After Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church break-in, reverend offers thief help

After a break-in at Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church in East Mount Airy earlier this month, the Rev. Alyn Waller is offering to help the culprit, who he imagined was likely struggling if he resorted to robbing a tithe box.

“Our heart towards you is to help you,” he said in a Facebook Live to his congregation Tuesday. “To help you with this Thanksgiving, to help you with Christmas, to help you however we can help you get back on your feet. I’m not interested in you going to jail.”

In a video shared by police Tuesday, the suspect is seen walking through the church parking lot straight to the building where he broke a glass door to get inside. The man, who wore all black, carried a backpack, and used black and yellow gloves, then headed to the tithe box, which he opened with a flat tool. Video shows the man then calmly walking out of the church.

Going off police reports, initial news stories Tuesday estimated the amount the thief took at about $20,000 — a total Waller was quick to dispute.

He told members of his congregation that the box had recently been emptied and while the exact amount stolen was unclear, it likely wasn’t much. Still, Waller said the break-in could result in some security changes, such as adding night guards, that would be announced later. For now, members of the church will no longer be able to drop off tithings in the middle of the week.

In his message to congregants, Waller encouraged the suspect to turn himself in. Alternatively, Waller told anyone who might recognize the person in the video to encourage him to come to the church.

“We can give you more than you can ever take from us,” Waller said to the suspect, adding he intended to focus on the holiday for now.