RAINELLE, WV (WOAY) – The Sturgeon Branch Baptist Church in the outskirts of Rainelle has been a staple of the town for many years, and recently it was defaced with graffiti.
The graffiti covered a large portion of one side of the church, written in black spray paint. One church member said it was a despicable act that hurt the entire community deeply.
“Of course it hurts. I’ve been going to this church since 1988. It’s not so much it hurt me because of the building, it’s because they were talking about my lord and savior.”
Witnesses say the graffiti was painted in broad daylight sometime after 11 A.M. Within that same day, the church members banded together with another fellow church in Rainelle and cleaned up the graffiti.
They say they don’t harbor any ill will towards the person who vandalized the church, but instead wish they find help for whatever they’re going through.
“We don’t harbor any hard feelings. The person who did this needs help in several different ways.”
And after cleaning up the vandalism in just a few hours, the church looks as if nothing ever happened. The church members say that no community should ever have to go through something like this.
“We just want it to not happen again to our church, or any surrounding churches, or any churches. We need to come together and support each other. So that’s really what we want, is for this not to happen to someone else.”
Now that the graffiti is cleaned up, the Sturgeon Branch Baptist Church says they’re excited to get back to a normal routine again. According to them, they’re anxious to get back to regular Sunday service.
The individual who vandalized the church has not been found, but police are investigating.
