MISSION BEND, TEXAS – At the Christ The King Episcopal Church in Mission Bend, guests can immediately feel the warmth and community of this small, multi-cultural church.
They don’t have a lot of money, space or parishioners. But, the congregation numbers of about 130 have faith.
That faith has been tested several times over the past few weeks after thieves broke into the church itself and two different food storage trailers outside the church.
“It’s really upsetting, especially that you would rob a church that is just trying to help the community,” said Pastor Wendy Wilkinson. “We are not a rich church.”
Four times now, thieves using what’s believed to be a crowbar have broken into the church and the two trailers out back to steal two valuable notebook computers, a laptop computer, used to project the word of God onto large television monitors, an expensive, Yamaha piano keyboard and a check made out to the Mission Bells Food Pantry for $2500.
“We are trying to do so much good here, but these people are trying to bar our way, to stop us from helping”, said Ryan Weiskircher, a volunteer at Tuesday’s church food giveaway.
Among the most troubling thefts was the stealing of the church’s electric keyboard, the only source of music for Sunday worship services.
“It’s the music,” Pastor Wendy said. “It’s the way we praise the Lord in song and lift our voices up to praise him.... and now it’s gone.”
“We are not rich,” said Vaz Kenyen with The Mission Bells Food Pantry. “That $2,500 check, which was stolen and cashed, was a lot of money for us. It was going to be used to buy food for hundreds of families.”
There is no videotape of any of the incidents because the church did not have video surveillance equipment.
Anyone with information on who may have broken into the church or the food storage trailers is asked to call the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.