The church is a sacred place where believers come to lay down their burdens. Unfortunately for one parishioner, it’s also the place where she got robbed. The incident took place in Clarksville, Tennessee, at the Hilldale Baptist Church. A 78-year-old woman arrived at church early for a prayer meeting when two other women came into the sanctuary and asked her to pray with them.

One woman grabbed the older woman’s hands while the other was going through her purse, taking out cash and credit cards. After taking all valuables, the two women abruptly left the church. Afterward, the two assailants went to Sam’s Club and Kroger to use the stolen credit cards, where they were seen on surveillance video.

Senior Pastor Larry Robertson told news outlets that the women came to church 50 minutes before evening service, which he thought was strange. The women claimed that there were visiting from another church. He then pointed them to the sanctuary, where a pre-service prayer meeting would start in about 20 minutes. After the robbery, the 78-year-old lifelong church member immediately alerted the pastor, and Robertson called authorities. Now police are out searching for the suspects.

According to police, there was a group of four women inside the church with the victim. Three suspects were seen on security cameras at a Sam’s Club where the victim’s credit card was used right after the robbery. Senior Pastor Robertson said the victim is doing well but feels violated.

He also said he hopes the women will be prosecuted and doesn’t think that contradicts his faith. Robertson said, “According to the law of the land, by which our society keeps order, justice would be prosecution to the fullest extent of the law. But the law of love, by which churches and Christians are mandated to operate, calls us to pray that they see how wrong they were, not because they got caught but because they did a terrible thing, ultimately against God, turn away from their sins, and find Christ Jesus to be their all in all.”

The saddest part about this story is that these assailants took advantage of an older woman in a place where she thought she was safe. She was under the impression that these women genuinely wanted to pray with her, and she was willing to do so. However, they took advantage of her in a vulnerable state and robbed her while her eyes were closed. Thankfully, she wasn’t seriously injured, but she’s entitled to feel violated after such an egregious act.

As Pastor Robertson said, these women should face prosecution because what they did was wrong. However, we should also pray that they see the light of God and the error of their ways. Romans 12:14 says, “Bless those who hurt you. Bless them and do not call down curses on them.” It wouldn’t be very Christian-like to wish ill intent on those who wrong us. Instead, the most we can do is pray for them and encourage them to seek God.