EVERETT — The act was as malicious as it was heartbreaking.
In the dark of night, either late May 23 or early the 24th, someone broke into one of Everett’s oldest churches.
Entry, it appeared, was made by breaking a side window that leads to a basement fellowship hall, kitchen, bathrooms, and furnace and storage room.
A young homeless couple alerted Pastor Calvin Willard on Wednesday morning after having camped outside the Calvary Lutheran Church, 2532 Rockefeller Ave. They’d heard a strange sound overnight and realized something was up in the morning, Willard said.
The pastor walked in to find hymn books, crosses, candles, Sunday school lesson books and other items strewn across the floor. Toilets in the women’s restrooms upstairs and downstairs were stuffed. Someone had left an indecipherable symbol on the backdoor to the kitchen.
With some trepidation, Willard walked into the sanctuary. It had been spared. Not a hymn book was out of place; the old stained glass windows were not damaged either.
“Thank God nothing was touched,” he said.
Willard has spent years ministering to street people in the blocks surrounding his church. which was built in 1902. He has struck up a rapport with many and is reasonably confident whoever committed the vandalism was not among the down-and-out people he has come to know.
In one recent 30-day stretch, Willard had spoken with 27 people — mainly heroin and meth addicts who roam the area. “We pray for them,” he said. “All the interactions I’ve had, I’ve never been threatened and I’ve never felt threatened.”
It appeared that the motive of the break-in was not theft. Some coats and blankets were missing, but a brand new unused microwave was left untouched. That item could have fetched some quick cash on the black market.
No arrests have been made, Everett police officer Aaron Snell said.
“Unfortunately, there was no information or real evidence to build an investigation on,” Snell said.
The day the break-in was discovered, Willard reached out to members of the congregation who typically attend a Wednesday evening Bible study. He explained what happened and told them that Bible study was canceled, but he could use some help.
A dozen people showed up for a cleanup party.
Afterward, they went upstairs to sing hymns. They expressed thanks that the sanctuary had been left intact and prayed for whoever is responsible for the damage.
“We are here to reach out to people who are hurting in darkness and try to show them the light,” Willard said.
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446; stevick@heraldnet.com.
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