A 77-year-old deacon at a Dallas-area church slugged it out with three robbers to protect Sunday's offering.
The robbers fled with Bill Hammett's wallet and some cash, said Dallas County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Kim Leach.
Hammett said he got in some punches of his own in the confrontation at First Baptist Church in Sunnyvale.
He said the church isn't a place for a fight, but "sometimes you have to defend yourself wherever you're at."
Hammett was attacked while locking up thousands of dollars in collections, as the service went on in another part of the church.
Hammett, who was struck in the head and the neck with a club, was treated and released from Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas.
Sunnyvale is about 15 miles east of Dallas.
