‘We will not let this crush our spirits!’ Police probe church vandalism in Monmouth County

A church in Freehold was vandalized Wednesday night, according to the church's Facebook page.

News 12 Staff

Jan 23, 2020, 3:51 PM

Updated 1,566 days ago

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A church in Freehold was vandalized Wednesday night, according to the church's Facebook page.
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The picture posted on the page shows the extensive vandalism at the First United Methodist Church.
The page says church officials think someone wanted to steal pipes from the organ to sell for scrap metal, and that caused other pipes to collapse -- damaging it. They believe the vandals got in by coming through a door that wasn’t properly closed, so there was no forced entry.
They say they plan to still hold services Sunday at 10 a.m., saying, “We will not let this crush our spirits!” They called the person who did it desperate, and say they're praying for them.
"I’m going to urge the congregation on Sunday to pray for these persons who did this,” says Pastor Wil Wilson. “We don’t know who they are. We can just assume they were desperate to do something like this. As terrible as it is, I understand there are desperate people and were called to be people of mercy and share love of God with others - and the police will work for justice, but we’ll work for mercy and look to find forgiveness in our hearts."
Police say no one was harmed, and nothing else was vandalized or stolen.
The organ was built back in 1967.


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