Police detectives are investigating the break-in and vandalism of an Annapolis, Maryland church that happened earlier this month, resulting in $100,000 in damages.
WBAL-TV reports on June 9, around 9 a.m., Anne Arundel County police officers responded to the Fowler United Methodist Church (UMC) for a reported burglary. Upon arrival, the officers discovered a broken window and found significant damage to the church.
Church member Clifton Parker told the outlet he has been attending services at the Fowler UMC for 93 years.
“They tore the whole church up, all the cameras and everything,” Parker said. “This is the first time this church has ever been vandalized.”
Police are investigating the incident as a high-dollar burglary, vandalism, and hate crime, Lt. Jackie Davis, county police spokesperson told The Capitol Gazette.
“I have never seen a church desecrated to where you just feel the hate,” Fowler UMC Senior Pastor Jerome Jones, who’s been the pastor at the church since July 2021, told the outlet. “And it was so disturbing to my soul. And it was a weight, I would say, that I have never anticipated I would have to carry.”
A large cross with a red banner, the logo of the UMC that had hung behind the pulpit, had been pulled from the wall and tossed aside in a pew.
“The pain of what the cross stands for, and to see someone desecrate it to that capacity,” Jones said. “And, to have to carry it out knowing that it will be put in the trash. That was very emotional, even to the congregation, they came and began {to} embrace me because I can just feel the weight of that task because nobody else wanted to touch it.”
The damages also included the following: audio cables for church sound equipment were reportedly cut, five televisions were destroyed, and anointing oil was poured into an electrical socket on the floor next to the pulpit, The Gazette reported.
“All of the items {damaged} were things that we use to communicate the message of Jesus Christ,” Troy W. Belt, the church’s head trustee who discovered the break-in told the outlet.
The Fowler church’s current building was built in 1965, but the parish was founded in 1871, making it one of the oldest in the area, according to state records. The parish serves as many as 100 members, according to The Gazette.
In a statement posted to the UMC Baltimore-Washington Conference website, Jones noted although his heart is heavy, he wants those who tried to destroy the church to know that they are forgiven and that God loves them.
“We would like to be light in their dark situation so that they know God is able to heal and deliver them,” he said.
CBN News has reached out to Pastor Jones for additional comment. We will post it here when we hear back.
Detectives have asked anyone with information to call (410) 222-1960. Tipsters can stay anonymous by dialing (410) 222-4700.
Eastport United Methodist Church, also located in Annapolis, announced on its Facebook page that it and other churches were helping the Fowler congregation in their recovery from the vandalism with equipment, Bibles, hymnals, and financial support.
The Eastbrook church also posted photos showing the recent vandalism at the Fowler UMC.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, the Fowler UMC congregation thanked everyone for their generosity.
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