Fact check: There is no Crystal Methodist Church of Effing, S.C.

The claim: An image shows a sign about adultery outside Crystal Methodist Church in Effing, South Carolina

Two years after it first went viral, an altered image of an unusual church sign has resurfaced on social media.

The image, posted June 24 on Facebook, shows a purported sign at Crystal Methodist Church in Effing, South Carolina. The message: “Adultery is a sin. You can’t have your Kate and Edith too.”

The image was shared more than 8,500 times before it was removed. But it’s not real.

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There is no record of a “Crystal Methodist Church” in South Carolina. “Effing” doesn’t appear on the map, either. The image has been around since at least early 2019, and other independent fact-checking organizations have debunked it.

USA TODAY reached out to the Facebook user who posted the image for comment.

Same image, different message

The source of the image is a Facebook page that has repeatedly altered the same photo to share different messages.

The earliest version of the image USA TODAY found online was posted Feb. 9, 2019, by the Facebook page “Crystal Methodist Church of Effing SC.” The image gained traction on Reddit, where it has received about 7,500 reactions since it was posted March 28, 2019.

The phrasing of the sign’s message resembles the saying, “You can’t have your cake and eat it, too.” The phrase also appears in a 1967 country song from The Statler Brothers called “You Can’t Have Your Kate and Edith Too.”

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This is the latest in a long line of punny signs from the supposed Crystal Methodist Church of Effing SC.

In August 2018, an image of the same sign had a different message: “Kiki doesn’t love you but Jesus does.” The image was posted a month after Canadian rapper Drake released the song “In My Feelings,” in which he asks several women, including one named Kiki, if they love him.

Snopes found dozens of different versions of the same sign. The lighting and surrounding setting don’t change from image to image, indicating they were altered with digital editing software.

No evidence church, town exist

Beyond the image itself, there is no record of a “Crystal Methodist Church” in South Carolina, according to our research, which included a directory from the South Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church.

The name, of course, is a play on the words crystal meth.

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USA TODAY also couldn’t find any evidence the town of Effing, S.C., exists.

The only other reference to the town’s existence is another Facebook page, a spoof page that describes itself as the “unofficial community page for the town of Effing, South Carolina.” An image of one of its purported residents, identified in various posts as “Earl of Effing,” is a stock photo. The page reposts an array of viral images as if they originated from Effing.

There is a town in South Carolina called Effingham. But there are no records of a “Crystal Methodist Church” there.

Our rating: Altered

An image that claims to show a sign outside a church in South Carolina is ALTERED, based on our research. There is no such municipality as Effing, S.C. The Crystal Methodist Church of Effing SC Facebook page has repeatedly shared alterations of the same image of a sign with different messages.

Our fact-check sources:

• Crystal Methodist Church of Effing SC, February 6, 2019, Facebook post
• User u/mollyclaireh, March 28, 2019, Reddit thread
• South Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church, accessed June 25, Church Directory
• United Methodist Church, accessed June 25, Crystal United Methodist Church
• Effing SC, accessed June 25, Facebook page
• Adobe Stock, accessed June 25, Chatting in garden (By Budimir Jevtic)
• The Statler Brothers, 1967, Sing the Big Hits: You Can’t Have Your Kate and Edith, Too
• Crystal Methodist Church of Effing SC, Aug. 26, 2018, Facebook post
• Drake, 2018, Scorpion: In My Feelings
• Crystal Methodist Church of Effing SC, April 4, Facebook post
• Snopes, March 29, 2019, Is this Crystal Methodist Church Sign in Effing, SC, Real?

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Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.

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