Ten days after it was stolen, an equipment-filled trailer belonging to an Arizona church was recovered, thanks to an anonymous tip. The Glendale church’s Ford F-250 pickup truck is still missing.
Security footage from the night of Oct. 29 shows someone stealing a trailer and truck that belong to The Table Church. On Nov. 5, police located the 24-foot trailer plus all its contents. They arrested Edward Charles Gouer Jr., who was booked into jail on two counts of theft of means of transportation. According to court documents, Gouer, 44, was previously convicted of trafficking stolen property and was on probation.
Because the church meets at an elementary school, it stores thousands of dollars’ worth of equipment in the trailer. “All of our chairs, all of our racks, all the furniture that goes in our lobby that we make for the check-in tables,” said Lead Pastor Cody Deevers. He indicated that thieves might have cased church property before committing the crime.
Arizona Pastor: ‘The Gospel Goes Forth’
The day after the theft occurred, Pastor Deevers posted a video telling congregants that worship would continue but just look a bit different. “We’re still going to preach the Gospel of Jesus, we’re still going to sing to Jesus, and Jesus is still going to be continually changing lives,” he said via Facebook. “The gospel goes forth. The church has taken a lot more hits than this and survived a whole lot worse, so we can do the same.”
In his post, Deevers encouraged church members to pray, first of all, that God will save the thieves. Another request: “Help us to stay focused on creating atmospheres where lives can be continually changed by Jesus.”
The pastor also asked for prayers that God would help law enforcement find and return the property—and “provide for us, if not.”
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‘We Just Pivoted,’ Says Pastor
Camera footage from Oct. 29 shows a dark-colored Chevy Trailblazer enter church property and then park behind the truck and trailer. “Shortly after, the [church] truck headlights are seen turning on,” police reported, “and the truck and [attached] trailer began to drive away, leaving westbound.” According to police, the stolen property was worth about $30,000.
