Two North Bethesda churches had fires set intentionally and a third was vandalized this weekend, prompting authorities to launch an investigation.

At approximately 2:00 a.m. Saturday, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service arrived on the scene of an active fire at the North Bethesda United Methodist Church in the 10100 block of Old Georgetown Road. The fires, though small, were spread throughout the church. They were extinguished quickly, and damage to the church was minimal.

Broken pieces of wood and headstones were found near the Methodist church, which authorities think belong to the Wildwood Baptist Church located nearby. It appears that Wildwood was vandalized, but no fires were set.

The next morning at almost exactly the same time, MCFRS responded to a call at St. Jane Frances de Chantal Catholic Church in the 9600 block of Old Georgetown Road. They found a significant active fire upon arrival and noted multiple areas where fires had been set or attempted to be set.

Both churches were unoccupied at the time.

MCFRS public information officer Pete Piringer shared this information in a recorded automated message on the emergency service’s PIO hotline. The message was last updated at noon Sunday.

Piringer acknowledged the similarities in two of the incidents: The churches that were both vandalized and victims of arson are in the same geographical area, both had multiple small fires throughout the premises, both were attacked at about the same time, and both are places of worship. As a result, officials say they believe these incidents are related. However, no connection has been concretely established at this time.

Montgomery County Police Department confirms there was evidence of forced entry into the churches. Police are taking the lead on the vandalism, while MCFRS is looking into the arson. Both agencies are working closely together, but officials say no suspects have been identified yet.

It is also unclear whether these crimes were committed by one person or a group.

St. Jane Frances de Chantal pastor Rev. Samuel Giese told DCist/WAMU he is doing his part to aid in the investigation, including turning over the church’s security camera footage to the authorities. He was unsure if anything helpful had been found in the footage at this point.

For Giese, seeing the damage done to his parish was incredibly distressing. He was asleep in the church’s rectory when the fire began. The smoke detector and fire prevention system kicked in and alerted authorities to the blaze. Upon seeing the damage, Giese’s immediate thought was how the church might pivot so they can carry out regular Sunday services.

Giese was able to enlist the help of some volunteers, who are aiding him in preparing the church school’s gymnasium for worshippers in case.

His hope is that the church’s regular sanctuary will be cleaned up and ready for use again by next weekend. In the meantime, he encouraged his parishioners to remain strong.

“We are the living stones of the Church, we the parishioners, we the faithful,” Giese said. “There is nothing that can separate us from the love of Christ. Our faith sustains us for moments like this and we will come through it and we will be fine.”

Giese said he prays for the health, well-being, and heart of whomever committed these crimes, and adds that their actions may not have the consequences they intended.

“It reawakens and resolves the faith of many people when people realize that their Church has been threatened, that they respond not with timidity but with courage and conviction,” Geise said.

He adds that this response from his current parishioners is reminiscent of what he saw as an Army chaplain in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks on the Pentagon.

“I was at a site of great destruction, but so many people responded with generosity and support,” Geise said. “I’m experiencing a little bit of that now with people saying, how can I help, including some other pastors who said if you need to use our church let us know. It’s been very gratifying.”

Geise has yet to reach out to the faith leaders of the other churches affected, but is praying for them, and advises caution in what he describes as a challenging climate.

“I think we are kind of in a different era, not only here in Bethesda, but in the world,” Geise said. “I’m aware other churches have been attacked and set on fire in other parts of the world. There’s not the deference there once was … everyone needs to be aware the world has changed and be mindful of the different circumstances in which we find ourselves.”

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich released a statement today saying: “Attacks on houses of worship in Montgomery County are completely unacceptable. The criminal activity that took place over the weekend does not represent the values of inclusion and equity that we are striving for in the communities of this County.”

This is an open and ongoing investigation, and MCFRS asks that those with any information about the incidents call their tip line at (240) 777-2263.