‘Are we safe?’: Church leader shares concerns after sign ripped down in suspected hate crime

A church pastor has been left wondering if he and his congregation are safe after a suspected hate crime saw its sign torn down last week.Rev Ola Adegoke discovered that The King’s Glory Church sign – near the premises on Bryggen Road in North Lynn – had been “ripped up by a hacksaw” on Saturday morning.It has been reported to Norfolk Police, whose officers are investigating the offence – which happened between 10pm on Thursday and 1am on Saturday – as a hate incident relating to racially or religiously aggravated criminal damage.

Rev Adegoke, who is lead pastor at the Pentecostal The King’s Glory Church which moved from Fairstead to North Lynn in 2020, said: “It’s quite surprising.“Somebody must have been really angry. The Heros Gym sign is next to ours but only ours was targeted.”The pastor, whose church is a parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, said the only trouble they have encountered in the past was when someone attempted to uproot it about six months ago.

“Because we are Christians, we think it may be a hate crime,” Mr Adegoke said. He is now concerned for his safety and that of his congregation. The church, which was founded in Fairstead in 2013 and was previously located at The Fairstead Community Centre, regularly sees around 190 people attend its weekly services, including children and young adults.“We’re not feeling too great, sometimes we do have meetings in the evenings and now we’re wondering ‘are we safe’ – that’s the question,” Rev Adegoke added. “The person was angry enough to rip down the sign, so we’re a bit anxious now.

“The person must have issues – especially in the season of Christmas.”The King’s Glory Church, which organises the Manifest summer festival at The Walks, was pleased with the quick response from the police, he added.A spokeswoman for Norfolk Police said that officers are now pursuing all lines of enquiries in relation to the offence.

Anyone with information or any witnesses can get in touch with the police on 101 or via the Norfolk Police website, quoting crime number 36/88650/24.