City officials in Broomfield, Colorado, are standing in solidarity with church leaders after vandals graffitied a swastika on the sign of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church.
Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church is a part of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, a conservative Lutheran denomination.
The swastika and other graffiti were discovered on Sunday morning, and church volunteers worked quickly to remove the markings.
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In a joint statement, the Broomfield city council and mayor’s office said, “Seeing a swastika drawn on a local church sign in Broomfield was both painful and deeply disturbing. Hate has no place in Broomfield.”
“On behalf of the Mayor and Broomfield City Council, we wanted to extend our hand of peace in this time of deep disappointment,” the statement continued.
“Our community is stronger than acts of hate—we stand united with our friends and neighbors in choosing love, respect, and understanding,” the city leaders added. “In moments like this, we affirm who we are—a community that stands for love, inclusion, and mutual respect.”
“In Broomfield, we care for one another—and we’ll continue to overcome hate by strengthening the bonds that bring us together. The acts are under investigation by authorities and we ask that our community stands against hate,” the statement concluded.
In a letter to the Beautiful Savior Lutheran congregation, Rev. Richard Langness said, “We were heartbroken by the markings while at the same time hurting for the one, or many, who may have been involved in the defacing.”
“We could do nothing else but acknowledge the need to offer forgiveness to them and hope that they are willing to receive it,” Langness continued.
“The largest of the symbols painted on the sign was a swastika. I can only hurt for the members of the Jewish community who had to be reminded of the awful hate crimes executed against them in the past and still endured today,” wrote Langness. “We, as members of Beautiful Savior Luther Church, are pained by [the] symbol and stand ready to offer whatever care and support that we can give to the community.”
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Langnness emphasized, “There can be no room for hate.”
