NEW HUDSON, Mich. – Just at the corner of Grand River Avenue and Rainbow Drive in New Hudson flies a flag that is as colorful as it is meaningful.
"We display the Rainbow Flag as a symbol to support the LGBTQ community," Debby Tyler, music director for New Hope Unitarian Universalist Congregation, said.
New Hope Unitarian Universalist Congregation spent a whole year studying to become a welcoming congregation.
"We do not take our commitment to social justice in this area lightly," Patricia MacArthur, a member and past president, said.
The flag out front is a welcome symbol that their doors are open to anyone and everyone.
But as soon as the flag went up, it started to come down.
"It’s apparent someone is unhappy with it, because they rip it and break the whole pole," Tyler said.
The flag has been stolen a total of six times, twice in the past few weeks. The congregation doesn’t know who’s doing it, or why.
"We’re pretty set on that flag being out there, so people know what we stand for," Tyler said.
So regardless of how many they lose, they say they will continue to replace them because the symbol is worth more to them than the cost of the flag.
"We’ll buy a whole box," MacArthur said. "It’s important to us. Once it comes down, we replace it immediately."
New Hope Congregation has filed a police report and added extra deterrents around the flag to hopefully curtail the theft, or figure out who’s behind it.