Church, bus vandalized on near west side of Indianapolis
Mar 18, 2025
INDIANAPOLIS — A church on the near west side of Indianapolis was vandalized on Tuesday.
Spray paint was littered across Friendship Missionary Baptist Church's exterior walls and surrounding sidewalks. Much of the graffiti contained explicit words or messaging.
On the front of the church, th
e words "F*** the lord" were spray painted onto bricks. At an entryway, "die, die, die" was written on concrete. Another side of the church had "the devil rules" painted on it.
"There's graffiti around our community," Friendship Baptist Church's pastor Ronald Covington said in an interview with FOX59 and CBS4. "Now, when it goes to the church, it's on a different level. It's a level of disrespect. It's dishonoring God and his house. This is the lord's house. We're tired of it, we're saddened by it — this evil. Acts of evil, that's basically what it is."
The church's bus was also vandalized. Similar phrases to those painted on the church were plastered all over the bus.
Friendship Missionary Baptist Church is located in an area that has been plagued by vandalism and graffiti in recent weeks. Last month, local leaders in Haughville told FOX59 and CBS4 there has been a noticeable increase in the amount of vandalism and graffiti in their neighborhoods.
Despite the uptick in vandalism in the area, Covington said his church had never been spray painted before Tuesday. Covington added that he and other local pastors have had meetings to discuss Haughville's graffiti problem.
"We've just been meeting with some of the pastors in the city," Covington said. "We just talked about this — this graffiti in our community."
The church's congregation and Haughville residents have already begun to help Covington power wash the church and clean up the graffiti on the sidewalks.
"It talks about Haughville," Covington said. "You know, Haughville strong. It talks about community and how we support each other. I think it's just a positive thing when we have even pastors leave their churches and come over here to support us over here. That says a lot for a our faith community. It says a lot for our community as a whole. We've had a lot people out here washing the buildings, doing all this stuff. It's community members, so it says a lot about our community, that we stand together."
A FOX59/CBS4 crew at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church saw Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers at the church Tuesday night. A public police report on the vandalism, however, had not yet been filed as of 10:22 p.m.
Covington said his church is equipped with security cameras that may help police with their investigation. He is also encouraging Haughville residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity to police.
"If you see something, say something," Covington said. "Keep your eyes open, and prayerfully, we can come together and find a solution to not only our church, but our whole community. That's our hope." ...read more read less
