NATICK, Mass. — Love, not hate, is the message from two Natick churches after vandals targeted them over the weekend due to their message of inclusivity.
“Open and affirming means we are open to affirming to all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender orientations,” said Rev. Cindy Worthington-Berry, First Congregational Church of Natick.
Rev. Worthington-Berry said the church is celebrating 20 years of inclusivity. But, when she came to the church Sunday morning she found her flags and signs had been ripped down and thrown in the bushes. She said they were replaced with new symbols and some letters.
“The letters were long and had taken some scripture passages out of context with the goal of saying God hates gay people,” she said, “The letter totally didn’t pay any attention to all of the passages in the Bible that talk about welcoming a stranger.”
Some churchgoers said they were disgusted.
“I really feel like the tides turning in this country and that people are coming together more and that we do have a path forward together and that type of hate has no place here,” said Jennifer Golden, Natick.
One mile away on Union Street, Pastor Christopher Gilbert said the same thing happened at Christ Lutheran Church. Pastor Gilbert said just like Rev. Worthington-Berry, his message to the community stands strong.
“We are a safe space for the LGBTQIA community, myself and my husband Donald have been welcomed here we moved here last year and it’s a beautiful place,” said Pastor Gilbert.
In a statement, the ADL’s East Division added, “Vandalism targeting houses of worship that are welcoming to the LGBTQ+ community is a particularly insidious form of hate and intimidation and one that is occurring with disturbing frequency. We condemn the recent incidents targeting Natick’s First Congregational Church of Natick & Christ Lutheran Church and their communities and warn against normalizing such acts of hate.”
Natick Police said they’re looking at a time frame between Friday afternoon and Sunday morning. They said they’re canvassing the area for video evidence but no arrests have been made at this time, it’s an ongoing investigation.
Police said they’re investigating but don’t have any suspects.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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