Pastor discovers burning cross outside African-American church in Texas

Cherokee County officials have been called to investigate an act of vandalism after a pastor found a burning makeshift cross outside a historic African-American church in Alto, Texas.

Pastor Bill Burton of St. Thomas AME Church said that he was alarmed to see the tree limbs shaped into a cross set on fire outside the church, adding that it reminded him of cross burnings outside black churches in the 1960s.

"When I saw the cross burning, it was heart wrenching," the pastor told CBS 19. "Just brought back the '60s to my mind, back when they used to burn crosses at different churches. When you burn a cross on church ground that speaks for itself," he continued.

Cherokee County Sheriff James Campbell noted that there was a rock thrown on one of the church windows, and a water line had been broken on the side of the building. He said that the tree limbs have been put together to resemble a cross, but it did not seem like it was used to burn the building because it was set up far from the church.

The sheriff has not yet labeled the incident as a hate crime, but Burton is convinced that it is. "When you burn a cross on church ground that speaks for itself," said the pastor.

St. Thomas AME was founded in 1905, and its first building was built in 1909. Burton said that the congregation would not live in fear and would continue to have its regular services. He said that the congregation had prayed for the perpetrator of the crime, and he hopes that the country can stop being divisive.

"We're not surprised of these type things happening in the world," said Burton, according to KTRE. "It's just when they happen in their own church it brings it full circle. Apparently the wrong message is being spread, rather than love," he added.

Campbell said that the sheriff's office has spoken to a person of interest, but it still calls on anyone who has any information to contact the office.