Community members rally around St. Louis church weeks after it was vandalized
By Shoshana Stahl
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ST. LOUIS, Missouri (KMOV) — Community members across the Metro are rallying around a church in need.
News 4 reported two weeks ago about the Church of Non-Denomination being vandalized. Among the things damaged were religious statues, lighting, a piano, an organ and the sound system.
Sandra Welch says she was devastated after seeing the original story News 4 aired.
“Crime against anybody, any organization or any business is really a crime against all of us and it impacts the whole city,” Welch says.
Welch wasn’t using the organ in her house, which led her to step in and offer it to the church as a donation.
“It’s just important for our community and our families to know that when they go through stuff like this, they’re not alone,” Welch says.
Since the church was vandalized weeks ago, volunteers have helped with the cleanup and donation process.
Pastor Jack Hill says among the things donated is another organ.
“They saw your story on channel 4 and decided to donate an organ,” Pastor Hill says. “Everybody has seen the story and there are so many good people out there. It just reminds me that when bad things happen, there are more good people than bad people. The good people have been stepping up.”
Pastor Hill says many of the people who have helped aren’t even members of the church, which means a lot to him.
“You don’t have to go to church here to be a part of our church family,” Pastor Hill says. “Everybody that helps us and has stepped forward and done everything for us, I consider them to be part of my church family.”
Church services have been done online since the vandalism.
Pastor Hill hopes the clean-up and restoration will be done in the next two weeks, allowing in-person service to return the first Sunday of October.
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