TACOMA, Wash. — A Tacoma church is looking to step up its security after its property has been getting vandalized every week now, the pastor said.
Living Word Ministry, located on Park Avenue South and South 70th Street, has been hit by vandals for more than two decades, but it has gotten much worse over the last few months, the pastor said.
“The past few months, they’ve used it as a restroom,” said Charles Williams, pastor. “Yesterday, somebody used it three times over here on the side where they broke the window. It’s still there.”
“This past summer, we had a carnival for the community. We can’t have a carnival now because there’s a bunch of human feces all over the place. I can’t really do that now,” he added.
KIRO 7 News saw human waste littered across the church’s property, along with a broken window and windows riddled with bullet holes.
“It makes us concerned for everybody’s safety,” said Brian Williams, a church member.
The pastor led us to the parking lot where we saw broken pieces of glass after vandals had broken into people’s vehicles, he added.
And right by the church’s front entrance, ashes were left behind after someone had lit a camp fire right in front of the building’s front entrance, the pastor explained.
“It’s very very concerning. It’s by the grace of God that the building wasn’t burnt down,” said Brian Williams. “You wouldn’t treat your house this way. Why would you treat the house of God this way?”
“It’s hazardous because a lot of the things they do is hazardous from needles and all of that stuff. It’s just constant cleaning up different things that’s inappropriate for kids,” the pastor said. “One guy was washing cars for money, and said the owner let him do it. ‘You’re looking at the owner,’ but he had three cars over here washing cars.”
Pastor Williams said people typically leave the property once police arrive, however, the issues come right back. However, he said he understands that officers can only do so much to help him.
KIRO 7 News reached out to the Tacoma Police Department to get more details. A spokesperson said the department was working to get more information.
The pastor told KIRO 7 News that he hopes to build a fence around his church’s property to protect it, while he relies on his faith to navigate these challenges.
A GoFundMe was created to help the church. A spokesperson for GoFundMe said the fundraiser has been verified.
©2025 Cox Media Group
