Vandals attempt break-in at Episcopal church
By LESLIE BROWN
Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber Editor
December 21, 2010 · Updated 8:57 AM
Vandals attempted a break-in at Church of The Holy Spirit twice over the last few weeks, frustrating church leaders who say repeated acts of vandalism are affecting their ability to provide services to the community.
The most recent incident occurred about a week ago, when someone broke into the church and tried to jimmy open a safe, said Gib Dammann, a leader at the Episcopal church. The safe, he said, contained no money or checks — only records about baptisms, births, deaths and marriages.
The incident follows on the heels of one about two weeks ago, when someone attempted to break open two exterior doors. All told, Dammann added, vandals have attempted to break in or steal something from the small church north of town four times in the last five months.
The church used to keep its sanctuary open and, more recently, its narthex, he said. Now, because of repeated problems, the entire church is kept locked.
Dammann said that parishioners are now investing increased time and effort into the church’s securty; they recently installed security cameras, for instance.
“The more time our parish spends fixing damage and trying to secure our place of worship, the more compromised our mission is to help the community,” he said.
Contact Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber Editor Leslie Brown at editor@vashonbeachcomber.com or 1-206-463-9195.Comment on this story.
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