Emily Bond’s first thought when she got to work on Tuesday morning was, “Oh, no! We have to get another banner. Again.”

Shortly before 8 p.m. Monday night, as members of the Out Loud Men’s Chorus were rehearsing inside First Congregational Church in downtown Colorado Springs, a neighbor’s video cam captured two cars pulling up, and six individuals jumping out and ripping down a large, rainbow-colored banner that for years has hung in the church portico.

Oversized lettering on the banner reads: “A Just World for All.”

It’s the fourth time in the past six months that the rainbow banner has been destroyed, said Bond, director of administration and communications for nearly 13 years. A Black Lives Matter banner that is displayed nearby also was torn down once, last September.

Church leaders reported the cases of vandalism, which began last July, to Colorado Springs police, she said.

“We’re not reacting in fear but taking it seriously as we are aware of the pattern,” said the Rev. Lee Ann Bryce, lead minister of the church, an affiliate of the United Church of Christ denomination.

The previous illegal activity happened when the church was empty, but this time it was not.

“Which raises a concern about safety,” Bryce said. “It’s not surprising, but seeing it happen in real time on the video made it feel more personal.”

But the church isn’t going to stop proclaiming its beliefs, she said.

“We’re very clear about who we are and what we stand for, and acts like this are not going to silence our commitment,” said Bryce, who’s openly gay.

First Congregational Church, which has about 550 members, is known for embracing everyone, including the LGBTQ+ community, and standing for racial justice, the minister said, as inclusivity is a core value of the denomination and the hearts of members.

“That won’t change,” Bryce said. “Our commitment to a best world for all comes directly from the teachings of Jesus, who stood with the marginalized people.

“To us, all means all — welcoming and affirming every person regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, age, physical ability, educational attainment, financial status and national origin.”

The response this week is the same as it’s been in the past: replace the banner and rehang it, at a cost of more than $200 each time.

Vandals usually leave the damaged banners on the property, Bond said. This time the banner is simply gone.

“We respond with resilience and love,” Bryce said. “We don’t want to let acts of destruction define who we are.”

A rainbow banner has been a signature mark for the church for years, well before a gay bar on the other side of town, Club Q, was attacked on Nov. 22, 2022, by a shooter who killed five people and injured 19. Authorities determined the incident to be an anti-LGBTQ+ hate crime.

A couple of years ago, Bond said someone threw eggs at the church’s rainbow banner, and last year “pretty nasty graffiti” was written on the doors of the historic building.

Stonework on the exterior of the Romanesque-style church, which opened in 1889 at 20 E. St. Vrain St., also has been damaged by the vandalism and required repair work, she said.

“It is so much more than a rainbow banner saying we support LGBTQ+ — we are wanting, praying and hoping for a peaceful world and want to show everyone we are accepting of all, and we are also peaceful,” Bond said.

“It is so sad when you see someone who wants to be malicious about it in response. For there to be such a vicious attack is hurtful.”