Big problem at my church

[Amelia]

NE Portland church stripped of air conditioning system

August 13, 2008

By MIKE BENNER, kgw.com

A Northeast Portland church is out thousands of dollars after a copper thief stripped a number of its air conditioning units.

Back in late July somebody dismantled the church’s air conditioning system.

“Every copper piece has been stripped off," Hans Hess, Head Deacon at Open Arms Seventh Day Adventist Church, said. "All the wire into the switches has been stripped out. Who steals from a church? It’s God’s property.”

And if that wasn’t bad enough, the thief got even bolder.

“Those wires here, they’re hot, and they go to the top of the switch, and it’s only a foot long, and they cut those pieces out,” said Hess.

Investigators say it is the work of a drug addict.

“They’re looking to make a quick score so they can turn around and get dimes on the dollar for the metal, but they’re turning around and converting it to dope,” said Sergeant Brian Schmautz from Portland Police Bureau.

Police have not been able to catch the suspect, but Hess said they might have a lead.

Just this past Saturday, a passer-by spooked somebody who appeared to be stripping a fourth air conditioning unit. Hess hopes the guy’s image will strike a chord with somebody.

In the meantime, a copper thief is on the loose and a church is out at least $9,000.

“All we can do is pray for them and hopefully they find God and get their lives together,” added Hess.

http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_081308_news_ne_church_metal_theft.437b0b80.html#

[LynnDel]

That's sad. I guess you will be praying for a cooldown in the weather before next Sabbath.

[Kountzer]

Copper thieves hit my church last summer. During a typical humid gulf coast summer, that is hard to bare.

[John317]

Looks like our churches need to install cameras that are capable of reading faces. Maybe just have them working when church is not meeting.

[Gail]

Copper theft is bad up here in Canada, too :(

[Jaycee]

Stealing Copper... Wow. Thought their may have been something of more value in a Church.

A few years back, we had a ride on lawn mower stolen from our church, bolt cutters on 3 seperate gates and then was moved onto a truck.

Don't understand some people.

[Dottie]

At the church we just sold, the AC units were on the roof; it would have been difficult to dismantle them...

[Dr. Shane]

We must always deal with this in construction of a new building. The plumbing and air conditioning systems must be installed before the building is secure. We has someone break the windows and steal the aluminum window frames!

It isn't hard to secure. Rooftop units are good but not practical for many church buildings. The church should have a burglar alarm. The A/C units should have a chain-link fence around them and the fence can have a motion alarm. That is an alarm that mounts on the fence and if someone grabs the fence and moves it, the alarm will sound.

[ChildofChrist]

We have had men take turns spending the night at our new church building site. That will be kept up until everything is closed in and the alarm system is activated. The guys even get nightly visits from the local police department.

Dottie, you know from the news that a/c on the roof is not foolproof. Remember that foodbank that had theirs taken off the roof earlier this summer?

[LifeHiscost]

NE Portland church stripped of air conditioning system

In the meantime, a copper thief is on the loose and a church is out at least $9,000.

“All we can do is pray for them and hopefully they find God and get their lives together,” added Hess.

http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_081308_news_ne_church_metal_theft.437b0b80.html#

I can remember just after becoming a baptised member of the Adventist church, thinking I had finally found the home of happy Christians, the church I was attending was robbed of the offering that had been collected and deposited in a locked office between the collection and the end of the worship service, somewhere around $3,000. It turned out to be the son of a decent, lawabiding mother whose progeny didn't necessarily approve of her faith.

It seems the only thing that has changed since that notorious incident in the early 1960s is the high prevalence of criminal activity.

"But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived." 2 Timothy 3:1 KJV

Regards!

[LifeHiscost]

Stealing Copper... Wow. Thought their may have been something of more value in a Church.

A few years back, we had a ride on lawn mower stolen from our church, bolt cutters on 3 seperate gates and then was moved onto a truck.

Don't understand some people.

"But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men,

And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man." John 2:24-26 KJV

Regards!

[janamarie]

I hadn't heard of it in churches, but it is big in Dallas for drugies going into foreclosure homes and ripping out the plumbing to get the copper. They do it just before the property goes on the court house steps so the person who buys the property doesn't know it. It is costing thousands of $$$. It's all related to Methanphetamens. And actually, this has gotten out of hand, because bi-polars who were being treated with a meth type pill until 1999, when it was taken off the market, then started self-medicating.

It is a very serious problem and one that reaches even into the church because mental illness is everywhere.

We do need to seriously pray for this very serious problem in our country.

[Dottie]

Child of Christ - -

I didn't mean to say that having a/c on the roof is foolproof, only that it would slow the process of removing the copper. I'm aware that it is a big problem.

[Kountzer]

A copper thief was caught on the roof of a supermarket in a strip shopping center here a few months ago. I don't think that placing the the object of their interest on a relatively low roof will stop someone who is determined.

DB