CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Dallas police arrested four youth on arson charges March 5 shortly after fire destroyed the office and fellowship hall of Bethany Lutheran Church, a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The young men range in age from 16 to 20 years.
The vandalism spread through the church's neighborhood. Cars were splashed with acid, and tires were slashed. Racial slurs and graffiti were painted on homes and an elementary school.
"My sadness is not for us. It is for those people who don't know the joy of life,'' the Rev. Carol Spencer said of the vandals.
The incident attracted national attention when "The Dallas Morning News" reported that one teen told detectives he and the others were vampires. Police told the paper's reporter that the teens admitted to abusing drugs and setting fire to the church.
"We can fix our building. We have very good insurance and many helping hands in the congregation and neighborhood," said Neila Petrick, the congregation's outreach chairperson. "Our main concern is to reach out to the four young men. We have already begun that effort."
Brandon Lee Ramsey, one of the young men arrested for the fire, worshiped with the congregation on March 15. "He expressed his deep regret for what happened and was embraced by many of Bethany's members," said Petrick. Ramsey and several of his friends helped move furniture and toys so the church's Early Childhood Development Center could re-open March 17.
Petrick said members of the congregation are meeting informally with the families of the young men. The congregation also hopes to invite everyone in the neighborhood touched by the damage to meet at the church to discuss the event.
"We'll find what's good in this. It's brought the congregation closer together," said Petrick. Volunteers have done a lot of painting and clearing of debris.
"I've been praying for greater visibility for my church. God said, 'Okay, are you sure?'" Petrick joked.
"There's been a tremendous outpouring from neighborhood churches and neighbors to extend offers of help to us. So, we have just been surrounded by love," she added.
For information contact:
Ann Hafften, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
