Offerings Stolen at Gunpoint from Detroit's Hicks Memorial Church of God in Christ

DETROIT (WJBK) - An unholy act happened in the holiest of places.

"To walk up in a church and rob a church ... you're doing something that's pretty bad for you," said Pastor Booker T. Williams.

He has presided over his faithful congregation at the Hicks Memorial Church of God in Christ on Mack Avenue for almost 29 years and has never seen anything similar happen.

"God says revenge belongs to me, and God will take care of him," Pastor Williams said.

The suspect is a 20 to 25-year-old man who got in line at Sunday service to leave an offering on the table. Instead, he is alleged to have stolen all the money, probably about $200.

"He just took the money and just showed them the gun," said Sherry Williams, the pastor's daughter. "Said, 'Don't make this any harder' and pretty much walked off."

The suspect sat in the very back corner of the church through the entire service. Parishioners now say they may have seen him at the church before about a month ago with another man, and they think they were casing the place.

"You feel secure in a church. You feel safe in a church. It's God's house. You never expect that to happen," said Detroit Police Commander Steve Dolunt.

He told us the suspect had a black backpack with
blue trim. He wore a black hood and gloves and left the church on foot.

"I guess it's a cry for help, but to go to a church? You feel safe there, and we need the public's help on this one," Dolunt said.

The pastor is just grateful nobody was hurt and
hopeful the suspect will be caught.

"I guess I have to pray for him. That (is) about the best I can do," Pastor Williams told us.

Anyone with information can contact Detroit Police at (313) 596-5940.