Towson Church Stands Up Against Hate After Signs Are Vandalized
TOWSON, Md. (WJZ) — A progressive church in Towson is standing up against hate after signs welcoming a diverse congregation were vandalized last week.
It took only a few hours for Maryland Presbyterian Church to replace the signs along Providence Rd.
Towson Church Says A Sign Showing Support For LGBTQ+ Community Was Vandalized Monday
Signs that welcome those of all races, faiths, genders, and orientations. Signs that one week ago, were vandalized.
"So the immediate response from the church was to put up new signs," said Reverend David Thomas with the MPC. " We had other banners, they were larger. We had an extra and we put it out and we put lights on there, and it actually made our voices louder as opposed to shying away."
And so a rally against hate was planned for Sunday.
Dr. Zainab Chaundry from the Council on American-Islamic Relations told church members that the issue transcends religion.
"One of the beautiful aspects of the aftermath of any kind of hate or bias incidents that we see is diverse communities coming together," said Chaundry. "You'll see people from all walks of life and all backgrounds coming together to say that we won't be silent."
The progressive church, now sending a message that messages of hate are not welcome in Baltimore County.
"It's important that we show our young people, which is why I was happy to be able to bring my daughter today, that we have to set the example and if we don't speak out and condemn these acts, they'll continue," said Baltimore County executive Johnny Olszewski. "And we have to show that that's not acceptable and that's not who we are, as a people."
As Maryland Presbyterian focuses on moving its congregation forward, police are investigating the vandalism as a hate crime.
The church plans to have a meeting with county executive Johnny Olszewski within the next month about the incident and how to prevent it in the future.
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