Delta Police are investigating after a local church was vandalized with anti-Christian graffiti.
Maintenance chair Bryan Hodgins discovered the disturbing message scrawled on the side of Crossroads United Church on the morning of Nov. 10. Hodgins immediately contacted police and took pictures of the graffiti that read 香蕉视频直播淜ill All Christans (sic) 香蕉视频直播� god is not real.香蕉视频直播�
香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 very disturbing, especially for a lot of our older parishioners who have to walk by this thing to get into the church,香蕉视频直播� Hodgins said. 香蕉视频直播淚n light of things like [the shooting in] Texas this last week, you hope it香蕉视频直播檚 a harmless prank but who knows?香蕉视频直播�
On Nov. 5 a 26-year-old Devin Patrick Kelley the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, killing 26 people and injuring 20 others.
香蕉视频直播淚 think the concern here is just given what kind of events are happening in the world these days, particularly the actual shooting in Texas of people in a church, that kind of hate speech 香蕉视频直播� it香蕉视频直播檚 hate speech, there香蕉视频直播檚 no other word for it 香蕉视频直播� is particularly concerning,香蕉视频直播� said Rev. Cari Copeman-Haynes, lead minister at Crossroads United Church.
香蕉视频直播淵ou think about all the good this congregation is doing in the community 香蕉视频直播� it香蕉视频直播檚 a pretty stark response to what we consider a positive presence for people who are struggling in our community.香蕉视频直播�
The incident was the second time in a week that the church had been vandalized, with both incidents occurring on the exact same patch of the sanctuary香蕉视频直播檚 curved wall. However, Copeman-Haynes said, the previous incident was a smaller, more generic tagging.
香蕉视频直播淓ven though we were trying valiantly to get it off of the concrete wall, it provided enough of an invitation to whoever this person was to really expand both the square footage and take the message in a way more malevolent direction,香蕉视频直播� she said.
Copeman-Haynes has been a minister at Crossroads for nine years, and six before that when the congregation was known as St. John香蕉视频直播檚-Strawberry Hill, and said she香蕉视频直播檚 never seen vandalism of this nature that at the church.
香蕉视频直播淚 think there may have been more of the tagging kind of graffiti in that earlier era. Since we香蕉视频直播檝e been Crossroads there香蕉视频直播檚 been nothing like that at all until this moment,香蕉视频直播� she said. 香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 indicative of the kind of polarization and intolerance and anxiety, for want of a better word, just generalized anxiety and blame that is kind of the public conversation.香蕉视频直播�
Delta Police public affairs coordinator Sharlene Brooks said in an email that the vandalism at Crossroads appears to be an isolated incident, adding she couldn香蕉视频直播檛 recall anything of a similar nature occurring in the recent past. Brooks said police have yet to identify any suspects but are monitoring to see if similar incidents occur elsewhere.
The paint used is sticking rather tenaciously to the raw concrete wall and Hodgins said he香蕉视频直播檚 having a hard time removing the graffiti. On top of that, tape and the like don香蕉视频直播檛 stay on the wall long, making it impossible to temporarily cover up the offending message.
Hodgins is waiting for an assessment from a professional graffiti removal company, but failing that the only remedy would be to paint over that part of the wall. Regardless, he said, getting rid of the graffiti will likely end up costing the church thousands of dollars.
香蕉视频直播淧utting it in real terms it香蕉视频直播檚 probably going to cost several of our community dinners 香蕉视频直播� not that we香蕉视频直播檇 cancel the community dinners, but the cost will be equivalent to putting on at least one or two of them,香蕉视频直播� he said. 香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 not a harmless prank; there are victims.香蕉视频直播�
editor@northdeltareporter.com
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