CALGARY – Church-goers in the community of Strathmore are shocked after two of their churches were targeted by thieves Sunday night.
A safe was removed from Strathmore Alliance Church, and officials believe whoever took it, could have inside information. Police say the thieves first tried to get in through the front doors by carefully removing the handles. When that didn’t work, they took a crowbar to the utility door, and entered that way.
The safe was kept in a secure part of the building. The robber likely has some connection to the church to have known where it was kept.
The safe contained thousands of dollars in cash and cheques donated at Sunday service. Strathmore Alliance Church’s 300 members feel they’ve been robbed of their own generosity.
“Some people feel their own home was violated, that sense of violation people had. Some people felt it was a more ominous attack from the outside, a more spiritual attack” says senior pastor Darrell Young.
The same night, thieves also cut into the dead bolt at Sacred Hearth Catholic Church not far away. They came up empty handed, because the building has been mothballed due to mould.
Police now say they have found Alliance Church’s safe in a ditch near town, containing wet cheques, but no cash.
There is no surveillance video available at either church.
Strathmore’s church community says it’s praying for whoever stole from them, believing he or she must desperately be in trouble. Anyone with information on the robberies is asked to call Strathmore RCMP or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
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