Wonder Lake church hit by vandals overnight with swastika, racial slur

Nativity Lutheran Church in Wonder Lake was hit with vandalism and graffiti overnight Monday, church officials said.

The damage was discovered Tuesday morning, the Rev. Susie Hill said. The vandals blacked out spotlights on the church grounds, then sprayed the side facing East Wonder Lake Road with markings, including a swastika, an up-side down cross, a racial slur and other symbols.

The church’s sign also was vandalized on one side with words, including “tax the rich” and ‘I [heart] god.” The other side was simply spray-painted with no apparent pattern.

“It is bizarre,” Hill said.

Hill was informed of the damage at about 8 a.m. Tuesday when a parishioner passed the church while driving. No one had been inside the building since Sunday afternoon after morning services, she said, so the church members and board were not sure when the damage occurred.

This is the second time the church was vandalized, she said, but the last time was at least 13 years ago. In that incident, a cinder block was thrown through a window, swastikas were spray-painted inside the sanctuary and tomatoes from the church garden were smashed inside the building.

This time, she said, “We are lucky because everything is on the exterior. They did not make entrance to the building.”

This week’s damage was reported to the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office, and deputies came out for a report, Hill said.

According to a sheriff’s office spokeswoman, the call to police was made at 9:43 a.m. Tuesday. No other similar vandalism has been reported in the area.

Hill said the church was not aware of any problems with other residents in the community, either because of the church itself or its food pantry.

Nativity Lutheran is home to the Neighbors Food Pantry of Wonder Lake and serves 350 families each week each Wednesday and Sunday, Hill said.

She informed the Northern Illinois Food Bank, through which the organization buys food for the pantry, of the damage. The church’s insurance company was also called to see if repairs can be covered.

The “shiny black spray paint” can probably be covered on the church, but Hill was unsure if the old sign could be repaired. “The [sign’s] plastic is on the brittle side, [so] we are thinking that might have to be replaced,” she said.

Nativity Lutheran’s board will need to decide whether to pursue charges, she said. She asked that anyone with information about the damage call the church at (815) 653-3832 and leave a message.

“It is so hard when you see so much hate in a place that is to be filled with peace,” Hill said.