A California church has vowed to continue promoting inclusion after a rainbow-coloured display outside its building was vandalised for the second time in a matter of weeks.
The installation, which features brightly painted doors bearing the message “God’s Doors Are Open To All”, was knocked down and damaged outside the Big Red Church in Fresno’s Tower District during the early hours of Sunday morning.
Rev Simon Biasell, pastor of the United Church of Christ congregation, said he was alerted to the vandalism shortly after 6am by a member of staff who discovered the display had been smashed and overturned.
The damage was visible as worshippers arrived for Sunday services, but the local community quickly rallied around the church. While the congregation was inside, neighbours helped restore the installation and put the doors back in place before the service had ended.
“By the time everybody exited church, our neighbours had reinstalled the doors and put it back up, which is one of the wonderful things about this neighbourhood,” Biasell said.
The church said the latest incident follows a similar act of vandalism earlier this summer, when the rainbow doors were also targeted.
Big Red Church has been part of the Tower District for 76 years and has described itself as an open and affirming congregation for more than three decades. The church says it welcomes people of all backgrounds, regardless of faith, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, age or ability.
Biasell said members of the congregation have faced hostility in the past, including homophobic messages sent through voicemail and social media.
“Our church members unfortunately have gotten used to that kind of hate language, that treatment,” he said. “So while this wasn’t anything new, it’s still painful to experience that kind of treatment.”
In a statement, the church described the vandalism as upsetting but said it would not weaken its commitment to inclusion and support for people who experience discrimination, isolation or exclusion.
The rainbow doors were originally created as a Pride-themed community project, with children, teenagers and adults helping to paint and assemble the display. Photos shared by the church show the installation as a colourful symbol of its message that everyone is welcome.
Despite the repeated attacks, church leaders said the response from local residents had demonstrated the strength of community support and reinforced the congregation’s determination to remain an inclusive space for LGBTQ+ people and other marginalised groups.
Alongside its worship services, the church hosts addiction recovery groups, supports affordable childcare programmes and works with local organisations on community improvement projects across Fresno.
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