Until recently, churches didn't have to bother with such damage. The continuing unraveling of our social fabric, however, is affecting even the sacred places. Not only are churches being hit by vandals with increasing frequency, but they may even be special targets of those who are hostile to God and his people.

Unfriendly Neighbors
People at Brookside Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for example, remember the horror of coming to church one Sunday morning and seeing what neighborhood kids had spray-painted onto the new brick walls of their just dedicated multipurpose building.

"It took me a minute to realize that the strange shadows on the far doors of the building were really spray paint," says Ben Becksvoort, associate pastor at the church. "As I looked further, graffiti had been painted along the brick and block wall of the new building."

The graffiti was a combination of vile words and evil signs. "There was, of course, a lot of shock and anger on the part of church members as they arrived for worship," Becksvoort says.

The police came to investigate, Becksvoort says. Two young men, identified by church neighbors, were later arrested and charged with the crime.

Cleaning up the damage proved to be laborious and expensive. The brick and block wall of the multipurpose building was highly porous, so the paint had seeped below the surface. As a result, the facility had to be sandblasted.

The congregation that I pastor, Christ Church Limestone, near Peoria, Illinois, was also a victim of vandalism. We meet in a limestone building dating back to 1845, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

One Saturday night, most of the south wall of the church was spray-painted with satanic symbols and the names of two people.

We alerted the county sheriff, then the local media. After the damage appeared on the news, the vandals were identified via an anonymous tip.

Then began the hard work of cleaning up the paint without damaging the exterior walls made of 155-year-old limestone.

Clean-Up Considerations
Unless your church employs a skilled custodial staff, you may have to consider hiring a professional exterior cleaning firm to deal with vandalism. Rental equipment, such as a large sander or a spray system, can cost several hundred dollars, and the work can be in credibly labor-intensive. Here's what's involved in various cleanup processes:

Sandblasting. This essentially scrapes off paint and the surface to which it adheres. It works best on new buildings with a flat surface. There are two problems with this method. First, even on a building only a few years old, the sanded surface always looks cleaner than the surrounding surface. Second, it's impossible to completely lift the paint from rough or porous surfaces. Even after sandblasting, the paint may still be visible.

Abrasive cleaner. Abrasives come in powder form and are a mixture of baking soda or pumice. In a kind of liquid form of sandblasting, the abrasive is mixed with water and applied with a high-pressure sprayer.

This method is especially effective on a metal surface. The powder is cheap ($10-15 per gallon) and readily available, but renting professional spraying equipment is expensive. It's also a slow process. Often, it's better to call in a local cleaning firm.

Chemical solvents. Using a caustic or chlorinated solvent is even more tricky. With this method, lye (sodium hydroxide) is applied to the surface of a building as a paste to which a backing is applied. The lye eats the paint. When you pull on the backing, the paint peels off. But because workers must deal with the paste while it is wet, evaporation can become a problem. Only small surface areas can be worked at a time. In addition, lye leaches into wood and stains it. So the wood surface cannot be painted for 60 to 120 days or the paint will dissolve.

The chlorinated method uses methylene chloride, which burns skin and can be hazardous to the eyes. The fumes can cause lung damage, so the area being cleaned must be well-ventilated, and the user must wear special protective clothing. The chemical also evaporates quickly. Many states have banned its use in commercial operations because it is environmentally harmful, so finding a firm to use this method may be difficult.

Soybean-based gel solvent. This is available from Franmar Chemical. The solvent is nontoxic and has no odor or harmful vapors. It is applied with a thick brush or roller and evaporates slowly. It buckles or dissolves paint in a couple of hours. The surface can then be rinsed with a small hose. The paint and the gel can wash into the ground or a storm sewer.

Chemical solvents cost $3 to $4 per square foot and often require professional assistance. Soy bean gel costs 35 cents per square foot. Anyone can use it without protective gear.

Protect Yourself Against Vandalism
Church leaders can help prevent vandalism by taking these steps:

1. Be a good neighbor. Your neighbors will be more willing to keep an eye on your property if your church is active in the community. So invite your neighbors to social events. One Chicago church thanks its neighbors with an annual block party.

2. Know local law enforcement officials. Make sure they know your church's location and regular schedule. They will patrol your church if you familiarize them with it. Thank and honor them periodically.

3. Upgrade your security. Well-placed lighting is a great deterrent to criminal activity. An alarm system should have a motion detector plus an audio component that can pick up sudden noises inside and outside the church. For some reason, vandals love to laugh and shout when they spray paint.

4. If your church is hit, don't be silent. Make sure the police are called promptly. Then cooperate with the investigation. Some church leaders want to "turn the other cheek," but that does not mean they should ignore a crime. Forgiveness includes accountability.

Church leaders should take action to prevent damage, but if it occurs, they can do much more than whitewash the crime - they can use proven methods to dissolve and rinse it away.

This article originally appeared in Your Church magazine.