Prayerful Crime Stoppers

Reuter's reports that an English group is using a Pray Watch to stop crime. The report goes on to say,

As well as encouraging worshippers to keep an eye out on their churches and each other, the police said the scheme would allow Christians to use prayer to help catch criminals.

"It's largely geared to protecting congregations and church properties which are pretty vulnerable places, but with the added bolt-on aspect of prayer," a Lincolnshire police spokesman told Reuters Wednesday.

Retired London policeman Don Axcell, the national executive director of the Christian Police Association, said God did answer crime-busting prayers.

"I'm a great believer in the power of prayer and all I'd say to the skeptics is that I've seen it work too many times for it to be a coincidence," he told the Lincolnshire Echo newspaper.

I know that pray does change things. I also know that we have had incidents of vandalism over the last six years of King of Peace which have included one church cat being killed and another shot and needing its leg amputated. We have also experienced a variety of thefts including two VCRs, a glider rocker and large box of Legos for The Preschool.

Should we have been praying to prevent the theft of the back tires right off our tractor? Or does God watch our backs by working in the lives of those who have stolen from King of Peace? What is the Christian response?

peace,
Frank+
The Rev. Frank Logue, Pastor + King of Peace Episcopal Church

Note:
Yesterday's sermon on The heretic who gave us the Bible is now online.