GREENSBORO, N.C. — What started as a day of worship quickly turned into chaos when a virtual church service got hacked on Sunday.
The Minister of Sharpe Road Church of Christ, Nicholas Glenn, said a group of individuals got on his congregation’s virtual church Zoom call, posted pornographic images and typed racial slurs and threatening words of hate during the service.
Glenn said police are now looking into who’s behind this potential hate crime.
“We’ve had our share of challenges, but nothing like we’ve had today,” Glenn said.
Sunday’s service was being held virtually like it has been since the beginning of the pandemic.
“We have Zoom. People like to see each other. It’s kind of a way for us to see each other and worship together,” Glenn said.
But on this day, the congregation was met by unexpected guests hacking into their zoom call.
“It was probably about four to five different people and they were just rapid fire saying different things,” Glenn said.
The individuals identified themselves as white supremacists and also said “MAGA,” “white lives matter” and used racial slurs.
“My wife looked at the chat box and she saw it and was like, ‘Stop the broadcast,’” Glenn explained.
For a few minutes, it continued, escalating with threats to kill and saying things like, “Get off church and go pick your cotton.”
What’s more, the individuals posted pornographic photos to the Zoom call screen.
All of this on a day where this congregation and so many others dedicate to serving the Lord.
“It’s discouraging to say the least. Sunday is kind of a day where we can get away from what we deal with all week,” he said.
Minister Glenn said after halting the service to remove the individuals from the call, church picked back up where it left off.
While this incident was damaging to morale, he said it serves as a reminder that in 2020, racism and bigotry still lives.
“It’s real. It has been real and still is real. Times like this, we need to unify each other and understand that we are all God’s children and God made us all equal,” he said.
Minister Glen told FOX8 that he reported the screenshots to Zoom and filed a report with the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office.
The minister plans to have a meeting with his congregation to address feelings surrounding Sunday’s mishap.
More headlines from CBS17.com:
- Trump supporters stuck in the cold when buses can’t reach Nebraska rally
- RIP Mexican Pizza: Popular Taco Bell dish starts disappearing from menus
- Phoenix police officer accused of sending ‘credible threat’ to the mayor
- Watch Live: Twitter, Facebook, Google CEOs testify on social media protections amid censorship claims
- White House lists ‘ending the COVID-19 pandemic’ as an accomplishment
For more stories like this that matter to you, click here to download the CBS 17 News app for free.
Watch live newscasts, get breaking news and sign up for push alerts – download now
