The Unity Church of Christianity in Chester Township is investigating possible vandalism after its garden Buddha statue was knocked over for the second time in recent months, prompting concerns about intolerance in the community, Rev. Nat Carter said.
The Unity Church of Christianity in Chester Township is investigating possible vandalism after its garden Buddha statue was knocked over for the second time in recent months, prompting concerns about intolerance in the community, Rev. Nat Carter said.
The church, located at 7887 Chalet Dr., first discovered the statue had been knocked over a few months ago, Carter said in a May 7 interview.
At the time, he believed strong winds may have caused it. The church replaced the statue with a heavier one and glued it to a stone base, he said.
When the replacement statue was recently knocked over as well, Carter began to suspect the incidents may have been intentional.
“When I saw it, I had to sit down because I felt this overwhelming sense of injustice,” he said.
In 2021, nearby Community Church of Chesterland told the Maple Leaf their LGBTQ+ flag had been stolen 27 times over a three-year period, according to previous reporting.
“Unfortunately, this is something that goes on around the country, and unfortunately, it’s happened even in Geauga County,” Carter said.
He said he filed a police report and plans to install a security camera.
“If this is as bad as it gets, we’re in good shape because so many other people are experiencing such terrible injustice,” he added.
