One church has been burglarized 5 times since the beginning of the year
MINNEAPOLIS — A typical Saturday church service was clouded by a burglary that happened there hours before.
Vandals targeted Beacon of Hope Church in north Minneapolis five different times since the beginning of the year. The building is home to four churches and three organizations.
The first break-in happened a few months ago.
Freedom Missionary Baptist Church Pastor Michael Strong says they walked off with equipment worth $6,000.
"We thought maybe this is one and done," Strong said.
But it kept happening. Five different times, vandals kicked through a window and rummaged through the church. It happened again early Saturday morning.
Surveillance video inside the church shows, a man walking the halls, hitting storage rooms before leaving with a crate full of food, sanitary items and equipment.
Strong doesn't understand why they keep coming back to steal instead of asking for help.
"We would give almost everything they took away; we would have given it to them," Strong said. "I guess they felt like they needed to do it that way."
The church has since added more cameras and boarded up windows, shelling out more than $15,000.
Yet, Strong says he hasn't lost hope in humanity.
"Our churches as a group have prayed and asked god to bring whoever did that back to us because we want to share the hope we have with them," he said.
Until then, he plans to continue to be there for his congregation and community.
Minneapolis police say there have been no arrests in these burglaries.
