Malabar church victim of vandalism

Susanne Cervenka

Vandals hit a Malabar church Sunday night, cutting power to the building and smashing a water pipe.

It was the second attack at the God's Healing Holiness Christian Church at 1690 Marie St. in a little over a week, and the fifth in the past two years.

"It's heartbreaking. You try to preach love, to teach forgiveness and acceptance," said the Rev. Pauline Borland, the church's senior pastor. " And you continue to encounter these different things."

Borland thinks the damage might be connected to a business dispute with a former contractor. Brevard County Sheriff's deputies have been called to investigate vandalism reports at the church three times since January.

Church leaders realized they had been attacked again when a church deacon, Paul Wilson, arrived at the church Monday to let in a person hired to work on the church's computer.

Wilson said he unlocked the church and tried to turn on the lights to no avail. He found someone had turned off the power at an outside main breaker.

Wilson said he also found water spewing from a broken water pipe.

Church leaders previously have found the water lines broken and the power disrupted. They've also found bullet holes in the church's sign, crosses broken in the rear of the building, bulbs unscrewed in parking lot lights and the lawn torn up by off-road vehicles.

"It's been an ongoing assault," Wilson said.

Each time, the church calls on its congregation to help repair the damage.

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Source: http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20100608/NEWS01/6080320/1086/Vandals+attack+Malabar+church

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