Jones Chapel United Methodist Church, Riceville, Tennessee Vandalized

Johns Chapel United Methodist Church is a small town church, located on a country road in rural Tennessee. It is a place where church members should feel comfortable. A church is a place where one goes to worship. Unfortunately, for the members of this church, vandals used spray paint to deface the building. But the spirit of the church, and all those associated with it, lives on. The vulgar words and symbols that were painted on the walls can be pained over, but why did it happen? What would make someone think its ok to deface a church?

Friday morning it was discovered that someone broke into the church through a basement window. The basement is where Sunday School class is held. Those walls were covered with profanity and symbols. It is difficult to repeat the words that were used. "Shocking' is not the right word. It's deeply troubling and makes me angry," said Pastor John Crabtree.

Was this the act of some type of devil worship or was it the act of two teens that had nothing better to do with their time? The two boys involved were arrested shortly after the damage was discovered. Fingerprints led officers to the culprits rather quickly. The two boys, 16-years-olds, used spray paint on the walls of the church, in the basement and even on the van belonging to the church.

It is a sad commentary to have to report such an incident. But it is also uplifting to inform you that church service went on as usual on Sunday morning. The building will be fixed and things will get back to normal. The members of the Jones Chapel United Methodist Church will move forward. After all, the true spirit of the church is in the hearts of its members and that hasn't been destroyed.

I took this to heart for several reasons. This small church is located not far from where my husband and I own property. To make this even more personal, John Crabtree is the husband of friend and fellow writer, Gayle Crabtree. John has only been the pastor of this church for a few weeks. A move to a new town and a new church should be a positive experience and hopefully the good people of McMinn County, Tennessee will reach out to Jones Chapel United Methodist Church and help it move forward from here.

Why did they boys do it? What was their motive? Perhaps they got bored and decided to take their boredom out on something, and it didn't matter what? These boys need to spend some time, a lot of time, doing community service. It should go without saying that they need to be held responsible financially for the repairs that are necessary to the Jones Chapel United Methodist Church.

Source:

Personal Knowledge

WATE.com