On Sunday night, "the Church of the Presidents," known as the historic Episcopal church on Lafayette Square opposite the White House was seriously damaged due to fire.
Some protesters were prepared to take on instigators who vandalized property and caused violence. People showed mercy for the church and protestors didn't cease to vandalize the church's property.
The parish office at the historic St. John's Episcopal Church in Lafayette Square near the White House in Washington, D.C., during riots. Through media, the Rector issues an invitation to worship together on the Day of Pentecost.
"In the spirit of the day, wear red!"
Checking out the damage at about 1:00 am the church posted on social media; a prayer regarding what happened to their precious property. They wrote a reflective letter to Christians out in the world to spread.
"Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart and especially the hearts of the people of this land, that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. We write to you with heavy, but hopeful hearts.
Our community and our country are in anguish and unrest. And yet, we can see that thousands of people are lifting their voices and organizations are engaging in peaceful, meaningful action to ensure the life of George Floyd and countless others are not lost in vain. Given the recent media coverage of the protests, you may be concerned about our beloved church and parish house. We are fortunate that the damage to the buildings is limited.
There is some exterior graffiti, and the protective glass over one of the more modern stained-glass windows on the north side of the narthex has been broken (the stained glass itself is unharmed). Thankfully, there is no damage inside either of the buildings. This morning we secured, as best we could, our most valuable items. We promise to keep you up to date on any developments over the coming days.
When it is possible, we will repair the physical damage to our church. Please pray that our country can heal the wounds laid bare by the tragic and unnecessary death of George Floyd."
Reporters reached out near the White House and confirmed through Fox News the scene reported- the church had been vandalized with graffiti and set on fire. "This is awful. We saw graffiti, once the door was broken, we saw something similar happen earlier, and as you can see there's definitely a fire here," he said a half-hour before the city's 11 p.m. curfew.
"St. John's Church in Lafayette Square is burning right now. Every single president since James Madison has sat in that church. It's a historic landmark and it's on fire." -Katrina B. Hayden (Twitter)
"The fire was in the basement of St. Johns and is out, my @washingtonpost colleague @phscoop reports from the DC fire department. Firefighters got there with a police escort and quickly put out the blaze. It did NOT appear to cause any significant damage, and it is unclear how it started." -Michelle Boorstein (Twitter)
