OSPRINGE – For the second time in two weeks, Knox Presbyterian Church in Ospringe has been robbed and ransacked.
Church member Jo Heyden said some time after the service on June 19, the church was entered and a silver tea service was stolen.
And now, the congregation learned the church had been entered again, sometime after the July 3 service, and this time a number of items were taken.
“They smashed in the back door,” Heyden said. “The pulpit was upside down, a table was jammed in the stairs. They took pictures from the wall.
“Two weeks ago it was the tea service. Now they’ve cleaned everything out.”
The church was entered through this back door. It has since been repaired and secured. Photo by Joanne Shuttleworth
Heyden found the items taken this time to be bizarre: an ornate antique chair used by the minister at the pulpit; glassware and dishes from the kitchenette; rolls of toilet paper intended for a food bank arrangement for families in need; some, but not all, communion cups; the silver baptismal bowl; and speakers, used for church services.
Knox Presbyterian doesn’t have a minister and so they have partnered with a church in Paris, Ontario, which broadcasts its Sunday service to the Ospringe church. So the loss of the speakers is a key concern, Heyden said.
“We’re a small congregation and we’ve been struggling,” she said. “They took the speakers so we can’t have church service now. I guess that will be our priority.”
Thieves riffled through Christmas decorations and other items as they ransacked Knox Church in Ospringe overnight July 5. Photo by Joanne Shuttleworth
Searching for valuables, thieves riffled through boxes of Christmas decorations, the children’s toy cupboard and display cabinets.
Heyden said it was an OPP officer who noticed on July 6 that the back door of the church was open. A home around the corner from the church was also entered, according to Heyden, but the home was vacant, so nothing was taken.
“Everything was okay on Sunday,” she said. “I couldn’t sleep at all last night.”
In an email on July 12, OPP media relations officer Joshua Cunningham confirmed the Knox church thefts occurred June 21 and sometime between July 4 and 6. He noted that kitchenware, furniture and heirlooms were stolen and extensive damage was caused at the church.
Cunningham also stated a church on Barden Street in Eden Mills was entered between July 3 and 7 and tools and kitchenware were taken.
Heyden said she has some photo albums of church events at her home and now she’s combing through the photos, examining the background to identify other things that may be missing.
They couldn’t get this table down the stairs, however, andleft it jammed in the stairwell. Photo by Joanne Shuttleworth
A resident in the area saw a maroon-coloured pickup truck in the church parking lot the evening of July 5. That information has been passed on to police, Heyden said.
She has also reached out to pawn shops, antique stores and Facebook Marketplace alerting people to the theft, hoping some items might be recognized and recovered.
She doesn’t hold much hope police will be able to catch the criminals, however.
“They basically told us there’s nothing they can do,” she said. “I’ve been coming to this church since I was a teenager. I got married here and I’ve done a lot of work here over the years.
“This makes me sick. I’m just so angry.”
The OPP is asking anyone with information to contact Wellington OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.csgw.tips
