NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Members of the New Freedom Missionary Baptist Church in West Nashville are left cleaning up a mess after somebody broke into the building and ransacked it. The break-in came just days before the congregation was set to celebrate the church's 39th anniversary in the community.
"They pretty much just ransacked everything over here," Pastor Corey Osborne said as he walked through the halls of the church. "I feel it is an unfortunate event."
In the church's offices you could see hymnals thrown onto the ground, air ducts pried open and even couch cushions strewn across the rooms. The burglars tore open appliances in the kitchen and ransacked the pantry.
"You don't want this happening to anybody, but why a church?" Osborne said.
"We started looking around and somebody came in and tore up the church!" Dixie Crawford said. Crawford went to the church Thursday afternoon when she discovered the mess. Crawford was headed to the church's kitchen to prepare for Sunday's anniversary celebrations. "I was in tears, because we work hard to keep this church up."
Despite the chaos, the only things missing were a guitar and the church's checkbook.
"They passed over some of the most valuable things in the church but they tore up meaningless things," Osborne said.
Leaving churchgoers with lots of questions, and leaving Osborne with one big one.
"It makes me go back and readjust my Sunday sermon, now the preacher in me, has to assess what is god saying to me through this mess."
