Creepy Things in the Choir Room?
  • Susdem
    Posts: 5
    Hi all,

    Is your choir room/rehearsal space open to the public or do you keep it locked? Ours currently is but we have been having a problem with someone randomly coming in and writing creepy messages/drawing creepy images on the white board. The first time it happened, someone came in and wrote a racial slur on some sheet music and wrote a message saying XXXX was here. I googled the name - I can't remember what it was - and it was the name of a TikTok challenge that involved a series of 50 challenges with the last one being to commit suicide. We filed a police report and my pastor prayed some exorcism prayers in the room and sprinkled some blessed salt.

    Everything went well for a while but lately we've been having creepy messages/drawings left on the white board about once a month. This last Sunday, my cantor and I walked in to the message "I (picture of a heart) death". It's a little unnerving to the musicians and there's been times where the youth choir walks in to inappropriate messages on the board.

    I really don't want to lock the choir room because I have a couple of cantors who like to come early and practice their music before I get there. However, I'm starting to wonder if that's our only option.

    Has anyone dealt with a similar problem? How did you address it?

    Thanks in advance.
  • RoborgelmeisterRoborgelmeister
    Posts: 320
    Get a lock installed with a code for entry. No need for keys, nor re-keying. Or, a key box with a code for acess to the key. One never wants keys floating around in various hands. I worked at church that had to re-key every lock, and it was very expensive.
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  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 3,237
    Yeah…I would prefer an electronic system where every person has a code that only gets them into the buildings and rooms where they need to access it, and where the system tracks entries: so, if for example, someone’s code is used but that person isn’t on the grounds, and something goes wrong, then that person gets a verbal smacking or worse (loss of privileges for example)

    One parish here even does this for the priest’s confessional accessible from the sacristy only (it’s a room, which I don’t like myself).

    I don’t like a lock box because they are often not that secure even if you close and clear the lock; anyone can pry it open with ease.

    Unfortunately the rooms needs to be locked and if necessary the culprits removed from the grounds and trespassed.
  • SponsaChristi
    Posts: 616
    Our choir room was always kept locked. If I needed to get in, I just went and found someone with a key to unlock the door for me. Is this not an option at your church?

    If you want to find out who’s doing what, you could talk to the pastor about getting some Ring cameras installed in the room. They’re fairly inexpensive and simple to set up.
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