Suburban church seeks answers to hateful vandalism

WONDER LAKE, Illinois — A suburban northwest church is looking for answers after hate speech and symbols were spray-painted on church property.

Susie Hill, pastor of the Lutheran Church of the Nativity, said the mix of messages included racial slurs, a swastika and more painted on the sign outside the church and next to the building itself.

“We as a church went through the question of why? Who? Why us?” said Hügel.

“We do so much and then we are met with such hate,” said Kim Halper, director of the Food Pantry and president of the Church Council at Nativity Lutheran. “I’m just speechless, I don’t understand it.”

Despite the hateful acts, the church pantry will continue to operate as planned. According to church officials, the pantry serves an average of between 400 and 600 people each month.

A volunteer arrives at the church Thursday with a pressure washer to help remove the hateful messages.

In the meantime, if you or someone you know has information that may help the police move forward with the case, you can file a tip with the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office at (815) 338-2144 or email Email to TipLine@mchenrycountyil.gov.