Vandalized Augusta church gets security cameras

Pro-LGBT church raises funds with Go Fund Me drive.

In a little more than a month, the Metropolitan Community Church of Our Redeemer in Augusta raised enough money through a Go Fund Me account to install security cameras after two incidents stemming from its support for gay marriage.

On Wednesday and Thursday, technicians from Mac Electronics were busy installing them.

“We’ve been really shocked in some ways in the outpouring of support from this community as well as all over,” said pastor Rick Sosbe.

On July 21, vandals spray- painted “Burn Leviticus 18:22 Lies” across the front doors of the proLGBT church, and Leviticus 18:20 with the words, “You’ll Burn” across the steps.

The vandalism came almost three weeks after a rainbow flag had been stolen from the front of the church.

The incidents happened after the legaliza- tion of gay marriage, and Sosbe and his partner, Michael Rehn, becoming the first gay couple to receive a marriage license in Richmond County.

Sosbe set up the account on July 23 and set a goal of $5,000. He said like many churches, Metropolitan is thankful to make budget every month and there wasn’t enough extra money to pay for additional security measures.

The account raised $5,645 as of Thursday, including from contributors in New York; San Diego; Hartford, Conn.; and Ocala, Fla.

Sosbe said the church already had a security system but because the building itself wasn’t breached, it didn’t set off the alarms. Now, 12 cameras are installed on the front, sides and back of the church, making it easier to monitor the building and the parking lot.

“You won’t move around this place without being seen,” Sosbe said.

The new system will allow the church’s administration to log in from their phones or computers to check the cameras at any time. That will let them quickly alert police in the event the securi- ty alarm is activated, Sosbe said.

Because the funding campaign raised more than expected, he is also looking into adding exterior lights to further serve as a deterrent.

Sosbe said he often quotes a scripture from Genesis about what someone intended for harm, God intended for good.

“We have really seen that. Our attendance has gone up by almost 40 people a week,” he said. “So many people have said, ‘Wow, we didn’t even know you were here but we saw the story on the news.’”