A local pastor whose church lost $50,000 says his faith is now stronger than ever thanks to strangers who saw his story.
Pastor E.G. Roberts of The Way of Christ Christian Church said his congregation should have moved into their new church months ago, but more than a year later, an empty lot remains.
He hired Kevin Kissire of Standard Steel Buildings to build the new sanctuary in DeSoto. Roberts said the contractor disappeared, leaving the North Texas congregation out of nearly $50,000.
"From a fleshly side, I would love to get my hands on him. From a spiritual side, I have to forgive him," said Roberts. "But, if I actually saw him, the flesh may win this time."
"Financially, you know we just, just take it Sunday after Sunday," said church board member Victor Bell.
After our first story aired, the community responded. Viewers messaged the church on Facebook wanting to help, and calls from strangers continued to pour in.
"It just makes you feel good that people do care even when you don't know them," Roberts explained.
But then, he said the unexpected happened. Roberts received anonymous letters in the mail, accompanied with small donations for the church.
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"Honestly, it's hard to put it into words. It's still just hard to wrap my mind around it," he said.
If that wasn't surprising enough, the pastor received another call from a North Texas businessman.
"He said when the Lord spoke to him after he saw what had aired, he knew what he wanted to do," the pastor explained.
Two days after that phone call, he received a check from that same man.
"The check was for $10,000, exactly what he said he was going to donate," the pastor said. "God is working. The Lord is working because it couldn't be nothing else."
He said the man asked to remain anonymous, but he wanted to remind the pastor that the community was with him, and to hold on to his faith.
"Even when you can't see it, you still gotta believe in it," said Pastor Roberts.
Kissire has since been charged with theft in an unrelated case in Collin County. As for the church, the DeSoto Police Department has confirmed with NBC 5 that they have officially reopened Roberts' case and plan on presenting it to a grand jury in Dallas County.
We've called and messaged the contractor for comment and we have not received a response.
Kissire's next court date is set for Jan. 5.
