Mitchell church resilient after homophobic attacks

MITCHELL, S.D. (KELO) – The Congregational United Church of Christ in Mitchell is holding steadfast in their support for the LGBTQ community, despite the multiple attacks against their building.

From spray painted Bible quotes, to stealing rainbow signs and throwing rocks through windows, the Mitchell UCC has seen more vandalism in the last month than ever before. The pastor says it’s no coincidence the incidents happened during Pride Month.

“It was, I think, clearly targeting our church especially during Pride Month because we are a church that is open and affirming and loving of all God’s people,” Pastor Matt Richards said.

The latest attack came two weeks ago when rocks were thrown through the windows of the Helping Hand Pantry, located inside the church.

“I was worried that they would have done it before the rains and they would have ruined a whole bunch of stuff in here because we have paper products,” Carol Hasz with the Pantry said. “You know, we’ve been violated.”

Before the windows were broken, the exterior of the church was spray painted with the words “abomination,” “repent” and the Bible verse Leviticus 18:22, which reads “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.”

Shortly after the first incident on May 30, the church’s rainbow painted doors that say “God’s doors are open to all,” were ruined and parts of the sign were stolen.

Richards said all three incidents have been reported to the police, who are viewing the cases as connected. He also said security has been upped at the church, including more cameras.

“We’re continuing moving forward with our message of loving all people and we’re remaining strong in our stance,” Richards said.

According to Richards, the national Congregational UCC declared their open and affirming stance for LGBTQ people in the 70s and Pride flags have been flying at the Mitchell church for multiple years. They are also the only UCC church in South Dakota to earn a “WISE congregation” status, which stands for Welcoming, Inclusive, Supportive and Engaged.

Richards said the congregation at the church is also frustrated that the building keeps getting targeted. After the first incident, community members helped to clean and cover up the vandalism with chalk art and “Love your neighbor” signs.

“We prayed for the church, we prayed for the perpetrator,” Richards said. “We definitely felt, I mean, there was so much anger. There was the sense that we were being violated, our space was made a target. And that was painful, that was frustrating, and hurtful.”

However, in a very Christian approach, Richards said he hopes to sit down with the perpetrator to talk about their different perspectives, despite the frustrations with the vandalism.

“We would be open to having a discussion and talking about how different churches interpret scripture differently,” Richards said. “… We’re a church that wants to have a modern message for a modern time. For people who are recognizing that you can be gay, you can be lesbian, you can be trans and still have a Christian faith. I think that’s a very powerful message and so anybody who disagrees with that… I’m happy to have that conversation.”

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