Image: Darla Dillon

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Arson, vandalism at local church

Chilliwack RCMP confirm arson, vandalism at church, as congregation says it’s gotten little help from city or RCMP

Aug 7, 2025 | 10:03 AM

CHILLIWACK — A Chilliwack RCMP spokesperson has confirmed that police investigated arson and vandalism at a local church in July, but the church says it’s gotten little help from police or the City of Chilliwack to stop ongoing issues on their property.

Fraser Valley Today was first tipped off to a report of fires set outside First Church of Pentecost, located at 45869 Henderson Avenue, in late July by Chilliwack resident Julie Hiscock, who monitors overnight scanner traffic.

Hiscock told Fraser Valley Today that Chilliwack firefighters were dispatched for the report of fires outside the church on Friday, July 25 at approximately 1:10 a.m. Firefighters observed two small fires on exterior stairs outside the church, prompting fire crews to ask RCMP to attend.

Subsequently, Fraser Valley Today emailed Chilliwack Fire Chief Andrew Brown and Assistant Fire Chiefs Krista Minar, Chris Wilson and Wade Meeres on Friday, July 25, seeking comment and/or confirmation about the incident, but never heard back.

Church member Darla Dillon, whose husband A.T. Dillon serves as its lead pastor, tells Fraser Valley Today that the church building was damaged.

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“We’ve had three windows broken and three fires set,” Dillon told FVT on Thursday, July 31. “Last night, we were called by neighbours in the area saying that the church sign had been destroyed and the front glass door bashed in. We called the police and after dispatch telling us that they would try to come by at some point, we started cleaning up the damage. We waited over two hours and finally left as no one ever came, and the men (who responded) needed to get some sleep as they work today.”

Image: Darla Dillon / Vandalism to outside sign.

Shorty after church members left, Dillon says a nearby neighbour called back and told them that teens were back at the church doing more damage, resulting in a second call to the RCMP.

“They assured me they were very busy but would try to go by,” Dillon said on Thursday, July 31. “We have gone over this morning and the lock is now so damaged we can’t get inside. We don’t use our insurance to make claims any longer as our deductible is too high from all the past issues.”

Image: Darla Dillon / Broken glass outside an entrance to First Church on Henderson Avenue in Chilliwack.

Chilliwack RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Alexandra Mulvihill said police will be following up with the church in regards to the vandalism.

“The vandalism file is still under investigation and the member will be following up with the complainants,” Sgt. Mulvihill said via email. “No suspects have been identified, and finding CCTV to try and get a suspect description has so far been negative.”

But the vandalism and arson are just the tip of the iceberg apparently. Dillon says unhoused squatters have defecated on church property and left countless piles of garbage, including drug paraphernalia, dating back months.

“We have cleaned up human faeces too often to count, and have spent thousands of dollars in hauling off abandoned garbage from the unhoused, needles, crack pipes, etc.,” she said. “A couple of months back, we received a letter from the City of Chilliwack telling us they have complaints that we have squatters staying around the church, and they told us that it is our responsibility to keep it clean.”

Dillon provided a copy of two bylaw letters from the City of Chilliwack telling them that despite the actions of homeless people, the church must clean it up.

The first letter signed by bylaw officer Brittan Orr advises the church that it has squatters present on its property and must remove them immediately to bring the property into compliance.

Image: Darla Dillon / A bylaw letter from the City of Chilliwack.

The second bylaw letter signed by Brittan Orr says the church must remove all accumulated garbage and waste within 48 hours of receipt of the letter.

Image: Darla Dillon / Bylaw letter.

“If you ever pass the church, I do believe we are possibly one of the cleanest in town. Outside of making the church look like a gated prison, which we really don’t want to do, we don’t know what the answer is,” Dillon said. “We just can’t get any help from our local city or RCMP. Surveillance is now being installed and we plan to add more cameras.”

In a statement sent to Fraser Valley Today, the City of Chilliwack says there are several measures property owners can undertake to comply with municipal bylaws and mitigate trespassing, like contacting Chilliwack Crime Prevention Services for tools and resources to reduce and improve incidents around property.

“One successful approach is conducting a Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) assessment, which looks at features such as lighting, visibility, and access control around a property,” the city said. “Additionally, some businesses choose to hire security companies.”

The city also pointed out in its statement that the municipality has committed significant resources toward public safety. As an example, over the past decade, Chilliwack City Council has prioritized the addition of multiple RCMP positions each year within the annual financial plan to the point that RCMP costs now account for more than 36 per cent of the annual budget.

“Council continues to advocate to other levels of government to prioritize prevention and intervention, specifically requesting improvements to provincial and federal services, such as health care, housing and court reform,” the city said.