The sign outside Renovation Community in southeast Fort Worth reads 'To Those Who Stole From Us: We Forgive You.' The associate pastor put those word up after thieves broke into a church shed and stole $2,000 worth of lawn care equipment.
"Somebody hopped a fence and cut a couple locks," Associate Pastor Jordan Buchner said. "It's not about the money. We're not worried about that. It's not about the equipment, because we know God pays our bills."
Buchner said it's about the ministry the church does with that equipment, paying those in need to tend to the church property. Not a handout, but a hand up.
"It builds their moral," Buchner said. "It builds them up inside and it helps them have the knowledge and the courage to continue going out and looking for a job."
Buchner put the words on the sign outside the church, hoping to use the theft as a teachable moment to talk about forgiveness.
"Especially in our current state of the world, we just see that there's forgiveness that needs to happen everywhere," Buchner said. I can't love my neighbor without offering forgiveness alongside of that. We practice what we preach."
Buchner said he hopes the thieves return the stolen property, but if they don't, the church plans to replace the equipment to continue giving people who are willing and able, a chance to earn money for a day's work.
