Indianapolis Police are asking for the community’s help to identify suspects after a church in the Haughville neighborhood was struck by vandals on Tuesday night. The building of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, as well as the church’s bus, were spray-painted with obscene messages.
The words “F*** the lord” were spray-painted onto a brick wall of the church’s building, and “die, die, die” was painted on the concrete. On another wall are painted the words “the devil rules.”
On the church’s bus, “666” is scrawled several times, along with the same messages that appear on the building.
Ronald Covington, pastor of the church, told FOX59 that while graffiti has recently been a problem in the area, “when it goes to the church, it’s on a different level.”
RELATED: Satanic Temple Erects ‘Holiday Display’ To Compete With Christian Nativity; Vandals Destroy It
“It’s a level of disrespect. It’s dishonoring God and his house,” said Covington. “This is the Lord’s house. We’re tired of it, we’re saddened by it—this evil. Acts of evil, that’s basically what it is.”
Covington said that he and other local pastors have had meetings to discuss Haughville’s graffiti problem, saying, “We’ve just been meeting with some of the pastors in the city. We just talked about this—this graffiti in our community.”
Nevertheless, Covington expressed faith in his community. And churchgoers and other local residents have already begun to power wash the graffiti off the church’s property.
RELATED: Christian Broadcasting Network Towers Vandalized
“You know, Haughville strong. It talks about community and how we support each other,” he said. “I think it’s just a positive thing when we have even pastors leave their churches and come over here to support us over here.”
