The mother of two brothers who barricaded themselves Wednesday night inside Harvest Orange County Church – one naked and the other partially clad – says they wanted to meet with Pastor Greg Laurie to discuss her complaints of racial discrimination by a member of the ministry.

“They were trying to stick up for me,” said Rhonda Hodges, 52, of Riverside, who is a Native American. “They were trying to get a message to Greg Laurie that they don’t like discrimination against their mother.”

Her sons, Paul Vincent Vielkind, 24, and Brandon Joseph Vielkind, 22, were arrested on suspicion of burglary and felony vandalism. They were being held Thursday in the Orange County Jail.

Johnnie Moore, a Harvest spokesman, said the church is multiethnic and does not tolerate discrimination.

“Everyone is welcome, and the church has members and attendees from every imaginable background,” he said. “If Mrs. Hodges made a complaint, then it will be dealt with judicially according to church policy.

“We are sincerely praying for Mrs. Hodges and for her sons,” he said. “We cannot imagine what must be running through her mind given the terrible events of the last day.”

The brothers smashed a glass door to gain entry to the unoccupied church, said Kim Mohr, an Irvine police spokeswoman. Police were initially told by a security guard the suspects may be armed with rifles.

Roughly two hours later, at around 9:20 p.m., the brothers threw a smoke bomb outside and left the building, one without clothing and one partially clothed, Mohr said.

Police, who believe the pair were under the influence of a controlled substance, did not find weapons in the church; however, they did locate what appears to be a replica rifle, Mohr said.

The suspects had ransacked the church’s cafe and caused minor damage to other rooms but didn’t gain access to the sanctuary, said Moore, the Harvest spokesman.

Hodges, who said she has attended the Harvest Church in Riverside for 22 years, said the standoff stemmed from a dispute with a minister who discriminated against her. She also said she was banned from attending worship services.

For example, Hodges said, the minister implied during an April meeting that her mother was an alcoholic because she is a Native American.

“I had suffered emotional trauma from a particular pastor at Harvest, and when I had appealed to the higher-ups in the church, nothing was done about it,” Hodges said.

Hodges said her sons were troubled by the way she was treated and went Wednesday night to Harvest Orange County Church to voice their concerns.

“In some bizarre way, while they were experimenting with drugs, perhaps they were trying to express their displeasure,” she added. “They wanted to express their fearlessness by walking into the church naked.”

Brandon Vielkind is a former award-winning salesman for a San Diego resort, while Paul Vielkind served in the U.S. Marines and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, Hodges said. Both are unemployed.

“They would be talking about God one minute, and swearing the next,” Hodges said. “They were saying that Christian mega churches are failing to show the love of Christ to people.”

Hodges said her sons have attended Harvest churches in Riverside and Irvine.

Riverside County Jail booking records show Paul Vielkind was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of public intoxication and released from custody. He was also convicted of assault with a deadly weapon in September 2016 and sentenced to three years probation, according to Riverside Superior Court records.

Hodges said she hope’s her sons will be forgiven.

“I would appreciate any prayers for these young men,” she said. “I hope Pastor Laurie, his family and the church are OK. I wish the best for everyone and that we will be able to make amends.”

Laurie began a non-denominational church in Riverside 44 years ago. Now, the Harvest churches have seven locations, including Corona and Hawaii. Laurie is also an author of more than 70 books and a radio host.

He holds the SoCal Harvest each summer at Angel Stadium. Earlier this month, it drew more than 90,000 worshippers over three days.

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Staff writers Anthony Mendoza, Ian Wheeler, and Stephen Ramirez contributed to this report.