Last service at vandal-hit St Paul's Anglican Church

A 100-YEAR-OLD church targeted by vandals and lead thieves is set to hold its final service.

St Paul’s Church in Makins Road, Parkeston, will close to public worship on January 26.

The date will mark almost a hundred years of St Paul’s and the final service will celebrate this.

Vandalism and lead theft left the building in a poor state of repair, which the church committee could not afford to fix.

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Ex-con accused of setting fire to Catholic church

EL CAJON, Calif. - A preliminary hearing was scheduled Wednesday for an ex-con accused of setting a fire that caused more than $200,000 in damage to a Catholic church near Mount Helix.

Eugene William Volk, 45, is charged with arson and vandalism.

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Church Vandalized, Members have Message for Criminal

ELON, N.C. -- A local church community is hoping a spray paint vandal will come forward after the criminal vandalized Westside Fellowship church in Elon. It's a task members of Westside Fellowship weren't planning on performing Wednesday night.

"I've never even thought somebody would do something like this," said pressure washing owner Ricky Vaughn. "And why, is my question."

The cryptic message was spray painted on the side of their church in Alamance County. Staff drove up to find it there this morning. The message is difficult to decipher but you can clearly see the name of the church and the word "die."

Church members say they take part in a lot of outreach so it's hard to believe they would be targeted.

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Dozens of headstones vandalized at St. Mary's #Catholic Cemetery, Canton #NY

CANTON, N.Y. (AP) -- Police are investigating an act of vandalism that damaged dozens of headstones at a northern New York cemetery.

The St. Lawrence County Sheriff's Office tells local media outlet that 36 headstones were knocked over or displaced sometime during the weekend at the St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery in the town of Canton. Deputies say flags and flower pots also were broken.

Read More at: http://www.13wham.com/template/inews_wire/wires.regional.ny/3cfa7d87-www.13wham.com.shtml#.UnCJuFOnWY4

Suspected church vandal arrested #Methodist #TN

Kingsport, TENN. -

Kingsport Police arrested a man at the scene of a church vandalism.

Randall Eugene Robbins was arrested outside First Broad Street United Methodist Church Sunday night. The police department received a 911 call about hearing glass breaking and a person loitering around the church.

- See more at: http://www.metronewsday.com/news/30912-suspected-church-vandal-arrested.html

Vandalism limits public access at St. John's #Catholic Cathedral in #Fresno #CA

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Crooks are forcing local churches to change the way they operate. The latest victims are parishioners at St. John's Cathedral in downtown Fresno.

The closure is brand new this week after a man kicked down a 110-year-old door inside the cathedral. Valley Catholics are outraged by the crime, especially since the man was caught on camera walking into a sacred room.

Security cameras caught a man repeatedly kicking at the door to the sacristy inside St. John's Cathedral on October 23. In the video, the man pauses after a few attempts then finally breaks through the door destroying a piece of cathedral history.

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Vandals strike church a second time

MANKATO — A Mankato church has been hit by vandals twice since August, but the latest incident resulted in damage to its aging stained-glass windows.

Two stained-glass windows at SS. Peter & Paul's Catholic Church were installed more than a century ago, said Mark Frederick, parish administrator. Someone threw a brick, pieces of cement block and a rock through those windows and two other windows early Friday morning.

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Vandals hit North Spokane church

SPOKANE, Wash - Members of the Mountain View Assembly of God church spent Monday morning trying to clean up hate speech and pornographic images, left behind on their church overnight.

Vandals covered the building with swastikas, racist words and phrases and pornographic drawings.

But, instead of dwelling on the damage, Pastor Dan Henshaw and others rolled up their sleeves and began the work to clean it up.

"Someone must have had a lot of bitterness in their lives," said Pastor Henshaw.

Henshaw can't understand why someone would target the church, especially with a daycare inside.

Read more at KXLY.com...

Arrest made in LDS church vandal case

LAYTON — Fingerprints left at a church building vandalized in August led police to the possible suspect on Tuesday.

The windows in a building for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, at 1410 E. Gentile in Layton, were broken sometime on or before Aug. 21, according to a statement.

Someone had also spray-painted profanity inside the church, said Layton Police Lt. Shawn Horton.

“This was not anti-LDS,” Horton said. “It was not specific, but anti-religion.”

Read more at standard.net...

Church near Tacoma destroyed by suspected arsonist

TACOMA, Wash. -- A 30-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly setting fires to two buildings and a car near Tacoma early Thursday morning, including a church.

The first call to 911 came in around 12:25 a.m. reporting a fire in an abandoned building at 1719 91st Street East.

 About 40 minutes later, a fire was reported at Golgotha Baptist Church in the 8400 of East Portland Avenue. Ten minutes later, a car fire was reported two blocks away.

Read more at komonews.com...

Arson investigation after Methodist church deck catches fire

SAN ANTONIO -- Arson is investigating a fire that happened at a church overnight on the West side. Firefighters rushed to the fire at the Chapel Hill United Methodist Church just before 1 a.m. Saturday. Investigators believe someone set the back deck of the church on fire. Fire crews were quickly able to put the fire out. The church was not damaged.

Watch a video news report at: http://www.news4sanantonio.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/arson-investigating-after-church-deck-catches-fire-3019.shtml

Church Destroyed by 'Attempted Arson' in Baltimore

A church in West Baltimore was nearly destroyed in an attempted arson on Monday night. It was a call Monday night that got Pastor Gregory McCoy out of bed. I got a call at 4 oclock in the morning, he recalled, I got a call stating that the church was on fire. For two years Pastor McCoy and his parishioners have worshiped at True Worship Convent Ministries on Dukeland Street in West Baltimore. But now the place many within the community go to seek peace and guidance, has been destroyed. Police say a car was deliberately set on fire outside the church. McCoy told FOX45, It exploded; it caught to the stairway which leads to the officer and the classrooms.

Read more at foxbaltimore.com...

Nebraska: Fremont Police Arrest Third Arson Suspect

Fremont Police on Wednesday arrested a third person in connection with a string of Aug. 6 arsons.

Detective Aaron Howe said James C. Smith, 22, of Fremont was arrested for second-degree arson and conspiracy to commit second-degree arson. Both charges are Class III felonies.
Police previously arrested Tyler Maple, 21, and Michael J. Schutz, 22, both of Fremont, in connection with the arsons.

“I would say the investigation is complete,” Howe said. “Everybody responsible for those fires is now in jail.”

Police received reports on Aug. 6 of what Chief Jeff Elliott said turned out to be four separate arson cases.

The Fremont Fire Department was called at 5:11 a.m. to the 600 block of North I Street where the Salvation Army bus was on fire near a house. The bus received interior damage, but the house and a nearby garage were not damaged.

Moments later, firefighters answered a second alarm in the 300 block of West 10th Street where a 1997 Dodge Neon was totaled by a fire.

At 6 a.m., firefighters responded to a small shed on fire by First Christian Church.

Read more at Freemont Tribune...

Congregation praising despite church fire; investigated as arson

JASPER COUNTY, SC – Members of the Gospel Lighthouse Church are singing praise after the Jasper County community rallies around them.

Pastor Jackie Chavers, who is known as Pastor Jackie says, “I’ve cried all morning.”

The church’s building burnt to the ground early Tuesday morning in a fire that’s being investigated as arson. But within hours a banquet tent had been offered as a temporary sanctuary. Then two different congregations offered folding chairs.

Pastor Jackie says, “The love of Christ that has come out in the community. The people that have responded with a helping hand…”

Read more at thecoastalsource.com...

Michigan teen pleads guilty to vandalism, arson involving Lutheran, Baptist churches

A Bay City teen has confessed to vandalizing two churches in a single night.

Mackenzie A. Coyer, 19, on Wednesday, Aug. 28, appeared before Bay County Circuit Judge Harry P. Gill and pleaded guilty to two counts of breaking and entering with intent and one count of arson of real property. The charges are related to break ins at First Baptist Church, 1145 W. Center, in Hampton Township, and Pilgrim Lutheran Church, 1705 Nebobish, in Essexville.

Read more at mlive.com...

Reward offered for information on Bozeman Montana church vandalism

BOZEMAN - A reward of up to $5,000 is being offered for for information that leads to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the person or people who vandalized three churches in Bozeman.

The FBI is investigating the matters as a hate crime due to the "sheer volume" of profane anti-religious graffiti and acts of arson discovered inside the churches.

READ MORE AT KRTV.COM...

Priest at Our Lady of Lourdes in Magna, Utah, Describes Vandalism at His Parish

By Father Christopher Gray
Special to the Intermountain Catholic
(Editor's note: Here is Fr. Gray's account of what happened Aug. 25, when he arrived in Magna to celebrate Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish and found the church and rectory vandalized.)
When I arrived, around 8:25 a.m., I saw the police outside the church and Gaylynn Huffman sobbing on the sidewalk. I peeked inside the church and saw the hallway with the smashed statues (a particularly poignant image), the broken glass of the door, the disorder everywhere. Knowing I could not enter while the police were investigating the scene, I looked at the tabernacle and saw that the door was still closed  – in fact, the sanctuary seemed to be untouched. The missal was still on the altar, the candles and crucifix were all in the right position, and the statue of Our Lady of Lourdes was the only one left intact in the church.

Read more at the Intermountain Catholic....

Police looking for vandal who damaged angel statue outside Catholic church

Cops want to know who vandalized this statue outside a church in Brooklyn.
The five-foot angel was knocked over on the steps of Our Lady of Consolation Catholic Church in Williamsburg.

Video + Read more: http://pix11.com/2013/08/23/angel-statue-destroyed-outside-church-in-williamsburg/#ixzz2cqWlnvDz

Accused South Carolina church vandal says he was 'mad at God'

CHARLESTON, South Carolina (Reuters) - A South Carolina man said he was "mad at God" when he took out his frustration on 17 churches in dozens of acts of vandalism over the past five years, according to a local newspaper.

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Vandal breaks 19th-century stained glass window in Pennsylvania church

LINCOLN TOWNSHIP, PA - The pristine face of a 19th Century church was scarred by a vandal Saturday.

An original stained glass window at Christ Casebeer Evangelical Lutheran Church in Lincoln Township was broken with a large rock.

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'Obscene' graffiti painted on Catholic Church in Florida; Suspects Captured

LEHIGH ACRES, FLORIDA -

Excerpt:

"I can't of course repeat some of the things that were written on the wall; but they were needless to say obscene," said Father Dennis Cooney, of St. Raphael's. "It was something that was done out of pure viciousness."

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Police Search for Vandal Who Damaged Episcopal Church in Colorado

AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) – Investigators searching for the vandal or vandals responsible for heavily damaging a church in Aurora on Easter Sunday are looking into some DNA evidence in their attempt to solve the case.

So far there’s no description for who the vandal who damaged St. Martin in the Fields Episcopal Church on March 31 was, but the priest there thinks he knows how they did it.

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Church of Christ in Tennessee Set on Fire

HAMPSHIRE, Tenn. - It's a place where people come to worship, but police said they're investigating why a mid-state church became the target of vandals, even starting a fire inside.

Investigators said they will be looking at whether this was a prank or something much more serious at Dry Fork Church of Christ.

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Man Spends Nearly Five Hours Tearing Apart Gravestones in Baptist Church Cemetery

MARSHALL COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT) — Under the cover of darkness, an unknown man spent nearly five hours meticulously tearing apart gravestones at a cemetery in Marshall County earlier this week.  He left behind thousands of dollars worth of damage, but he probably didn’t know all of the crime was captured by video surveillance.

CAUGHT ON CAMERA. Read more...

Three Churches Hit With 'Religion is a mind virus' Graffiti

BATAVIA, N.Y. (WIVB) - Batavia Police are on the hunt for a graffiti vandal who targeted three churches. The three calls came in to police between 8:30 and 9:15 a.m. Monday.

Someone spray painted on Batavia Assembly of God, Grace Baptist Church and City Church with the message "Religion is a mind virus."

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Catholic Church hit by 'God is gay' graffiti

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CALIFORNIA - Cleaning crews worked swiftly to remove derogatory graffiti that was placed on property belonging to the City of Westlake Village and St. Jude Catholic Church on Easter weekend.

Vandals targeted the 32000 block of Lindero Canyon Road sometime between Fri., March 29 and Sat., March 30, authorities said.

The graffiti included a reference to homosexuality, several four-letter words and a swastika, a source told The Acorn. One scrawl reportedly said, “God is gay.”

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Satanic graffiti sprayed on Gastonia church walls, pastor says

GASTONIA, N.C. —

The pastor of Covenant Baptist Church said it is a place of hope and faith, and it is disappointing that someone decided to put a negative message on the church wall.

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Savannah Police Search for Suspected Church Vandal

SAVANNAH, GA (June 13, 2013): Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Detectives are searching for 24-year-old Michael Christopher Garko, believed responsible for thousands of dollars in damage to a Savannah church.      

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Catholic Church in Connecticut Vandalized, Statues Destroyed

SHELTON – St. Margaret Mary Church, located at 380 Long Hill Ave., was vandalized overnight, police said.

READ MORE AND WATCH VIDEO AT FOXCT.COM

VIDEO AT AOL.COM

Holy Cross Church victim of vandalism

Omaha - A vandal appears to have used a grassy field at Holy Cross Catholic Church to turn donuts, leaving behind a trail of damage.

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Vandal using fire extinguisher damages Rock Hill church bus

ROCK HILL, S.C. - An unknown vandal caused $1,000 in damage to a bus belonging to a Rock Hill church this weekend, police say.

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Read more here: http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/06/03/4912759/vandal-using-fire-eqtinguisher.html#storylink=cpy

St. Anselm's Church in Bay Ridge hit with graffiti

Photo by Arthur De Gaeta

Vandalized Virgin: A dastardly desecrator defaced this statue in the garden of Saint Anselm’s Church.

BROOKLYN, NY - That’s not the sign of the cross!

A graffiti vandal painted a large letter “X” on two statues outside St. Anselm’s Church on the corner of 82nd Street and Fourth Avenue last week, but cops have faith they’ll catch the culprit, who was caught on video in the act, and who now has a price on his head.

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Judge on sending teen church vandal to prison: 'You asked for it, you got it'

BAY CITY, MI — A Bay City teen had a confident swagger as he walked into a courtroom to learn his penalty for smashing out a Catholic church’s windows. He shuffled out visibly dejected, learning he was heading not to jail for a few more months, but to prison.

Bay County Circuit Judge Harry P. Gill on Monday, May 20, sentenced 17-year-old Mathiew I. Mosher to 13 months to five years in prison, deviating from the sentencing guidelines of zero to 11 months.

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Police Search For Hastings Church Vandals

HASTINGS, Minn. (WCCO) -- Hastings Police are asking for help catching a vandal who spray painted graffiti of a possibly satanic nature on the side of a church.

Five-pointed stars inside circles and an upside down cross have now been washed off of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church’s brick walls and windows, but remnants of the graffiti remain.

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One week later, vandalized church unbowed

The Rev. Myrtle Daniels stepped up to the altar and switched on a reading light. Lucile Stewart-Mitchell took her seat at the piano, pressing open a hymn book. Karyn Fisher turned down music playing on an iPad.

"We've had a busy week," Daniels announced, facing a dozen congregants gathered Sunday morning at Mount Zion A.M.E. in Woolwich Township.

A week earlier, someone had rearranged the letters on the sign outside the tiny church, defacing it with a racist - and misspelled - message: No Nigers Welcome.

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Video released of suspected Norwalk church vandal

NORWALK - A surveillance video has been released that shows a suspect who may be responsible for painting the numbers '666' on the property of a Norwalk church.

The numbers were painted on a fence outside Miracle Temple Church of God in Christ on Trinity Place, and have since been covered up. Police say they are not considering the act a hate crime, but are calling it a serious act of vandalism that won't be tolerated.

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Vandalism at Covington Catholic high school

The Covington Police Department received a call of vandalism at St. Paul's Catholic High School about 8 o'clock Saturday morning
 
The school's principal, Brother Ray Bullard, said the school had been victimized.

Officers arrived at the school and found approximately 40 different locations on the school campus had been painted with spray paint, while others were splashed with latex house paint.

The schools chapel and religious statues were targeted with "Hail Satan 666," numerous swastikas, and the word "Hitler" spelled out on the supports for the bell tower. Some of the statues had the Star of David spray painted on them, while others had obscene drawings.

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Church Van Hit By Vandalism

CORPUS CHRISTI - For the second time in a week vandals have hit a local church. This time it was the Heritage Baptist Church. A member there says he noticed some damage to the church's van and decided to check the security footage. The footage shows someone walk up to the van, kick it 13 times.

Video at kristv.com...

Easter vandalism of statue a resurrection story in Rock Island

The Catholic Post, Diocese of Peoria:

ROCK ISLAND -- A second story of resurrection is playing out at Sacred Heart Parish here this Easter season.

After a vandal pushed over and destroyed the parish’s outdoor statue of the Risen Christ -- on the evening of Easter Sunday, no less -- the story spread around the region and even the nation, leading to outpourings of support and a promise from Father Steven Loftus, pastor, at Mass last Sunday that the statue will rise again.

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The Republic: Vandal destroys 6-foot concrete Jesus statue outside Rock Island church

ROCK ISLAND, Illinois — Rock Island police are investigating after a man destroyed a 100-year-old statue of Jesus outside a Catholic church.

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UPI: Vandal topples Jesus statue on Easter

ROCK ISLAND, Ill., April 2 (UPI) -- An Easter Sunday vandal in Illinois destroyed a large concrete statue of Jesus, arms outstretched invoking the resurrection.

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Vandal destroys Jesus statue at Illinois church

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. -- Rock Island police are investigating after a man destroyed a 100-year-old statue of Jesus outside a Catholic church.

The 6-foot-tall concrete statue was damaged on Easter. A surveillance video shows a man pushing and pulling the 750-pound icon to the ground on Sunday night.

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Jesus Statue Smashed at Rock Island Church

by CBS4 Newsroom

Members of a Rock Island parish are wondering who vandalized a statue of Jesus on Easter.

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Vandals target Steubenville church; extensive damage

STEUBENVILLE, Ohio —

Members at a Steubenville church are cleaning up a mess after the church was broken into and vandalized Saturday night, prompting officials to cancel Sunday's Easter service.

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Purses Stolen From Church in Virginia

Centreville Patch - Crime Blotter: Vandal Scrawls Graffiti on Centreville Home, Purses Stolen From Church

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Virgin Mary statue vandalized, $20,000 in estimated repairs

PENSACOLA, Fla. (WALA) - The deacon at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Pensacola said someone destroyed its statue of the Virgin Mary and made off with the statue's head. 

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Mill Valley Police Log: Church sanctuary vandalized

Vandalism: Sycamore Avenue. Someone broke into the Mt. Tamalpais United Methodist Church and vandalized the sanctuary, but took nothing.

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Cobourg church vandalized

COBOURG -- Police are investigating after St. Michael's Church in Cobourg was damaged over the weekend.

Police say a statue fell to the ground after being ripped off the east wall of the rectory, but otherwise was not damaged. Police added the statue was too heavy to be carried away.

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Lexington church targeted by vandals yet again

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - A church that has been vandalized multiple times has once again been struck, said the church's pastor.

Folks at Trinity Baptist Church are frustrated. Once again, their buses have been vandalized. Now, Lexington Police are helping them investigate.

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Bozeman church vandalized

BOZEMAN - Bozeman police are investigating case of vandalism at the Kirkwood Baptist Church where an extensive amount of graffiti was discovered inside the church on Saturday.

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Woman arrested for knocking head off St. Michael statue at church

LADY LAKE — A homeless woman was arrested this week after police suspect she knocked the head off of a St. Michael statue in the chapel of St. Timothy Catholic Church.

Police nabbed Elizabeth Travis, 53, after a church employee on Tuesday chased her from the chapel.

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Thief arrested while inside church

FOREST CITY, NC (FOX Carolina) - Deputies said they found the suspect still inside a Forest City church while responding to a breaking and entering call.

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Arson blamed in fire that destroyed B.C. Catholic church

British Columbia (CBC News) Police said Wednesday they believe two suspicious fires that ruined a van and damaged a church in Castlegar this week were deliberately set.

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Man charged with felonies in church vandalism

HARTFORD, Wis. —A Baptist church reverend said nearly $100,000 in damage was done to his church in Hartford last weekend.


"It had the grid work in the windows, you know, and the grid work was all smashed out. The screens were laying in the front yard. He had smashed them out so badly," First Baptist Church Rev. Michael Gordon said.

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Church vandal may be suspect in break-ins

WESTPORT, Mass. (WPRI) -- Police are investigating whether a man suspected of breaking into St. John the Baptist Church earlier this month may be connected to two more church break-ins.

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Baptist Church Needing Volunteers to Finish Vandalized House

Bowling Green, Ky (WBKO) A house that collects revenue for New Bethel Baptist Church in Bowling Green was vandalized about five months ago, making it unlivable. Shortly after, the air conditioning unit at the church caved the ceiling in.

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Vandals Strike At Shreveport Church

Shreveport, LA (KTBS) -
Pastor Stacy Holden was surprised to hear the site of his new church, Lighthouse Holiness Tabernacle, was vandalized two times in as many weeks.

"In my wildest imaginations I wouldn't think that somebody would not even have respect for the house of God," Holden said. "You would think that people would have more of a conscience than that. Evidently,  they don't."

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Church vandals caught on tape in Pulaski County

PULASKI COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) - A house of worship became the target of vandals. And Wednesday the Pulaski County Sheriff's Office released surveillance video, hoping it will help make some arrests.

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KCMO church burglarized 10 times in two years, hit again

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Bullet riddled glass, stolen musical instruments and busted pipes are just some of the damage a Kansas City, Missouri congregation said its church building has sustained over the last two years.

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Church building vandalized, burglarized

SHREVEPORT, LA (KSLA) -
The Lighthouse Holiness Tabernacle church building in West Shreveport fell victim to vandals Wednesday morning, just a week after the building was burglarized.

According to Lighthouse Holiness Tabernacle Pastor Stacey Holden, bricks were thrown through the church building windows.

Read more...

Copper thieves create vandalism epidemic at Lower Richland churches

RICHLAND COUNTY, SC — Nine Lower Richland churches have been vandalized since Jan. 1 by thieves who are stealing copper and aluminum from air conditioning units that in all will cost more than $100,000 to replace.

Read more...

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2013/03/25/2693454/nine-lower-richland-churches-vandalized.html#storylink=cpy

Church is vandalized three times in two weeks

Fort Myers, Fla.,- A mysterious symbol is sprayed onto church property three times in just two weeks. It's a symbol the people at the United Methodist Church are concerned about. They want to know what it means and why their church is the target.

 Read more...