MADISON COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT) — Instead of starting his day by reading red letters in his Bible, Movement Church Senior Pastor Seth Adgate instead came face-to-face with red graffiti spray-painted onto his church Wednesday morning.
“I showed up around 8:30, and I was actually on the phone with our Turning Point rep, just talking about future events, what we’re gonna do,” Seth Adgate said. “And then, I’m like, ‘You’re not going to believe this,’ and turn the phone around. He was like, ‘Call the cops. Call me back.”
That’s exactly what he did.
He filed a police report with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office after the messages “Beware his falsehoods” and “Bryan Dawson serves the antichrist” were spraypainted on the church’s exterior.
Seth and his wife, Lori Adgate, who’s also a pastor at the Movement Church, describe the messages as hateful, but are not shocked at the action.
“It’s not surprising,” Seth said. “At the same time, it still catches you off guard. But it’s not surprising based off past events where we’ve had to bring our sheriff’s office here. I mean, our security internally has had to step it up.”
Dawson, mentioned in the graffiti, is the President and CEO for a conservative news organization called 1819 News. The couple believes the vandalism was done as Dawson is set to speak at a Turning Point USA event the church is hosting Thursday night.
“He facetimed me to show me what was happening, and we immediately knew it was regarding the Turning Point USA event that’s taking place here tomorrow evening,” Lori said. “Bryan Dawson is actually hosting it, and we’re facilitating it.”
While the Adgates say they are disturbed by the vandalism at their church, they say it will not discourage them from hosting the Turning Point event on Thursday. Seth says they are taking extra precautions to ensure it runs smoothly.
“Right now, we’re talking with the sheriff’s department, and they’re doing some extra things to make sure this event runs free and clear of problems. We have internal security, and the sheriff’s office was already going to come,” Seth said. “But because of the nature of what it is, that it is at a religious organization, it is considered a hate crime at that point.”
Those precautions started on Wednesday afternoon with the removal of the vandalism. Movement Church Member Erich Nelson volunteered his pressure washing skills once he heard news of the graffiti. Nelson said he is both saddened and enraged at the act.
“At what point can we not start acting like civilized human beings? And, if we disagree, why can’t we sit down and talk about it?” Nelson asked.
That is a sentiment shared by Seth and Lori Adgate, as both said the church encourages conversations about varying viewpoints, and wish someone could have expressed their concern via a phone call or an email rather than vandalizing the building.
In a statement to News 19, Sheriff Kevin Turner said vandalism and intimidation have no place in Madison County.
“Acts of vandalism and intimidation have no place in our community. Every person, regardless of their beliefs or affiliations, deserves to feel safe where they worship, work, or gather. We will not tolerate this type of behavior in Madison County. Our detectives are working diligently to identify those responsible and ensure they are held accountable. To the citizens of Madison County, please know that this kind of conduct is unacceptable, and we will use every available resource to bring those responsible to justice. This is not who we are as a community.”
Sheriff Kevin Turner, Madison County Sheriff’s Department
Seth said the Turning Point USA event will happen on Thursday evening.
The Madison County Sheriff’s Department said this is an active investigation and asks anyone with information about the vandalism to call (256) 722-7181.
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