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Freddie

(9,691 posts)
Fri Nov 15, 2013, 06:32 AM Nov 2013

My church was seriously vandalized

Late Wednesday night people broke into my church. They ransacked the pastor's office but found no cash, took nothing. Then they turned off the water and proceeded to remove all the copper pipes from the building, so we will have no running water (or working bathrooms) and heat until this is fixed. The church secretary discovered this yesterday morning, the police investigated, an insurance claim has been filed. So far, of the congregation only the council members have been notified; pastor sent us an email last night.
Stripping a building of copper pipes is a "big city drug addict" thing that simply does not happen up here in the distant burbs. Our building is located right in town but on a side street and not really close to any houses, so I imagine it wasn't that hard to pull this off in the middle of the night. The biggest question to me is, why this church when there are so many others, many rural and isolated, around here? I can only suspect that we were "cased" by someone attending a Narcotics Anonymous meeting that is held our building. Makes me sick that someone would violate a house of worship that does a lot of good in the community. Sometimes you hear about a church being vandalized simply because the criminals want the thrill of destruction; this was strictly an act of desperation for money.
Truly a church is not a building, it's the people, and as a congregation we will get through this. I don't know how long it will take to get things back in order to use the building again but we cannot hold services or Sunday school without functioning bathrooms and heat. I'm sure we will be welcome at the other Lutheran church in town for a while. The hardest thing to me will be explaining to my 3-year-old granddaughter, who loves going to Sunday school and church with me, why we're going to another church now. Hopefully not for long.

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My church was seriously vandalized (Original Post) Freddie Nov 2013 OP
Sorry, given the proce of scrap copper intaglio Nov 2013 #1
I agree... TommyCelt Nov 2013 #2
Very sorry to hear that. NaturalHigh Nov 2013 #3

intaglio

(8,170 posts)
1. Sorry, given the proce of scrap copper
Fri Nov 15, 2013, 07:42 AM
Nov 2013

... it is not a big city thing. What you actually get is a couple of guys stripping out buildings in different police areas, these do not get linked together reducing the chance of being caught. At over $3 per lb ...

TommyCelt

(850 posts)
2. I agree...
Fri Nov 15, 2013, 08:13 AM
Nov 2013

There has been a rash of copper pipe theft here on Long Island in the last couple of months. Mostly abandoned houses, or houses with folks on vacation. The perpetrators need some plumbing skills to get those pipes, and addicts (the ones I've come across anyway) don't have those skills nor the patience to wheel and deal with a fence to get their money. This is big business.

So sorry this happened in your place of worship. The Church IS indeed the congregation, but when someone violates your spiritual home in such a manner, it has to be frightening.

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