CHRISTINA EICHELKRAUT / PVT A hastily swabbed and not very prominent happy face is painted across a window. Much of the painting that marred the church was quickly covered over. Advertisement

Children ready to attend their summer vacation Bible study class at the Second Missionary Baptist Church here in Pahrump were greeted with racist comments painted on the side of the church walls Wednesday.

The "KKK" letters, sloppily painted on the brown walls in white paint, marked one of two confirmed attacks on the church, both of which included painting explicit, derogatory racist slurs on the building.

Some graffiti from the last attack seemed childish, with happy faces, hand prints, and the words "Ha Ha" smeared across the walls.

Thin streaks of paint on the porch floor were reminiscent of amateurish imitations of Jackson Pollack abstract expressionist works. A painted pentangle, according to a neighbor, came out looking like a Star of David.

The attacks are currently under investigation by the Nye County Sheriff's Office.

"We feel like it's a hate crime and don't know if they're after us or if it's just hate," Anita Anderson, a parishioner of the 70-member church, said.

The Rev. John T. Boyd said that after the first attack, which occurred approximately five weeks ago, he hoped it was just an isolated incident.

"We were just hoping and praying it wouldn't happen again," Boyd said. "Now that it's become an ongoing thing, something needs to be done."

But he's also determined not to let the attacks stop the congregation from worshipping.

"We're not going to cut into our program because of that," Boyd said. "I tell (the congregation) not to be afraid ... because we're trying to grow."

The determination of the church and its members is emphasized by the fact that whenever an attack occurred, the offensive graffiti was painted over within hours of discovery.