A local pastor was reportedly fired from his position March 7, but that has not kept him from repainting his name on the church’s sign and changing the locks on the building to keep the members out.

A lawsuit filed last week, filed by Iglesia Fundamento Sobre La Roca, 1101 S. Crane Ave., accused Pastor Arturo Salinas of stealing money from the church’s bank account, claiming the church property was his personally and refusing to leave as the pastor despite his termination.

Records with the Ector County Appraisal District list the church as the owner of the property, not Salinas.

The lawsuit states that Salinas claimed the property was his and offered to sell it back to the church for $15,000.

Salinas, however, said he is still the pastor and that he didn’t steal any money.

“They try to put me in jail or something,” he said. When asked why they would do that, he said he had “no idea.”

Salinas said he came to the church one day to find a note on his door that said he was fired. He also found his name spray-painted off the church’s sign, which he said he was repainting Wednesday to include his name again.

He referred all other questions to his attorney, Gerald Fugit, who was unavailable Wednesday afternoon.

Spencer Dobbs, who filed the lawsuit on behalf of the church, said its trustees and members want their church back. He said Salinas has been changing locks on the building to keep the members out.

“These are just some peace-loving people that want to worship God and they have had their building co-opted by a maverick pastor, if you will,” he said. “They’re very nice, kind people who only want to continue to worship without having someone exclude them from the premises. They’re really desperate. They didn’t want to go to these lengths.”

Dobbs said the decision by the church to fire Salinas cannot be reviewed by the court.

The church members are seeking an injunction from the court to keep Salinas from using the property as his own, Dobbs said, and may seek monetary damages.

No criminal charges have been filed against Salinas.

@OAcourts