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60 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, April 24, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 24, 2005 Break-ins at church remain a mystery By JACK MORAN Mail Tribune SAMS VALLEY — Pastor Ernie McDonald of Meadows Chapel says his congregation has already forgiven the people who have twice broken into the church since December. But he’d still like to see the burglars punished for the crimes, since their misdeeds have cost the church more than $1,000 in shattered windows and stolen electronic equipment. "It’s just that society can’t afford things like this," said McDonald. On April 12, McDonald arrived at the rural church on the 17500 block of Ramsey Road to find someone had smashed a window and entered the building before making off with a 27-inch RCA television with the words "Meadows Chapel" engraved on the back. The burglar or burglars also stole an electric screwdriver and ripped a telephone off the wall, McDonald said. Jackson County sheriff’s deputies are investigating the burglary, as well as a similar incident from mid-December. Advertisement "I have no idea who might have done this, but I think it very well could have been the same people both times," McDonald said. During the December break-in, an intruder gained entry to the church by breaking a window on the building’s front door and reaching inside to unfasten a deadbolt lock. Stolen during the incident was an amplifier worth $450 and three microphones valued at $300. The burglary prompted McDonald to install a new lock that cannot be opened without a key, he said. McDonald, a Grants Pass resident who said he lives about 45 miles from the church he helped reopen in 2000 after it had been closed five years, is working on a more detailed security plan for the building. Fewer than 20 people regularly attend the non-denominational church. Still, McDonald said he is confident the small congregation would come up with the cash to replace the stolen items if they are not recovered. As much as anything, McDonald hopes whoever broke into the church realizes they have headed down the wrong path by victimizing others. "We as a church have already forgiven (the burglars)," McDonald said. "We’re praying for these people, that God would smite them with conviction and they would turn to him." Anyone with information can phone the sheriff’s department at 774-6800. McDonald can be reached at 955-4644. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Distance Education Diamonds Online Poker Slippers Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Tatoos Advertisement s