Vandals Strike Wagoner Church

Craig Day, News On 6

WAGONER, Oklahoma – Police hope to find the people responsible for breaking windows and stealing several items at a Green Country church.

It happened at the First United Methodist Church in Wagoner.

"There is a little bit of violation to people coming in and coming into this sacred place and deciding to steal from the church which is the people of God trying to serve God," Shannon Davis said.

Church Pastor Shannon Davis says sometime early Tuesday morning someone used a concrete block to break through a window. And it got worse.

"I had a little tool kit I keep here for church fix up jobs and they took a hammer out of that and proceeded into the office area," Davis said. "Came into the office area and broke out the panes out of several of our office doors."

They shattered glass, ransacked through desks and filing cabinets, took a youth ministry laptop, and left a mess.

The windows are small, so it won't take a tremendous amount of money to replace them, and the church custodian is going to do the work, so the church will save on labor, but it is the principle of the thing. Who would do something like this to a church?

Despite what happened, Pastor Davis says it could have been worse. Church members will pray for the thieves and hope they think about their actions before doing it to anyone else.

"I just want them to think about why is it that you're taking from people who are trying to serve God and help others find love and joy and peace in Jesus Christ," Davis said.

Investigators say thieves also broke into a nearby bail bonds business. They believe the two break-in's are likely related. Anyone with information that could help in the case should call Wagoner police at 485-5511.