Burglars strike a dozen churches in Acres Homes

ACRES HOMES, Texas (FOX 26) - From Cliffdale Baptist Church on Enterprise to Faith Macedonia on North Victory, a dozen houses of worship have been burglarized in the last two months in Acres Homes.

Burglaries at Faith Macedonia have been so bad this year that Pastor B.C. Dones resorted to posting a handwritten note on the church. It reads in part, "Jesus sees you thief."

The Houston police department confirms at least 12 churches have been hit over the last two months in the Acres Homes area. 

Investigators have warned churches to catalog all of their property in order to track the items if they are stolen and pawned. So what are the thieves stealing?

"Lights, hammers, saws, different little small items they can sell.," Dones says.

And how are the thieves getting into churches? It varies. Some have gone through windows, others cut holes out of the walls and knock through sheet rock, while some come through the floor like thirsty rats.

Pastor Dones says it has left him and other ministers in the area frustrated with the burglaries that have plagued their community.

He says, "You cause some people to become discouraged and some people actually want to give up. I kind of got that feeling they wanted me to leave."

But Dones says he's not going anywhere at the church he's called home for more than 40 years. He says stopping the criminals will require more than the police— it will take the community like Neighborhood Watch.