18 years of sermons stolen from church

CLARK COUNTY, Ill. (WTHI) - A break-in at an Illinois church forces their congregation to take new steps for security.

It happened Sunday night at Mt. Olive Baptist Church in West York, Ill. but it's not the first time.

You can still see the finger print dust on the outside door, it’s the same entrance used in the last break-in.

The thief even walked through the sanctuary, passing up some valuable electronics to a church office.

Other electronics and a safe have been stolen from the church but it was what the items contained that really has the congregation upset.

The pastor's 18 years worth of sermons were all stolen along with a century worth of the church's documented history.

“Our documented church history is gone and there's no monetary value that you could ever put on that,” Mt. Olive Baptist Church Pastor Will Bynum said. “It's priceless, we'll never be able to recapture that."

Bynum lives next door to the church so he says he's on high alert these days.

However, there are nine entrances to the small church.

Tuesday night the church is having an emergency meeting to decide what they should do to keep their sanctuary safe.

The Clark County Sheriff's Department is investigating the latest burglary.