Church Helmed by Former TV Actor Gets OK to Move Into Lake Forest Office Park

Ira Angustain played the role of one Ricardo "Go-Go Gomez" on the CBS series The White Shadow, which aired from 1978 to 1981.

Now he's the pastor and founder of Kingdom Covenant Church, which began in Santa Ana, moved to Lake Forest, moved again to Irvine and, after approval from the Planning Commission at its Thursday meeting, will likely move back to Lake Forest.

The commission unanimously approved a use permit for the church to operate in two suites at 22600 Lambert St., in the space occupied by Saddleback Valley Church until 2010.

"We are a perfect fit for the city of Lake Forest," Angustain, a Mission Viejo resident, told the commission. "We are driven by two commandments: to love the Lord God with all your mind, heart and soul, and to love your neighbor as yourself. To show we love God, we must love our neighbors. We want to serve the city of Lake Forest."

City regulations say that a church of the size Angustain had proposed would require 63 parking stalls, but the Lambert Street suites in question come equipped with only 13. To get around that problem, the church proposed sharing spaces with nearby businesses in the office park. A parking study was undertaken and indicated that such an arrangement would not cause problems, associate planner Jennifer Mansur told the commission.

Group activities at the church would be limited to weekends and after 6 p.m. on weekdays, when the nearby businesses would likely not be open and not require the use of parking spaces.

According to its website, Kingdom Covenant Church is a "Pentecostal/charismatic church" that began in October 2007 in the home Ira and Linda Angustain, before holding its first official Sunday morning service in the Embassy Suites in Santa Ana.

Before gaining approval from the Planning Commission for the use permit, Ira Angustain drew a laugh from the audience while making his case.

"We think we have an economic impact," Angustain said. "People like to go out and eat before church—and after church."