Three Area Churches Vandalized

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) — “It hurts,” says Wayne Hall, Church member and Board of Trustees Chairman at Shady Grove United Methodist Church. Wayne Hall has been attending church at Shady Grove United Methodist in Irmo for nearly 20 years, for him the vandalism that goes on at the church, is hard to understand. Several years ago, church members ttell us the church itself was vandalized, windows broken out and a safe was damaged. Yet, the most recent incident, where suspects spray-painted signs that read, “Atheist,” “There is no God,” and “God Equals Delusion,” has left scars on the side of the church’s life center. “We cleaned it off on a I think Friday night, they returned on Sunday night sometime during the night and did some more painting on the wall,” says Hall. Crandall Sims reporting, “Just up the road another church has been vandalized in recent months. Here at St. John’s Lutheran Church, while it has since been removed, you can still see remnants of where vandals sprayed graffiti on the side of the church building.” The church’s Pastor Doug Graul says this isn’t the first time vandals have hit here. “We had an incident about 11 years ago where the cemetery was vandalized,” says Pastor Graul. Across town on Garners Ferry Road, The Resurrection Life Center was also vandalized a few weeks ago, video surveillance captured that crime on camera. Police say vandals damaged the air conditioning unit there. While just two of the churches are near each other, police think they are related and they tell us these crime could bring hate crime charges. “It could be, especially if proven that these individuals did this type of crime in a racist rage,” says Deputy Curtis Wilson, Richland County Sheriff’s Department. Meanwhile, back at Shady Grove, Wayne Hall and other members are working to put up security cameras, hoping to prevent any more vandalism in the future. “We would like it stopped,” says Hall.