ST. LOUIS – An historic north St. Louis church might not be able to hold Sunday services after someone broke in and nearly destroyed the building top to bottom, ripping metal pipes from the walls.

Eric Pulliam, a minister at the New Jerusalem Cathedral, said the thieves keep coming back and he finds new damage each day. The thieves have ripped sinks from the wall and toilets from the floor. They even stole the metal doorknobs from the main entryway of the church.

“Please just stop! We are here to serve you, we are here to help you, we been here for years, and we just pray and hope that you change the way that you are doing things,” Pulliam said.

Church staff said the thieves find different ways to get in the building each time. They suspect the thieves are stealing the pipes and selling them for cash.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call St. Louis police.