Food bank accused of religious discrimination for retaliating against Christian church

Bob Unruh

Bob Unruh joined WND in 2006 after nearly three decades with the Associated Press, as well as several Upper Midwest newspapers, where he covered everything from legislative battles and sports to tornadoes and homicidal survivalists. He is currently a news editor for the WND News Center, and also a photographer whose scenic work has been used commercially. Read more of Bob Unruh's articles here.


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