Bill Bennett Sr., a member of the Building and Grounds Committee at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church walked into the church Monday morning to find that vandals had broken into the church, stealing a 32-inch computer screen from the sanctuary between Sunday night and Monday morning.
“It was a horrific mess. We found glass spread throughout the sanctuary on the floor and in the pew pads,” Bennett said.
The church will have to replace the entire carpet in the sanctuary along with the pew pads.
“It was senseless. What they stole amounted to nothing compared to the cost it will take to repair the damage inside the church,” Bennett said. “It leaves you feeling insecure and makes you think about if we should do things differently from what we have been doing.”
Holy Trinity pastor Ken Ahntholz and his wife spent their day preparing for the Seder Meal set for Tuesday evening. Ahntholz returned to the church with a forward-thinking mindset.
“My mind went directly towards how do we move forward to make sure things get taken care of,” Ahntholz said.
Ahntholz wants the community to know the church will continue to celebrate Holy Week in light of the chaos caused by what he called a "minor inconvience."
“This kind of event shouldn't stop us from celebrating the journey Jesus took through this week, but rather it should be used as a reminder that the chaos of His time is still here today,” Ahntholz said. “It will not stop us from celebrating His life.”
The church will move it's Good Friday service to First Lutheran Church in Newton. The service will begin at 6:30 p.m.
The incident is being investigated by the Newton Police Department. The investigation is ongoing.