BIXBY, Okla. — Someone stole thousands of dollars worth of items from a small Bixby church.
Church leaders are upset but said everything is replaceable except for one precious item.
Father Silas Andrew of Saints Peter and Paul Coptic Orthodox Church told 2 Works for You,"if I lost a computer I can buy another one. But this one I cannot get another one."
When Father Silas opened the worship center for service on Thursday, he noticed the TV off the hinges.
"First, when you get in, and you see all this your brain shuts down," Father Silas said.
He canvassed the church noticing computer monitors, a camera, an iPad, and audio equipment nowhere to be found.
"We had a big screen TV; it was gone. That's when I said it's not just someone who left the light on. It's someone who's taken it," Father Silas said.
He estimates upwards of ten thousand dollars worth of items were stolen from the church. Police said the thief tried to break in using the back door but ended up forcing their way in through a window to the priest's office.
One item missing from a glass case is the only thing that Father Silas and the congregation said can't be replaced.
The relics of a praised saint, hundreds of centuries-old, was housed in the glass case that served as a blessing for the church.
"Something in our history, and it has a very great meaning in our worship", Father Silas says.
They said it's an irreplaceable gift to keep the faith's history in-tact.
Father Silas' message for whoever took church's items is, "just return it and keep the electronics. That's fine, but if you can hear me, please bring back our relics. This will be a gift to us for the holiday."
The church started a fundraiser to raise money to replace the stolen items and install a security camera system; clickhere for more details.
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