DALLAS — Hours after an unidentified thief broke into the Bon Air Church, instead of lashing out in anger, the congregation spent time worshiping in the spirit of forgiveness Sunday.
Pastor T.L. Mitchell told the members about the 3 a.m. call he received from a security company alerting him there was a break-in at the church located in the 5700 block of Bonnie View Road in Dallas.
Surveillance cameras caught the man using a brick to smash the glass of the church’s front door.
"He comes and pulls on the locks and pries open," Mitchell said. "He was unsuccessful. The alarm was going off. He was just yanking away. He wore gloves."
Video shows the accused burglar was inside the church for nearly 30 seconds.
The Bon Air Church Family posted a message about the crime on its Facebook page. It reads:
This guy wanted to come in our Church so bad that he threw a rock through our front glass door and climbed in. We are not sure if he knew what time we started service but we are praying for this person. If you know this individual please let him know that we forgive him and we start at 10:30am not 3:30am. The police are involved. “Praying Still For Highland Hills.”
"As believers of Jesus Christ, we are the most forgiven. So we should be the most forgiving," Mitchell said.
The pastor and church members say Bon Air does a lot for families in the Highland Hills community. They want the man who broke into the church to know the members are praying for him.
"Breaking in churches, that's like the lowest of the low,” Mitchell added. “But, like I said, we hold no grudges. We forgive him, and we hope that he can come back and attend church service."
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