Bloomingdale, NJ -- A New Jersey church refused to be silenced on the pro-life issue. Responding to two acts of vandalism to a sign that displayed its pro-life stance, Bloomingdale Baptist Church continues to make repairs and will keep the message on the lawn two weeks longer than originally intended.

Typically, plastic letters are inserted into the sign, which faces Main Street, spelling out a Bible verse or a thought-provoking phrase relevant to an upcoming sermon.

In recognition of the 28th anniversary Jan. 22 of the Roe vs. Wade decision that legalized abortion in the United States, the church put up a sign asking: "What's the price of being pro-choice_" On the back, the sign read: "Only 41,000,000 unborn babies."

The sign was destroyed hours after it was posted Jan. 20. The next day, church officials put up a sign with a different pro-life message, and nothing happened.

But when the church put the original message back last weekend, there was another attack. Tuesday morning, Rev. Mike Walker noticed that someone had spray-painted a black question mark and an "X" on the sign, and he reported it to the police.

Police did not return calls seeking information on the incidents.

The pastor said the attempt to quiet the church's voice is a concern. "This wasn't just pranksterism. This was a deliberate attempt to silence a message," said Walker, who lives next door with his wife and four children.

Despite the occurrences, Walker is not intimidated. Today he plans to display a new answer to the same question: "Only 41 million babies . . . and one sign."

This weekend, after he buys more letters, Walker will put up an entirely new question: "If you find our signs offensive, what is so offensive about protecting the innocent_"

Because of the two incidents, Walker decided to extend the pro-life theme past last weekend, when he planned to take the message down. "If you try to silence our message, it will force us to try and emphasize it," said Walker, who added that he has no intention of prosecuting whoever is responsible. "We're not trying to stir up trouble. We're just trying to get people to think," he added.

Phil Haag, a three-year member of the congregation who put up the first sign, said vandalism is not the answer. "I don't agree when pro-choice people voice their opinions, but I don't take the law into my own hands and destroy property," he said.

Several residents, who preferred to keep their views to themselves, agreed with Haag on one point -- say it, don't spray it. "Graffiti, especially on a church, is highly inappropriate," resident Virginia Fuechsel said.

Haag said the church, which was never vandalized before, posted other pro-life messages in the past. One regarded the FDA's approval of the RU-486 abortion pill; the sign equated it to "the first human pesticide."

"The worst reaction was [Walker's] getting a phone call or a letter saying they didn't like the message," Haag said.