Mar 09, 2010 - 02:16 PM

By Parvaneh Pessian

WHITBY -- Parishioners attending Sabbath worship service at Kendalwood Seventh-Day Adventist Church March 6 were horrified to discover graffiti defacing the building's sign.

Spray-painted over a congratulatory Canadian Olympic hockey victory message on the Kendalwood Road church's sign reading, "Crosby Scores But Only Jesus Saves," was the glaring phrase, "Hail Satan," accompanied by a drawing of a pentagram.

"It is most unfortunate that someone or some individuals used their precious time to spray paint and to put their sign on the sign board of our church," said pastor Derrick Nichols.

"Such an act demonstrates the lack of respect for others, especially when there really is no need for such action."

Church-goers believe the incident occurred sometime between 8:30 p.m. on Friday, March 5 and 8:30 the following morning.

A similar incident occurred at another religious institution in Whitby only months ago when All Saints' Anglican Church at 300 Dundas St. W. had its sign torn off its hinges overnight last December. About two months prior to that, vandals heaved large chunks of concrete from a nearby construction spot through two of the building's front windows, shattering valuable stained glass.

"There's got to be a sick population out there to do something like this," said church parishioner Dennis Hodge at the time, believing it was likely the work of late-night rowdies considering the close proximity of the church to the downtown core.

Weeks later, the same church faced one of the worst fires in the town's history when a suspicious blaze broke out in the early morning hours of Dec. 14. While many witnesses on the scene reported seeing a gas canister near the building, fire officials have not yet determined whether the fire was caused by arson.

Meanwhile, the graffiti on the sign at Kendalwood Seventh-day Adventist church has been removed and police are considering the incident a hate crime.

"It's an active investigation but we don't have any suspects," said Sergeant Nancy van Rooy of Durham Regional Police.

"There was video available through the church in terms of their own surveillance but didn't capture the suspect doing the act of vandalism so there's not a lot to go by."

The church has been operating for the past 50 years with no previous incidents of vandalism.

Anyone with information related to this case is asked to call police at 905-579-1520 ext. 1833. Anonymous information can be sent to Durham Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or www.durhamcrimestoppers.ca and tipsters may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $2,000.