Dickinson church vandalized, burglarized

HOUSTON

Dickinson police are still investigating the crime, but it will be some time before the congregation's church home is back to normal.

When members of the Christian Fellowship Ministries Church arrived on Sunday, something was missing. Assistant Pastor Eddie Glenn says three microphones, guitars and keyboards were taken.

"The other amplifier, which was the bass amp, was sitting over here and the rest of the instruments were in the storage room," Glenn said.

Music will now have to come from the piano, drum or handheld instruments.

"Over here are the remaining tambourines, why they didn't take them, I guess they weren't of any value to them; we use them in church," Glenn said.

But it wasn't just what the thieves took; it's the mess they left behind.

"For some reason or other, somebody is not pleased with what's going on in the neighborhood or not pleased with what's going on here in the church," Glenn said.

Carpet and pew cushions were burned from some kind of chemical that Pastor Glenn believes is acid.

"It's devastating, very devastating. You come and look to help the community and help the people in the community," he said.

Christian Fellowship is a very small congregation and has no insurance to replace items and make repairs. Pastor Glenn says it was the thieves' third attempt to get inside; this time they succeeded even taking the locks off the doors.

But the pastor says they will not be pushed out.

"What we are trying to do is -- whoever did it, pray for that person, ask the good Lord to give us the help we need and continue to move on," he said.

The congregation is holding services at a neighboring church for now. A Hazmat team will have to come in to identify the chemical and clean it up before churchgoers can return.