A Sign of the Times

Neighbors, clergy, allies stepped up to support LLUMC in replacing stolen welcoming sign.

Photo courtesy of LLUMC

Just two months after a welcoming sign at Linden-Linthicum United Methodist Church on Route 108 in Clarksville, Md. was chopped down and stolen from the property, a new replacement sign was installed. The new sign is almost identical to the stolen one, and its supports have been made sturdier.  

On a background of rainbow colors, the sign reads “Ever One Is Welcome Here” with a heart at the bottom. The LLUMC emphasizes that the message of welcoming applies to a broad population that includes among other groups, the disabled, immigrants as well as the LGBTQ+ community.

The vandalism and theft, which was first chronicled in this space and reported on the Clarksville Happenings group page on Facebook, led many people in the community to offer support both financially and spiritually to help the church replace the sign.

Undeterred by a steady rain on May 1, Pastor Gayle Annis-Forder moved what would have been an outside ceremony marking the replacement of the new sign to the church’s multi-purpose room to celebrate the event. Members of the church’s council, congregation and community attended. She reiterated the message that everyone is welcome including those who stole the sign. “Love is better,” she said.

Pastor Gayle expressed her gratitude for the outpouring of support during this period. She thanked various representatives from local religious organizations and individuals within the community as well as County Executive Calvin Ball.  Pastor Gayle read statements from Rabbi Susan Grossman of the Beth Shalom Congregation in Columbia, Md. and Rev. Paige Getty of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbia in support of the LLUMC.

Said Richard A. Smith, Church Council Chair of LLMUC: 

"An act of vandalism, at a minimum, or more likely a targeted message of hate, the cutting down of this sign prompted an outpouring of support and love within this community. I for one, cannot thank enough those who have expressed support and graciously provided the funding for its replacement.

"There are not enough hours in the day to provide the context behind this sign. Although various groups who are being singled out and persecuted in numerous ways in today’s society is heartbreakingly too many, the LGBTQ holds community a unique place currently in the United Methodist Church (UMC)."

Though the sign had been vandalized last year, Pastor Gayle was surprised that the sign had been destroyed and removed in late February of this year. “Driving to the church the following morning, I had to do a double-take in noticing the sign was no longer there,” she said.

The church received donations from the community to help pay for the costs associated with replacing the sign. Pastor Gayle especially was appreciative of the owners of the Red Bird Bar and Grille in Glenelg, who held a fundraiser just days after the incident that raised $1,000 for the church.

Pastor Gayle explained that the church is still accepting donations to help with security and other expenses incurred by the incident. 

Pastor Gayle addressing the audience