NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. -- Spring Grove Baptist Church is facing thousands of dollars in damages after burglars broke in and ransacked offices in the building. Parts of the church are now destroyed. The church has seen vandalism before, outside the building itself. That's part of the reason they installed security cameras. But this time, two thieves not only ripped out those cameras but tore down everything in their paths.
Clean-up crews worked all day Saturday to clear out water and debris at Spring Grove. The church was completely flooded only a few days ago. Church treasurer Barthetic Dotson describes, "The sanctuary area was covered in water in most all spots, especially on the carpet."
At first, Dotson didn't understand how the flooding started. He says, "I couldn't believe it, I couldn't believe it! Water all in the aisles and, in the bathroom area, the Ceiling had fallen down. Lights hanging. I just couldn't believe it. I had no idea what would have caused that."
But then he soon realized burglars had broken in through a window, tore through the pastor's office, and turned off all the heat and power. "That's what caused the pipe to freeze," Dotson explains. "And once the pipe froze, all the water started coming down."
Now, dozens of fans are running all day and night, trying to dry out the carpet. The hardwood floors and bathroom tiles are already ruined.
"They only got away with approximately fifty dollars in cash," adds Dotson. "But cost us a whole whole lot." He believes the burglary is not only going to hurt financially but also affect morale in the congregation. "I just really don't think they realized the amount of damage that was caused. And if they did- God help 'em."
He does hope they will one day forgive and move forward. "Everything should be ok. God's gonna take care of this."
Unfortunately in addition to lots of money, the repairs will also take quite some time. The expect the drying process to take at least two weeks. Spring Grove won't be able to host their annual Christmas services next weekend. They're still finalizing plans for where that service will be held.
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