Hendersonville church vandalized, leaders call for forgiveness


HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A Hendersonville church was forced to call off Sunday services after elders discovered extensive vandalism on Friday.

Leaders of the Luna Lane Church of Christ told News 2 a deacon’s wife discovered the front door open Friday, Feb. 2 around 1 p.m. They believe the vandalism took place sometime that morning or the day before.

Church elders said nearly everything that wasn’t bolted down was flipped over, their pews were covered with fire extinguishing powder, and TVs were ripped off the walls and smashed.

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Luna Lane Church has a tight-knit congregation of roughly 50 members, many of whom are still in shock that someone would target their place of worship

“We are a loving church, we don’t have a lot to offer, but we do have a lot of love and love will cover a lot of stuff,” said Danny Parrish, a church elder who’s been a member at the Luna Lane Church since 1976. “If it was a crime, they would have stole something, but they didn’t steal anything. They just destroyed it. For why, I don’t know.”

In addition to damage to the church’s sanctuary, members told News 2 their downstairs fellowship hall had water and shattered glass all over the floor. On Saturday, Feb. 3, you could see food splatter remaining on the cabinets, which church members said was hot sauce.

“At a deeper level, what really gets to our heart is that this individual or individuals obviously have something inside them that’s hurting. We can’t possibly guess what their motives were, but we know that they need our prayers and we all pray for them,” another elder, Mark Brown, said.

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Church leaders said although they did feel anger when learning about the vandalism, their faith is one of forgiveness, and ultimately invited the suspect(s) to return to their congregation.

“We are convinced that whoever did this couldn’t possibly have known what they were doing because it’s such an awful thing, but we realize that maybe they need to be punished in some way, but we are a very forgiving group here,” Preacher Nick Rapheal said.

Hendersonville police told News 2 they are actively investigating the incident. Anyone with information is asked to call the department at 615-822-1111, or Hendersonville Crime Stoppers at 615-594-4113. Tips may also be submitted through the P3 Tips Mobile App.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.

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