Vandals Targeted This Church With Hate, And The Community Fought Back With Art
Last week, vandals tried to shame an inclusive congregation in Austin, Texas by ripping down its Progress Pride flag and spray-painting “Pride was the 1st sin” across the front door. Within half a day, worshippers and neighbours turned the slur into a double-rainbow welcome that now greets every passer-by.
A swift and colourful response.
Volunteers at the Life In The City United Methodist Church discovered their building had been targeted on a Thursday. A Pride flag was torn down, and the message “Pride was the 1st sin” was graffitied on the front walls.
One of the symbols in the graffiti attack appears to be a cross with three horizontal bars, a symbol within some branches of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, such as the Russian Orthodox Church.
Instead of simply painting over the hateful scrawl, the community organised what they called a “creative restoration project”.
In an impressive turnaround, volunteers joined together to paint a large mural directly over the graffiti. Within just 12 hours, the hateful message was gone, replaced by two large Progress Pride flags on either side of the church’s main entrance.
Making beauty from broken pieces…
The new mural includes a unique and symbolic element, incorporating pieces of broken stained glass. The choice was deliberate. One person involved in the project explained to news outlet KVUE, “We believe that we are each broken pieces of stained glass that all come together to make a beautiful picture”. It’s a message of finding wholeness and beauty in a community of diverse individuals.
This sentiment was echoed in a statement from the church. “At Life In The City, we make beautiful things out of the dust,” the post celebrated, adding a defiant final touch. “Now, this is one flag you can’t tear down.”
A spirit that can’t be damaged.
The church’s mission is built on a foundation of what Pastor Glenn Luhrs calls radical inclusivity. On its website, the church states it affirms all gender identities and sexualities and is committed to anti-racism. Following the incident, Pastor Luhrs released a statement reinforcing this commitment.
“Let us be clear. Life In The City stands firm in our call to love our neighbour, without exception or condition,” Luhrs stated. “Our faith compels us to protect, uplift, and advocate for the dignity of all people, especially those who are targeted, silenced, or pushed aside. That includes our LGBTQIA+ family.”
He concluded with a message of resilience that is now permanently reflected on the building’s walls. “The outside of our building may have been damaged, but our spirit has not. Our commitment to love, justice, and inclusion only grows stronger.”
