MADISON COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT) — Instead of starting his day reading red letters in his Bible, Church of the Movement senior pastor Seth Adgate came face-to-face with red graffiti spray-painted on his church Wednesday morning.
“I got there around 8:30 p.m. and I was actually on the phone with our Turning Point rep, just talking about future events, what we’re going to do,” Seth Adgate said. “And then I was like, ‘You’re not going to believe this,’ and I flipped the phone over. He said, ‘Call the cops. Call me back.’
That’s exactly what he did.
He filed a police report with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office after the messages “Beware of His Lies” and “Bryan Dawson Serves the Antichrist” were spray-painted on the exterior of the church.
Seth and his wife, Lori Adgate, who is also a pastor at Movement Church, call the messages hateful, but are not shocked by the action.
“That’s not surprising,” Seth said. “At the same time, it always catches you off guard. But it’s not surprising considering past events where we had to bring our sheriff’s office here. I mean, our internal security had to step things up.”
Dawson, mentioned in the graffiti, is the president and CEO of a conservative news organization called 1819 News. The couple believes the vandalism was committed as Dawson prepared to speak at a Turning Point USA event hosted by the church Thursday evening.
“He contacted me to show me what was happening, and we immediately knew it was the Turning Point USA event that would be happening here tomorrow night,” Lori said. “Bryan Dawson hosts it and we facilitate it.”
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Although the Adgates say they are disturbed by the vandalism at their church, they say it won’t deter them from holding the Turning Point event on Thursday. Seth says they are taking extra precautions to ensure the project goes smoothly.
“Right now, we’re talking with the sheriff’s department, and they’re doing extra things to make sure this event goes off without a hitch. We have in-house security, and the sheriff’s office was already going to come,” Seth said. “But because of the nature of what this is, the fact that it’s a religious organization, it’s considered a hate crime at this point.”
These precautions began Wednesday afternoon with the suppression of acts of vandalism. Church of the Movement member Erich Nelson volunteered his power washing skills once he heard about the graffiti. Nelson said he was both saddened and enraged by the act.
“At what point can’t we start acting like civilized human beings? And, if we don’t agree, why can’t we sit down and talk about it?” » asked Nelson.
It’s a sentiment shared by Seth and Lori Adgate, as both said the church encourages conversations about different viewpoints and wished someone could voice their concerns via a phone call or email rather than vandalizing the building.
In a statement to News 19, Sheriff Kevin Turner said vandalism and intimidation have no place in Madison County.
“Acts of vandalism and intimidation have no place in our community. Every person, regardless of their beliefs or affiliations, deserves to feel safe where they worship, work or gather. We will not tolerate this type of behavior in Madison County. Our detectives are working diligently to identify those responsible and ensure they are held accountable. To the citizens of Madison County, please know that this type of conduct is unacceptable and we will use all available resources to bring those responsible to justice. This is not who we are as a community.
Sheriff Kevin Turner, Madison County Sheriff’s Department
Seth said the Turning Point USA event would take place Thursday evening.
The Madison County Sheriff’s Department said this is an active investigation and is asking anyone with information about the vandalism to call (256) 722-7181.
