Christmas donations stolen [Lockport Union-Sun & Journal, N.Y.]

Dec. 28--PENDLETON -- The Christmas collection estimated at $25,000 was stolen in a burglary at the Pendleton United Methodist Church on Campbell Boulevard sometime between 1 p.m. on Sunday and 1 p.m. on Monday.

Taken were $20,000 in checks written to the church and $5,000 in cash. There was also $1,600 damage to the doors, knobs and hinge.

According to the report, the church treasurer attempted to get into the office Monday and had a difficult time getting the office key into the door knob. She noticed that the door was damaged. She called Pastor Thomas Kraft who was able push the office door open. The main door knob latch components fell to the ground and the closet door in the office was pried completely off its hinges.

According to the report, the unknown suspect entered the church during closed hours, pried or smashed open a locked office entrance door and interior closet door in the main office, and stole money and checks from a bin in the closet. The bin is for church contributions that are deposited into a slot in the interior hallway area wall, that drops directly down into the bin in the closet of the office area.

"We had secured the offering on site. We had somebody who bypassed four locked doors, and the last two, they smashed through," Kraft said.

He explained that the money had not been counted yet when it was taken, so it is not clear how much was in checks and how much was cash. The estimate -- based on last year's Christmas offering -- is that $4,000 to $5,000 was in cash. He said they hope those who wrote checks will rewrite them.

"What really hurts about the cash loss is that they took it from people who are our poorest ... their gift to God at Christmastime." He said one woman told him "I gave extra because it was Christmas." Another man called the pastor to say that when he told his young son about the theft, the boy brought back his roll of pennies and said, "I want to give it to the church."

The sheriff's patrol inspected doors and windows. No other damage or signs of entry or evidence were discovered.

A handicap service elevator was a possible point of entry. According to the pastor, it is always kept disabled by staff in order to keep the upper floor elevator door open, so that it can't be called from the lower floor. However, the car was on the ground level, the upper door was closed, which meant it was activated for use.

Of the burglar, Kraft said if the person needed money: "Why didn't you come to us. Don't break in and steal it. ... We give people money at Christmas."

Kraft said of the congregation that everyone is praying for the church, including for the perpetrator. "We're praying for whoever did this. We hope that they'll have a change of heart."

"We don't know what insurance companies will do," Kraft said, in assessing the loss. "We won't be keeping money on site anymore."

Kraft said one of the hardest things they're dealing with is "the sense of violation and the trust being broken."

Kraft, who has been with the church for 22 years, said "the church will get through this."

The Pendleton United Methodist Church is a large congregation of 2,500 people.

Managing Editor Karen Keefe contributed to this report.

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