MEMPHIS, Tenn. – – It’s happened three times since Friday. Churches have been broken into, and expensive items were stolen. One church was hit twice in less than two days.
That church is Bloomfield Baptist Church in Riverside.
Pastor Ralph White says the first burglary was on Sunday, when thieves allegedly stole copper wiring from the warehouse. He says the church was hit again around five this morning.
This time, he says the actual church was broken into and says two musical keyboards, worth about $1,000 each, were stolen.
The other church hit since Friday is Bartlett First Assembly, where a thief made off with some pricey electronics, including a $3,000 projector.
“There’s no particular area that’s exempt from people coming in and taking what they want,” Pastor White says.
These recent incidents have reminded Pastor White how important Bloomfield’s anti-crime initiatives are.
“That says to me that we’re on time with what we’re doing,” Pastor White says.
What they’re doing is a number of things, including a “March Against the Madness” next Saturday. It’s a play on this month’s NCAA basketball tournament.
“We gonna march on the madness and our objective is to go into high crime areas and this area is one of the high crime areas,” Pastor White says.
The focus is young people.
“We feel there’s a role that the church must play,” Pastor White says.
He says curbing crime is a challenge his church welcomes.
“We’re ready to face it, however long it takes,” he says.
