Multiple Lubbock Churches have been vandalized over the course of the past few months, some hit several times in a single week.
Recently The Oakwood Methodist Church had the windows broken out in their activity center, as well as Sunday School classrooms ripped to shreds. The last bit of security footage they have inside the gym is a group of teens playing basketball.
On Friday Night, Lubbock Police responded to The Highland Baptist Church on 34th Street when someone broke through the annex door while an elderly group was playing cards. Pastor Adam Pardue said earlier in the week they discovered BB pellet holes in the window of one of their child daycare rooms.
“I hope it doesn’t make churches stop reaching out to the community because I think that’s our job, to reach out to people,” Pardue said.
Pastor Pardue said he encourages churches to take safety measures to tighten security in order to insure safety for church members, especially children and elderly. On the same note, he said these different groups of vandals need love and acceptance, and a hand up in life.
“I think all churches in Lubbock are going to experience some type of vandalism and I think it’s important for us to not always point the finger at a certain group, everyone is capable of doing something like that,” Pardue said. “Things are going to happen, and we are going to continue to give the love of Christ to this community.”
Lubbock churches have invested in padlocks, security cameras while enforcing check in counters. According to the police reports and different churches, it sounds like it’s different groups that are responsible for the vandalism.
If you see suspicious activity at a Lubbock church, you are encouraged to file a police report with LPD.