Church members suspect that hate had something to do with what the 70 federal, state, and local officials are investigating.
The ATF is investigating the fire because any case of arson in a church may be considered a hate crime, which is a federal offense, and because the church building, which was built in 1921, is worth $1.5 million.
St. Elmo Church is known for its liberal congregation and is known for serving the GLBT community.
ATF Assistant Special Agent Steven Gerido said in a press conference, “We don’t know how the fire got started. We know the origin and that’s all we know.”
St. Elmo Church displays the motto “Open Hearts. Open Minds. Open Doors.” on its homepage.
It is very possible that this is a case of arson, and St. Elmo’s experience with KKK vandalism suggests the possibility of a hate crime.
I hope that the community members affected by the St. Elmo church fire do not become vulnerable, suspicious and fearful with their future community outreach (especially with their GLBT outreach). That is what the perpetrators of hate want most.
Many people do not realize that the KKK is still marching, targeting GLBT people in addition to other minority groups.
With events like the fire at St. Elmo raising people’s consciousness (not just gay people’s) about hate in Chattanooga, an organization like CommunityNashville would be beneficial in Chattanooga.
Response to “Possible Arson Destroys Chattanooga GLBT serving church”
Hello, My name is Scott Medley and I am chairmain of Trustees at St. Elmo United Methodist Church. I must tell you that information in this article is simply not factual. Our church members absolutely DO NOT suspect that this is a hate crime of arson. St. Elmo United Methodist Church is NOT “known” for it’s liberal congregation. We are neither considered “liberal” or “conservative. We ARE known to be a “diverse” congregation. We may be known by some as serving the GLBT community, but we are absolutely known for serving anyone and everyone who chooses to worship with us or seeks our ministries. “KKK” was never painted on our church sign. It was painted in two places on the rear of our building. This was very faded and reported by one of our older members that it could have been there as long as 15 years ago. We absolutely do display the motto “Open Heart. Open Minds. Open Doors on our homepage. (which happens to be the motto of the Global United Methodist Denomination). It is NOT “very” possible that this is a case of arson. It is just one of 3 possible causes…accidental, undetermined or arson. We have never been targeted specifically for any of our ministries. We would just ask that you not sensationalize our recent loss. Please do not label our church as specifically ministering to any one group. We minister to all. If you want accurate information regarding St. Elmo UMC and it’s ministries, it can be obtained from our Pastor, Rev. Mark Dowell, myself, the Holston Conference Chattanooga District Office or state and local ATF and fire officials. Any information received for any other sources may or may not be correct. Respectfully, Scott Medley
I apologize if my blog post has cotributed to a distraction for the leaders of St. Elmo Church while they work to rebuild their church.
It appears that everyone in the media covering this story has taken this same angle.
Being that I am on the GLBT news beat, I covered it from the perspective relevant to my readers. I apologize to them if the string of observations appears “sensational.”
Chattanooga News Channels 9 and 12 have sited St. Elmo Church for being “known” for its “liberal congregation” and for ministering to “gays and lesbians.” Labels are difficult to shake-off, but these labels are salient in the media coverage of this church’s story.
I stand by the original blog entry because it only stated a possibility. I used inductive reasoning to suggest that something is “possible,” and ususally induction results in conclusions that are “probable.” Please emphasize the term “Possible” in the title of the article.
As for the resident source speaking to News Channel 12 about “KKK” being on the sign just months ago and suggesting suspicion among church members: I hope that St. Elmo Church can get News Channel 12 to retract and discredit him as a source.
I am saddened that a fire has destroyed St. Elmo Church, and my sympathies are with the congregation. I pray that everyone can turn this tragedy into a community triumph with the will to rebuild and continue serving a higher purpose. I also pray that the investigators will find that this is not a case of arson or a hate-motivated crime.
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