North Ridgeville UCC Church dedicates new rainbow bench, won’t let theft slow them down

In early September, a rainbow colored bench was stolen from the back of the First Congregational Church in North Ridgeville, Ohio. The bench was donated to the church by David’s United Church of Christ in Canal Winchester, Ohio just several weeks earlier. 

And in the heat of the night, it was gone. Without a trace. 

“It was all the way in the back,” said the Rev. Kearstin Bailey, First Congregational’s pastor in an interview with The Chronicle Telegram. “Unless you knew to look for it, it wasn’t something most folks would just notice driving by on Center Ridge Road.”

Rather than let the brazen act of theft dampen their spirits, the church sprung into action with a series of social media posts asking for the public’s help in locating the missing bench. The outreach of support culminated with a special outdoor service, with David’s UCC gifting another bench to replace the old one on Saturday, September 20. 

For Bailey, the support from all over reminds her that while messages of hate and fear might be loud, the life-affirming love God has for all people inspires others to want to join in.

“It was incredible to see the community support when our first rainbow bench disappeared,” said Bailey. “When the time came to bless the replacement bench, we had not only our own church members there, but folks from [David’s] drove up to support, and members of the community came out too. It’s an important reminder that messages of fear and hate might be loud, but when you’re grounded in the life-affirming love of God for all creation, folks want to join in and be a part of it.”

David UCC’s show of support was a personal one for Bailey. That church was her home church, and where she was an active member during high school, college, and post-college life. It was her community at David’s UCC that helped her realize and accept her call to ministry, and to volunteer with Global Ministries. 

The bench was paid for by a former member, living in California, who Bailey knew as part of their youth group. Bailey says that she heard what had happened, and covered nearly all the costs to replace the stolen bench. 

“It’s a reminder that all of us create ripple effects in the world, and we never know how our work for love and justice might transform our communities along the way — even many years later,” said Bailey. 

Even though the reasons for the theft of the bench remain unclear, the church has been an open and affirming space for the LGBTQ+ community since 2011, and it is not backing down on its support, said Bailey. 

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