TULSA, Okla. — A Tulsa church is dealing with more than $100,000 in damage.
Thieves destroyed most of the air conditioning units at North Peoria Church of Christ near Apahce and North Peoria.
A church deacon spotted the problem inside the building when the A/C wouldn’t turn on for about half the sanctuary before Sunday service. A look at the roof told the pastor the exact issue. Pieces of five A/C units were thrown around the roof. Wires were cut, and copper was missing.
GALLERY: SEE THE FULL DAMAGE HERE
Pastor Warren Blakney said it was a concerted effort by thieves.
“Know what to do, where to go, exactly which parts were valuable, so I’m assuming they’ve probably done this before,” said Pastor Blakney.
Pastor Blakney put the units on the roof 20 years ago because he thought it was the safest place. They haven’t had any issues until now.
“This proves us wrong,” said Pastor Blakney. "They target your building. They want your copper. They want your air conditioners. They’ll find a way to do it.”
On April 21, the A/C only worked for half of the sanctuary. It wasn’t too warm, so they didn’t really notice. As we head into the summer months, though, they’re concerned.
“It is very hot, as you well know, in the state of Oklahoma come July and August, so we’re hopeful to get those parts before then,” said Pastor Blakney.
They have insurance, which will hopefully replace the five units at more than $100,000, but it’s a bitter pill to swallow, especially after shelling out $40,000 for a new unit just last year.
“We’re going to be challenged by it,” said Pastor Blakney.
Blakney said the worst part is they invest so much in their community and this could impact some of their efforts.
“This building is not just a place of worship; it’s a place of service, and so we do a lot out of our building, so it’s frustrating when you don’t have people recognize what you’re contributing back to the community and they’re so willing to disrupt that,” said Pastor Blakney.
Before they install those new A/C units, they’ll take extra security measures to ensure this doesn’t happen again.
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