SAN ANTONIO — According to police, an AC unit was stolen from the St. James AME Church last Saturday, leaving clergy members scrambling the day before Sunday service.

The theft left members of the church saying, "If you can steal from God, you steal from anyone."

Parishioners like Johnnie Davis now have to rely on handheld and ceiling fans for relief.

“It was miserable,” Davis said. “To think that some person would go as low as to come to a sanctuary, to a church, and actually steal something that is of value to us. It took away from some of the service because you’re concentrating on perspiring. It was very hot."

Temperatures reached 99 degrees on Sunday, the day after the 5 ton system was stolen. The church’s sanctuary was built in 1878, designed for comfort and respite.

“We’v

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