Church that welcomes LGBQT community hit with graffiti
Parkminster assumes words were based on hate
WATERLOO — Five freshly painted words, scrawled in black, stared up from the concrete floor in front of the main entrance to Parkminster United Church on Wednesday morning: “The church shall remain holy.”
That graffiti message — with Romans 1:28 spray-painted in silver beside it — greeted ministers Joe Gaspar and Heather Power at 8 a.m.
They can only assume the words were written with hate in mind.
Parkminster, through a United Church process, became an inclusive church for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer and Questioning community a decade ago.
It flies the rainbow flag. The sign board facing Erb Street advertises an LGBTQ and Allies potluck dinner at the church on Saturday.
The sign for the potluck may have triggered the graffiti as a protest against inclusiveness.
“That’s what we’re thinking,” said Power, as she awaited the arrival of police investigators on Wednesday afternoon.
“The flag has been up for years. There’s never been an incident that anybody can recall in the past. It’s just the timing of it. With the sign going up inviting the community to this potluck, and then the timing of the graffiti itself, it feels like they could possibly be connected.”
If so, it’s a troubling welcome to six-decadeold Parkminster for Power and Gaspar.
The two ministers arrived to serve the Waterloo congregation of 200 only three weeks ago. Power came from a church in Alliston. Gaspar came from a church in Parry Sound.
Quickly, an unknown graffiti artist has left them some biblical vandalism to interpret. What would Gaspar say to the person responsible?
“I would say there is irony in his or her graffiti,” Gaspar said.
“We feel our inclusive ministry is a hallmark of holiness. I would also say that if you’re reading the Bible and it leads you to hate, then you need to keep reading or go deeper, because that’s not what the Christian
faith is all about.”
If the graffiti is linked to Saturday’s potluck, more incidents are a possibility.
“It has crossed our minds,” Gaspar said.
The police will be consulted on the matter of the potluck, he added.
“We want people who are coming to the potluck on Saturday to feel safe,” Power said. “This is supposed to be a safe place for everybody.”
And what will the church do about the spray-painted words beneath the front door?
“We’re not 100 per cent sure what we’re going to do,” Power said.
“But there’s been a suggestion, instead of removing it or washing it away, we keep it or reclaim it.”
Parkminster may ask artists to frame the graffiti in a more “affirming” way.
“Maybe using the rainbow colours or whatever these artists envision, leaving it there as a stamp that this church shall remain holy because it is holy,” Power said. “Taking what was potentially an act of hate and making it an act of love.”