wfn.org | Thieves hit Disciples building site, wipe out tool

[wshuffit@oc.disciples.org]

collection
Date: March 14, 2001
Disciples News Service
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Contact: Clifford L. Willis
E-mail: CWillis@oc.disciples.org
on the Web: http://www.disciples.org

01a-18

	INDIANAPOLIS (DNS) -- Theft -- hardly a headline crime in
today's world.  But the March 7 theft of a tool trailer is a
crushing disappointment for members of  a Palm Bay, Fla.,
congregation of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and
hundreds of other volunteers who relied on and helped stock the
unit. 

	The 7'x16' trailer belongs to Volunteers in Mission (VIM) and
Vision Builders! Construction, outreach ministries of the
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). VIM recruits and
organizes volunteers for a variety of construction projects. 
Vision Builders! Construction erects first church buildings for
new congregations with the help of volunteers. 

	The unit was parked at the Mision Cristiana de Palm Bay
construction site and the trailer and its dual axles were locked
and chained the night of the theft, according to the Rev. Carl
Zerweck, director of Vision Builders! Construction. Thieves made
off with the whole trailer despite the addition of
state-of-the-art locks and hardened chains after a minor theft
at the site in the spring of 2000.  There were no further
incidents until the March 7 theft. 

	The trailer also spent time in North Carolina in the summer of
2000 supplying volunteers with tools for flood relief work. It
was returned to Palm Bay in late summer.  

	With a wide collection of power and specialty trade tools, and
hundreds of hand tools donated by volunteers, by the time of the
trailer theft "we had the tools in the trailer to handle
virtually every aspect of construction that we would be doing on
any job site," Zerweck said. 

	Palm Bay police investigators have told Zerweck that the chance
of recovering the tools is slim -- even though many of the tools
were marked with yellow spray paint and the letters "VIM/VB!"  

	The trailer was insured, but according to the Rev. Jayna
Powell, director of VIM, it's not yet known what the insurance
company will pay for replacement of the trailer and its
contents.  Zerweck estimated the loss at at least $20,000.  

	"We're making do right now.  Fortunately, we were almost
finished with the job," said Zerweck.  Using his own tools and
the tools of members of Mision Cristiana de Palm Bay, Zerweck
hopes to keep to a schedule that calls for dedication of the new
church building on Palm Sunday, about a year after the start of
construction. 

	Zerweck and Powell are more concerned about replacing the
trailer and tools before a new VIM/VB! project this spring.  The
building ministries are committed to a two-week "blitz build"
for Iglesia Cristiana Lluvias de Gracia (Showers of Grace
Christian Church) May 26-June 9 in Toronto.  The trailer
contained 95 percent of the tools needed for that project,
Zerweck said.  He hopes that since Vision Builders! Construction
has many receipts on file, especially for the more expensive
tools, that an insurance adjustment could be quick. 

	Powell says that once the stolen trailer and tools are
replaced, there are plans to purchase and equip at least three
more trailers to be deployed in various parts of the country for
future construction projects.  

	Persons wishing to donate to the tool trailer effort can do so
through Homeland Ministries, P.O. Box 1986, Indianapolis, IN
46206.  

	The March 7 theft resulted in much more than a monetary loss.
"This trailer that hundreds of people contributed to -- worked
out of  --  poured their hearts into --  in one fell swoop a
couple of people took it all away," said Powell.  

	The trailer was donated to the building ministries by the
Disciples Board of Church Extension. Week of Compassion, the
denomination's  disaster relief and humanitarian assistance
program, gave seed money for the trailer's first tools.  The
unit was designed for use at Vision Builders! Construction sites
and for disaster relief. 

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