East Dayton, Ohio – The East Dayton Christian Church faced a troubling string of break‑ins this week, leaving the congregation to grapple with missing equipment, copper pipe and other hardware. The incidents began on Wednesday, recurred Saturday night, and struck again on Sunday, each time through a different window in the church’s youth‑room area.
Details of the thefts
“We’re missing stuff. We are missing equipment, we are missing pipes, we are losing hardware,” said Frank Simonson, an elder‑trainee at the church. Simonson described the loss of copper pipe on the second night, adding, “More copper pipe missing along with some additional tools.” The third intrusion was the most damaging: “He came back and took the large drain out of our baptistry along with a lot of other copper pipe, and he cut the copper wiring from our sound system,” Simonson reported.
Community response
Despite the losses, Pastor Kyle Gulley emphasized that the break‑ins will not halt worship services. “I’ve already had worship team leaders and people telling me that we’ll do what’s necessary,” Gulley said. The church has received an outpouring of support from local residents and businesses. One neighboring business even offered to install security cameras to help deter future incidents.
Police involvement
The Dayton Police Department has been notified and is investigating the break‑ins. At this time, the church has no leads on the suspect’s identity and is hopeful that law‑enforcement can locate the individual responsible.
Faith‑based perspective
Gulley concluded with a prayerful appeal: “I just hope that whoever the suspect is or whoever’s done this, that he meets God, sees God.” The congregation’s response reflects a steadfast commitment to their faith and to one another, trusting that God will bring justice and restoration.
Next steps
The church plans to replace the stolen and damaged items and to review security measures. Parishioners are encouraged to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activity to the Dayton Police Department.
East Dayton Christian Church continues to hold services as scheduled, relying on the strength of its members and the broader community to move forward.
Original reporting: WHIO-TV Dayton (local) — read the source article.
