Historic Big Horn County Church Vandalized Over the Weekend

121-year-old Baptist church in Crow Agency, MT was vandalized on 7/23.
It does not appear to be a hate crime.
A GoFundme account has been established to help pay for repairs.

The Crow Agency Community Baptist church was vandalized on Sunday, July 23, destroying two windows on the main building. We spoke with church moderator Gary H. Dawes, who discovered the damage on Monday morning after receiving a phone call from his parents. "Call the cops, somebody busted out the windows!", they said.

Dawes said the church has not had a full-time pastor for about eight years and the congregation's expenses are funded completely by tithes. There is little money in the budget to replace or repair the broken windows, which will likely cost thousands. The building is historic; it was the first church constructed in Crow Agency in 1902. According to Dawes, there was no other damage to the church and nothing of significance appears to have been stolen.

Credit: Gary H Dawes, used with permission

A valuable community resource.

The church is more than a place for Sunday service, Dawes explained. They serve around 40 people free lunch each week after their service. They are in the midst of a summer youth program. The congregation recently hosted a group from Korea and Crow community members got to experience a night of enjoying each other's culture, dances, music, and foods.

Credit: Gary H Dawes, used with permission

I'm learning to not let things out of my control make me upset.

At this point in life, the last thing I need is for a blood clot to break loose somewhere and give me a widowmaker or massive stroke (high blood pressure, and all 🙄). But one thing really makes my blood boil is when people vandalize places of worship.

Get our free mobile app

Broken glass in the church lawn. Credit: Gary H Dawes, used with permission

It doesn't matter what denomination.

My wife is Catholic. I was raised in a non-denominational church. We have friends that are everything from Muslim to Mormon. While I don't really consider myself deeply religious, I do feel that everyone who practices their faith deserves to have a safe place to worship. A place with not-broken windows, ideally. If you'd like to chip in for repairs, the GoFundMe is HERE.