BILLINGS — On a Sunday meant for worship and holiday celebration, members of Mayflower Congregational Church in Billings found themselves scrubbing hate off the walls of their sanctuary, as the community united in response to a vandalism act that they say targeted their progressive faith.
See how the Billings community came together to clean vandalism off a local church:
Church leaders reported discovering six swastikas and a slur spray-painted on the exterior of the building early Saturday morning. The incident was reported to the Billings police. The graffiti came just days after a pride flag bearing the message “God is still speaking” was torn down from the West End church’s property.
Related: 406 Pride stands in solidarity with Mayflower Church after hate crime vandalism
Inside the building, the morning was filled with joy and music for its annual Christmas pageant. But when Pastor Amy Carter first addressed the room, her tone was different.
“Sometime early Saturday morning, in the cold and dark, someone came and spray-painted words and symbols of hate on our building," said Carter. “When I saw those things, I was both angry and sad, and I also felt very vulnerable."
But by Sunday afternoon, volunteers from both inside and outside the congregation arrived with scrub brushes to help erase the graffiti.
"I also realized that these hateful words and symbols are a reminder for us that it is essential for us to be here as an open and affirming church, to create safe spaces for people who confront this type of cruelty and intimidation on a more regular basis," said Carter.
During worship, Carter led a prayer not only for the congregation, but also for the person responsible.
“We pray for those who defaced our building that God may soften their hearts towards love," said Carter.
Carter believes Mayflower was targeted because of the congregation's openly progressive stance and public support of LGBTQ+ inclusion. The act angered and disheartened many of its attendees.
“Sadness and horror that someone could come that low just because one church welcomes people that other people find ugly and sinful,” said Peggy Douglas. “I hope this person sees this and understands that he didn't tear us down. He brought us up.”
“I'm one of those people that they welcome. I'm an ordained minister, and I'm also gay, and that's not a choice. I think the fact that some of these people are so obsessed with it is just appalling,” said Rev. Doug Johnson. “I wish people would have a greater respect both for other people's faith, but also for other people's property.”
For longtime Billings resident and Mayflower attendee Pat Burg, the attack on the church felt painfully familiar.
More than 30 years ago, in 1993, her late husband, the Rev. Keith Torney, was pastor at First Congregational Church when white supremacist activity in Billings prompted faith leaders, city officials, and residents to respond by publicly displaying menorahs in their windows. The effort grew into the nationally recognized "Not In Our Town" movement.
"They copied Menorahs from the church copy machine, called other pastors, circulated those throughout the community. The editor of the Gazette was involved in that, too," said Burg. "A movement was born."
Related: Q2 Rewind: 25 Years Ago, Billings stood against hate and said: “Not in Our Town.”
Burg said she was devastated to learn that her own United Church of Christ congregation had been targeted decades later.
"I'm so proud of the denomination, United Church of Christ, because we welcomed everyone," said Burg. "I was devastated by news that Mayflower now has been vandalized also ... I love the way our church community is coming together to support one another."
Several other churches in Billings report experiencing similar targeted vandalism. The Wayman Chapel on the Billings South Side was broken into in October, leaving multiple windows smashed. Grace United Methodist Church has seen repeated incidents since June, including destroyed pride flags and signs just last week.
"While it's happening on the outside of the building and the safe space inside is still there, the thing that is frustrating is watching things escalate," said the church's pastor, Amy Sell. "It's one thing to take a flag or a sign. It's another thing to tag a building like that, but at what point does it stop?"
Sell said her congregation has faced vandalism for years for their openness towards the LGBTQ+ community, including incidents of racist graffiti and anti-LGBTQ pamphlets in 2018 and damaged windows in 2022. After learning about the vandalism the Mayflower experienced, she worries about what the escalation could mean for vulnerable community members during a divisive political climate.
“A swastika is never random,” she said. "Christians are really divided on some really basic things... Life would be a lot easier if we stop policing other people and started worrying about how we are living in our actions and our love towards others."
But still, the recent string of vandalism has united many within the churches. Carter said support for Mayflower poured in quickly, as neighbors stopped by to check on church leaders. Volunteers helped scrub the graffiti using a powerful cleaning solution called "Elephant Snot." The product was donated by Joe Stout, director of the Downtown Billings Business Improvement District.
By Sunday afternoon, the paint that tried to tear them down slowly began to fade away.
“This is so awesome. There's church members and then also just people from the community,” said Carter. “This is people coming together to say, 'Hate doesn't have the last word.'”
"I don't care how dark they seem to make it. Advent is the season of joy,” said the church’s organist and pianist, Jinny Herrick. “I thought, if you can make somebody smile in the face of darkness, it's a step upward toward them.”
Church leaders say they will continue to remain vigilant, but they refuse to retreat from their message of love and acceptance. Because even through hate, their hope still prevails.
“That sort of thing won’t last, but the community of our church does, and the attitude of it does," said Herrick.
"Choose love and continue to let your light shine because that's how we make a difference in a dark world," added Sell.
