St. Marks United Methodist Church is practicing forgiveness after someone vandalized its wall.
Vandalism at the church, located on Washington Street East in Charleston, came to light after worship at about 9:30 a.m. on Monday.
The Rev. Monty Brown said an employee at the adjacent hotel spotted "Black Lives Mater [sic]" spray painted on the church wall.
The employee alerted church officials and offered to clean off the paint, Brown said.
After a power washer failed to erase the message, the building superintendent applied a chemical treatment to the wall.
Brown said Monday was the first time he experienced vandalism in his 15 years at the church, but he won't condemn the vandal.
"He's trying to express an opinion about a subject that really is vital in terms of hope and esteem," Brown said, "I just didn't like the way he did it, or she."
A messaged that read "Black Lives Matter" also was seen under the bridge at Leon Sullivan Way. It was painted in blue.
The church is fond of art, Brown said, but not the kind that unexpectedly appears on its walls.
His peers will gather on Saturday to place 2,400 plastic bottles, each filled with paint, on the wall that faces Shrewsbury Street.
The art project, which started in early July, will result in a message that reads "You are a beloved child of God."
"I think much of the problems we're dealing with - with the drugs and other things - is a lack and hope and a lack of esteem," Brown said.
Reach Giuseppe Sabella at giuseppe.sabella@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5189 or follow @Gsabella on Twitter.
