Community Corner

Pastor Stevens Speaks Out About Church Vandalism

Pastor wants perpetrator to "step up and take responsibility."

The following letter from Pastor Judith Stevens, of East Meadow United Methodist Church, is in response to the recent vandalism discovered on church grounds Monday, Nov. 11, Veterans Day:

The church building located at 470 East Meadow Avenue is home to United Methodists who live in and around East Meadow. We gather to grow close to God and to each other, to support each other through hardship and celebrate the good times.

In the United Methodist tradition the world is our parish, so we serve the local community and beyond through numerous ministry programs. Our church community includes people from different ethnic backgrounds, and several interfaith families call our church “home.” Everyone who walks through our doors receives a warm welcome and an invitation to share the fellowship we enjoy.

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You can understand how we felt last Monday morning when we saw that the church’s sign and American flag had been vandalized. Hitler, the name left on the sign, is synonymous with evil because Hitler was the most evil person to live in the modern era.

His genocidal atrocities toward persons of the Jewish race continue to haunt people who seek peace and social justice. Even more so, the twisted and unimaginable means of massacre used by the Nazis, against their race, still bring deep hurt and pain to Jews today. Who among us Gentiles would not be deeply pained if memories of our ancestors were those of their being labeled an inferior race, and thrown into huge ovens to die?

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In the aftermath of my initial shock and angry rage, I was humbled Monday afternoon. My rabbinical colleagues called me to check in, to see how I was doing and ask if they could help. Of course, I had intended to call them, but they called first. Perhaps their experience has taught them the lesson we Christians customarily miss: when one group/individual is harmed, we are all harmed.

Christians throughout Europe took that lesson to heart during the second world war. Theologians and religious leaders of the German Christian Church lost their lives because they spoke out against Hitler and the Nazi social program. Citizens in every occupied European country organized underground movements, risking their lives to work against the Nazi occupation. They, too, lost persons to Hitler’s death camps.

On another note, last Sunday, the United Methodist church community listed the names of 90 men and women, connected with East Meadow UMC, who serve(d) our country through the armed forces. We remembered these individuals by name and thanked God for them and for their sacrifices, on our behalf. The damage done to our country’s flag is an affront to these men and women, and many others like them, who risk(ed) their lives to keep America safe.

Our congregation has been violated, offended and embarrassed. We will move forward, reminded of the need to eradicate the disrespect shown by bias/hate crimes. We are thankful for the Hate Crimes division of the Nassau County Police Department and the surveillance cameras located in East Meadow. We expect the perpetrator to be held accountable.

Our UM membership covenant requires a commitment to fight evil in whatever form it presents itself. Therefore, on Nov. 24, at our 9 a.m. worship service, we will rededicate our sign, our flag and ourselves to work against the evil that Hitler stood for. Join us, wherever you may be.

Commit yourself to the work of eradicating bias in East Meadow and of practicing acts of kindness toward all people. At 8 p.m. EMUMC will host our community’s interfaith Thanksgiving service. All religious leaders serving the East Meadow community have been invited to participate.

Join your neighbors and friends in East Meadow. We will support and encourage each other and give thanks for God’s blessings to us, one of which is the wonderful community in which we live.

I call upon the perpetrator of the vandalism against the UM faith community to step up and take responsibility, and then to apologize for the pain you caused.  You inflicted pain upon our church community, the Jewish citizens of East Meadow and beyond, the veterans who live among us, and the community, at large. For this, you need to be accountable and then forgiven.

Let all people who have found a home in the East Meadow community move forward with a deeper commitment to do our part to build a place where all people are respected, supported, encouraged and loved.


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