By Rosaleen MacBrayne
TAURANGA - Mail with satanic overtones has been sent to the vicar of Tauranga's historic Holy Trinity Church, gutted in a recent arson.
The New Testament with "Satan, evil, the devil" written on the cover was posted to the Rev Brian Hamilton.
Inside, various words had been underlined, although they
showed no apparent pattern, he said yesterday.
The book will undergo forensic testing for possible clues to the arson.
"It could have some significance," said Mr Hamilton.
The Anglican church, 124 years old, was torched early on July 1. Scorched cloth - a fuel-soaked piece of red velvet with a green embroidered vine and leaves - was found near the eastern wall.
It was only afterwards that parishioners remembered what could have been an omen, Mr Hamilton said. The Sunday before, several people had seen an old newspaper clipping mysteriously left on the lectern and showing a photograph of a burned-out church.
He said the article, which was destroyed in the arson, was about churches bombed in London during the Second World War.
"We thought that was weird. Why would it have been sitting there? Who put it there? We can only guess it was some kind of warning leading up to the fire."
Mr Hamilton said that in another incident on Thursday, when the sinister parcel arrived, a man who came to the door was turned away because of his obnoxious behaviour.
Among his raving, he said he was glad the church had burned down, although police have found nothing to link him to the fire.
However, all churches attracted people who were "a bit astray" from time to time, the vicar said.
He likened the congregation's grief over the Holy Trinity arson to losing a family home in a fire which destroyed "all your photos and treasured things."
The people survived but had to go through shock, tears, disbelief, anger and depression.
"But we are doing well worshipping in the hall. Life continues and we will get on with it."
A decision is expected next week on whether the old church can be restored.
