College View pastor speaks out after vandalism

Pastor Harold Alomia walked into College View Church Sunday afternoon and found the church in much different shape than he had left it Saturday night. 

White footprints were tracked through the choir room, an empty fire extinguisher left on a table, and food was littered throughout several rooms.

“There was food and cereal and stuff that doesn’t belong to any of our youth there. The storage room door was broken into, there was chalk graffiti on the walls and on the doors,” said Pastor Harold Alomia. 

According to Lincoln Police four juveniles entered the church near 48th and Prescott after it had closed Saturday night and made a mess of the building.

Pastor Harold said another pastor at the church had seen the teens hanging out in the building Saturday morning and suspected they might be involved.

The teens came back after the vandalism and a church employee confronted them about it, but they ran and were later caught by LPD.

While the church is left to clean up the mess just three days before an annual Christmas program, Pastor Harold says they’re remaining optimistic.

“It could have been a lot worse, but it was just damage that now we have to repair. There’s disappointment and sadness that there would be this lack of respect to somebody elses space.”

One of the rooms that was damaged has already been cleaned up and the church plans to clean and repair the rest of the rooms affected.

Pastor Harold says this incident won’t stop them from having normal services and the teens who caused the damage have been forgiven.

“They’re still welcome. We welcome everybody.”

Two 13-year-olds and a 12-year-old were referred to the county attorney for theft, trespassing and vandalism and one other 13-year was referred for trespassing.