Church no longer sacrosanct;
Concordia Lutheran hit by thieves
(Editor's Note: Concordia has had an incredible response since this article was printed, according to Pastor Ann Burgdorf. "Neighbors of parishioners and people who just read and were moved by the article have sent us more than $2,300," said Pastor Burgdorf. Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Westborough, Mass., is sending a check for more than $1,500, and three other churches are taking up offerings. "Between the money and the press, this has turned out to be a blessing - isn't that God's way!" added Pastor Burgdorf.)
By Dianne Williamson
For many years, the small stone church on
With its free breakfasts for the homeless, clothing closet and refugee resettlement program, Concordia Lutheran Church has long been considered a sanctuary for the poor and the immigrant communities And while inner-city life has taken its inevitable toll on the neighborhood surrounding the church, the church itself was always untouched, sacrosanct, an oasis of peace in a place not always so peaceful.
“We’ve always been closely connected to the neighborhood,” said James Ryan, president of the Congregation Council and director of the youth programs “This neighborhood has seen gang activity and a fair amount of crime, but the church has always been pretty immune from it. It was always seen as a sanctuary.”
Sadly, that seems to be changing. Last fall, a pair of African drums was stolen from the church. Two weeks ago, an 80-pound safe was taken from the church and brought upstairs, but the thief or thieves were unable to open it. And then, over the weekend, someone kicked in the heavy wooden door and made off with the church’s sound equipment, valued at about $2,000.
That might not seem like a lot of money at bigger parishes, but Concordia Lutheran is struggling and $2,000 represents a heating bill for a month. And it’s worth noting that the safe someone tried to steal wasn’t worth the effort – it held only mail and a bag filled with pennies.
“The sound equipment wasn’t something we could afford to lose,” said the Rev.
Concordia Lutheran was built in 1925, when
It decided to stay, and it has since devoted itself to what Pastor Burgdorf calls the Lord’s work. Shortly after joining the church eight years ago, she bought a home on
“We’re serving the kind of people Jesus talked about,” she said. “He said to clothe the naked, feed the hungry, visit the sick and imprisoned, and share the news of Jesus with those in need. We have our challenges, but it’s worth the price for the ministry we get to practice here. We couldn’t do that in the suburbs. It’s fantastic. I wouldn’t trade it for any thing. I am never bored here.”
But it hasn’t always been easy, and Ryan remembers a time when you didn’t visit the church at night because of the crime in the neighborhood. Across the street, parishioners faced an unsightly vacant lot filled with burned-out cars. But then the YMCA bought the lot and turned it into a park, and neighbors began to take charge of the area, and gradually it’s become “a reasonably safe neighborhood,” Ryan said.
Interestingly, Ryan is a 58-year-old engineer who lives in West
He’s not alone. While many parishioners come from the neighborhood, the church also has members from
This Sunday, for example, the church is preparing a reception for new parishioners – two families from
Members learned of the theft, which they believe occurred sometime Saturday night, when they showed up for Sunday morning services. Yesterday,
“It’s disappointing that some elements in the neighborhood are changing in terms of their respect for houses of worship,” Ryan said.
Pastor Burgdorf agreed, but said she was heartened by the response of parishioners, who pledged to replace the equipment and pray for the people who stole it.
“It’s deeply saddening that people are so desperate,” she said. “I’m saddened that the church is not respected the way it used to be. But not much in our society is respected the way it used to be.”
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