THE usual solemn atmosphere of Sabbath service at Kitson Town Seventh-day Adventist Church in St Catherine was replaced with gloom last Saturday after thieves robbed equipment valued at almost $1 million.

The robbers broke a window to gain entry to the church building on Friday night or early Saturday morning. They also cut a security grille to enter the room used to store audio and video equipment, as well as television sets, all of which were taken.As police scene of crime investigators processed the area, worship service had to be conducted in a section of the compound used for an evening institute. Shouts of “we have to get them back” echoed from the service as the Adventists lamented their loss.The robbery also resulted in the church leaders not conducting their regular review of the Sabbath School lesson which they studied during the week. Instead, they engaged in prayer sessions to console the members and for the items to be returned.Pastor of the church, Javian Hutton, expressed disappointment and concurred with his members that the church was “desecrated”.“It is a sad reminder to us of how low the society has sunk,” he said. “The church would have been regarded in the past as a holy building, but for criminal elements in their pursuits, anything goes. That is a very sad reality.”He appealed to people who come into contact with any of the items to inform the church or the police. One of the elders, Paul Beckford, said the theft has “crippled” the church’s ability to take the gospel to the streets.The church runs the Kitson Town SDA Evening Institute, where teachers volunteer to help give young people a second chance. It also has a community outreach initiative to aid residents. Beckford said the robbery demonstrates that criminals have no regard for the church’s benevolence; however, “the work of the Lord will continue”.Another elder, Dwayne Wellington, who preached the sermon, declared that “nothing can stop the work of the Lord”, while stressing that the robbery was “sacrilege, and I would not want to call them the name that the minister [of national security] call them”. He urged the congregation to pray for the thieves.