Despite this ongoing concern, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Surprise is full of joy.”

Karen Richter | Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Surprise pastor

By Delarita Ford
Mail | X: @AzNewsmedia

A Surprise church is demonstrating the universal language of love despite alleged continued hateful acts of vandalism potentially aimed at their embrace of the LGBTQ community.

The approximate 125-member Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Surprise on Avenue of the Arts had its building and outside banners vandalized three to four times in the past two years.

A recent incident occurred on April 14, when the house of worship’s banners were ripped. The first documented incidents to the Surprise Police Department were on July 29, 2022, when the building and banners were reportedly defaced.

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Surprise Pastor Karen Richter attributed possible reasons for the institution’s targeting to its community values, which “includes a specific welcome to people who’ve experienced exclusion and harm in other religious settings,” namely worshipers who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer.

“We also have chosen to demonstrate that value by displaying welcoming signage, including the Pride/Progress flag on our outdoor banners,” she said. “After the December damage, I did talk with a couple of people who asked about leaving the banners down. The sign damage felt like escalation to some. Also, LGBTQ members may have felt unsafe in many community spaces before. There were a lot of emotions to work through.”

After the monument-style sign was damaged in December, and the banner defaced again, the monument sign along Avenue of the Arts has yet to be repaired. Members voted to change the name in April from Unitarian Universalist Church, Surprise to Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Surprise because many members come from faith traditions other than Christianity or who claim no specific faith tradition, and “congregation” best described the venue, said Richter about delays replacing the dimensional mounted letters that were torn off the sign and broken.

She also said the consensus among leadership was to continue the worship center’s commitment to justice and inclusion while remaining a visible presence in the community.

“I previously served on the staff of another progressive Valley-area congregation,” Richter said. “Our commitment to social justice — LGBTQ-plus civil rights and also immigration reform — often put us at odds with our neighbors. In my time serving inclusive churches, I’ve gotten attack emails and angry phone calls but never felt in physical danger. Despite this ongoing concern, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Surprise is full of joy. Our partnership in ministry is a blessing to me.”

Sharon D. Steigmann, a member of the congregation since 2014, called it a “welcoming congregation.”

“As a result, I have been vandalized numerous times,” Steigmann said. “Our banners are repeatedly sliced and we’ve had the letters broken off our congregation’s monument, a window to the minister’s (office) smashed by a rock, and the building spray painted, all because of hate.”

Steigmann and wife, Mary Ellen Baker, of Peoria, said the congregants participated in an active-shooter training program “partly because of this.” While reports of vandalism persists, they assured Surprise residents and any LGBTQ-plus neighbors of efforts to have a safe environment.

Richter, meanwhile, detailed the active shooter drills and training held with Empowered Safety Concepts in November 2023.

“What we learned was the importance of keeping one another safe,” Richter said. “We have options during an active-shooter situation. The period of time, maybe five to eight minutes between the beginning of an attack and law enforcement’s arrival is crucial. We can learn skills, using a tourniquet or disabling an attacker, for example, that can help minimize casualties.”

Dave Strano of Empowered Safety Concepts taught congregation members about appropriate awareness and vigilance to exercise on Sunday mornings including “a balance of welcome and mindfulness that is helpful,” to avoid assuming and considering every visitor suspicious based on fear, according to Richter, who interviewed for the pastor position last summer.

“But, neither do we want to be so relaxed that we miss cues that could help prevent violence. For me, sustaining an appropriate, balanced level of vigilance is a spiritual practice,” she said, adding there is still follow up work to do after the training, such as having supplies in classrooms and other areas to keep people safe and comfortable during a lockdown, preparing quickly to block entrances, purchasing tourniquets and additional first aid supplies.

“In my second interview with the Surprise congregation last summer, they talked with me about the July 2022 vandalism. I was encouraged to hear their steadfast resolve and response, which was in keeping with the values of the congregation and of the wider Unitarian Universalist movement. UUCS is proud to represent a liberal religious voice in the northwest Valley,” Richter said of the church’s principles rooted in faith and community connections.

There are no suspects or anyone caught on video to report at press time.

Richter said she is unaware of the status of leads or if police are continuing investigations.

Delarita Ford
Reporter | Surprise

dford@iniusa.org

Starting my media career in 1994, rumor had it that newspapers would not exist much longer. Years later, the newspaper is still around and so is my passion for storytelling and capturing life’s moments for the community.