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Allendale Vandalism
Vandals spray-painted over the sign of LGBTQ-inclusive Allendale United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg, Fla. (Facebook photo)
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Allendale: Loving response
Allendale UMC chose to respond with love to recent vandalism. (Facebook photo)
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Allendale: Amendment 4
Allendale UMC backs Florida Amendment 4 to restore voting rights to rehabilitated felons. (Facebook photo).
Allendale United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg, Fla., posted on Facebook recently that the inclusive church "was again the target of vandalism."
The Rev. Andy Oliver, Allendale pastor, wrote: "LGBTQ people are more likely to be targets of hate crimes than any other minority group. We will leave the spray paint up, surrounded by signs of love, to make visible the often invisible harm that the LGBTQ community receives every day."
Rev. Oliver continued: "We are also taking this opportunity to tell the vandalizer that should they be arrested, we will fight for the restoration of their rights through the passage of Amendment 4.
"Thanks to members of the community who raised funds, we already have a new sign on order from July when someone threw a brick. We also have cameras to install."
Photos and content are published with permission from Allendale UMC's Facebook page.