The culprits smashed some windows to get inside Horizon Community Church, and then broke into a safe early Saturday morning. They also destroyed pews and broke several doors.
Church officials remove money from the safe daily, so no cash was stolen. It's not clear if the vandals took any valuables from the property, but they did turn on a fire hose, causing some flooding to 75 percent of the church. It was 2 inches deep. The discovery was made Saturday by a gardener who saw water leaking out of the doors and called sheriff's deputies.
The church's pastor says the congregation is not going to let this incident bring them down. They celebrated their 57th anniversary outdoors.
"My encouragement today is that we're going to keep loving the neighborhood. This church has been here since 1919. This church has been at this location since 1956," said the Rev. K.C. Wahe. "They've done some great things here in Palmdale. This is a great neighborhood, it's a great city. We're going to keep trying to be faithful."
Wahe said this isn't the first time the church was targeted. Burglars tried to break in just one day before Friday night's attack. Wahe said they attempted to get into the room with the safe.
Sunday service was held outside in the courtyard as crews worked on the flood damage inside the building.
Investigators are assuming that a group of people was involved. If you have any clues, you are urged to call the Palmdale Sheriff's Station at (661) 272-2400.
