BRONX, NY (September 28, 2010) – More than 200 people were forced to worship in the parking lot of Fellowship Covenant Church because the building had been burglarized earlier in the morning and still was considered a crime scene.

Multiple burglars broke in through the front door early Sunday morning. The alarm sounded and alerted one of the trustees who lives nearby. He and his wife went to the building and discovered what had happened.

They called police, who took two and a half hours to arrive, says Howard Burgoyne, superintendent of the East Coast Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church.

The thieves realized they had been detected and fled the scene and did not take anything of value. However, they smashed a number of internal doors, window glass, and disturbed several office spaces, including the pastor’s office.

Pastor Kanyere Eaton was just installed on September 12.

The Catholic church across the street also was burglarized that night. Thieves have burglarized several other churches on the same street recently.