Security footage captures vandals breaking into Tulsa church

TULSA, Okla. — UPDATE (10/26/22 5:33 A.M.): Tulsa police said they identified the church burglary suspects.

A local pastor is counting his losses after vandals and burglars broke into his church four times in 10 days and three out of the last five nights, breaking more than they took, but causing thousands of dollars in damages.

Rick McVeigh is the pastor of Rose Lawn Missionary Baptist Church.

“Well, we’re not happy about it but we expect it. We continue on. [We] haven’t missed any services,” McVeigh says, “We just clean up and keep going, have our services, worship the Lord, rejoice in Christ and keep on.”

The suspects were caught on the church’s security cameras and appear to be juveniles.

Some of the damage in their wake are broken doors, broken windows, shattered coffee pots and vases, holes in the walls made with hammers owned by the church and spray paint on walls, the refrigerator, thermostat and outdoor brick walls, with spray paint owned by the church.

McVeigh says he isn’t angry at those responsible but he wants their parents to know.

“We’re praying for them - the vandals -- we don’t want anything harmful to come to them,” McVeigh says.

While they have taken some things of value, most of the cost the church will bear is repairing the damage the suspects have caused.

“They come in and kind of wreck the place inside, taking a few things, fire extinguishers, things out of the refrigerator, turned over tables and just kind of chaos,” McVeigh said.

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Tulsa Church Thefts Courtesy: Tulsa Police Department