News 12 at 6, March 1, 2009

AIKEN COUNTY, S.C.---Members of the Family Life Worship Center found themselves victims of a hate crime, after someone spray painted "KKK" on their church building.

"I was hurt. I thought out here we were above that," says Bishop Gehazel Williams, who found the letters just before the Sunday service at the Family Life Worship Center.

He and his members never expected something so hurtful.

"It makes you feel real bad, you know, violated, hurt, knowing that people hate you so much," said the bishop's wife, Viola Williams.

The vandals also spray-painted other parts of the church. It's the first time someone has put those three letters on the church, but not the first time someone has vandalized it. In all Bishop Williams says they've been hit about 15 times in their five years.

"This sign was on the ground. Somebody came and deliberately knocked it down. It was on the ground. We came and repaired it," said the bishop of their sign on the road.

He says windows have been smashed and glass doors broken. One incident happened about three weeks ago, and there is still glass on the ground from it.

This latest crime is the most damaging, maybe not to the building, but for morale in the community.

"We're tired of it. We come out here to praise and magnify God. We come out here to worship him and we're tired of having to clean up and repair and fix," said Bishop Williams.

"I don't know why they're trying to run us off. We're not going anywhere. We love them. They're welcome to come visit us but listen, we'd like to know who's doing it," said Viola.

They'll continue to praise and pray. Only now, they're praying for unnamed vandals and for their hatred to stop.

The bishop says no one has ever been caught vandalizing the church and he's not sure if it's been the same vandals every time.

The Southern Poverty Law Center just released a study about hate groups and they say the number of them has grown 50% since 2000 and they attribute it to the economy, immigration fears and President Obama's campaign.