About 50 people attended a worship service held by Mercy Culture Church in front of the Tarrant County Courthouse and county administration building on Oct. 13, 2026.
Rachel Royster
rroyster@star-telegram.com
Mercy Culture Church congregants gathered in front of the Tarrant County Administration Building on Tuesday, Oct. 13, praying for wickedness to be cast out and a righteous stronghold in the county.
Emmanuel Cota, director of Mercy Culture ministry Citizens For Life, said the worship gathering was a “spiritual protest against the evil spirits that are influencing Tarrant County.”
The group of roughly 50 worshipers sang Christian songs, prayed and took communion during the hour before the county commissioners court meeting. It was the second gathering hosted by the nondenominational Fort Worth-based church on the front lawn of the administration building. The first was ahead of the meeting when commissioners voted to reduce the number of Election Day polling locations.
There were several prayers throughout the service to ask God to come to Tarrant County to demolish the wickedness, put righteous and just leaders into the right seats on Nov. 3 and establish the will of heaven.
Cota said the church and Christians should pray over the government and courts so that the right decisions in God’s eyes will be made. When asked for examples of wicked decisions made by the county commissioners, Cota said he would have to consult his notes.
As for righteous decisions, he said they could be as simple as lowering property taxes, which is a campaign promise of Republicans County Judge Tim O’Hare and Commissioner Manny Ramirez, who are on the Nov. 3 ballot. Cota also pointed to helping single income homes, giving grants to pregnancy centers, cracking down on human trafficking and generally easing the everyday life of Tarrant County residents.
Cota couldn’t name them but said Mercy Culture has candidates of choice based on how their morals and decisions align with the Bible.
“We’re here to ask the Lord for guidance, wisdom, wise counsel for everyone that’s coming up on these elections to make the right decisions according to what Scripture says,” Cota said.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Rachel Royster is a news and government reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, specifically focused on Tarrant County. She joined the newsroom after interning at the Austin American-Statesman, the Waco Tribune-Herald and Capital Community News in DC. A Houston native and Baylor grad, Rachel enjoys traveling, reading and being outside. She welcomes any and all news tips to her email.