Vandals tear down pro-LGBTQ+ displays at 2 Natick churches

Vandals ripped down pro-LGBTQ+ flags and banners on two churches in Natick over the weekend.

The displays in front of the First Congregational Church and Christ Lutheran Church were torn down some time before Sunday morning, according to separate Facebook posts written by the churches' pastors. In both cases, the displays were replaced by a Christian flag, a banner that said "Jesus is King," and written material that the pastors said took a narrow, anti-LGBTQ+ view of scripture passages.

"Not included in the letter were the many bible verses calling us to care for the stranger or love our neighbor," Rev. Cindy Worthington-Berry, pastor of First Congregational Church, wrote on Facebook.

Members of the congregation blessed and rededicated the original display after Sunday services, according to Worthington-Berry. She said the display has provided a "sense of belonging" to the town beyond the church.

"Tearing down the symbols of a historically marginalized group can never be framed as God’s work — it is an action that inflicts heartache and pain on our entire community," she wrote.

The Lutheran church has received "an outpouring of support" following the incident, according to Rev. Christephor Gilbert.

"Natick is a place that will not stand for this in our town. This is an indicator of that which we at CLC hold most dear — loving our neighbors as God has loved us," he wrote on Facebook.

Both pastors said they hoped to communicate positively with whomever vandalized the displays.

"We would be glad to have a conversation with anyone who has concerns or questions about our faith, our actions, our understanding of God and the world," Worthington-Perry said. "We will not be anonymous in our declaration of our convictions, and we will not spread them around the community under the cover of night."