ROANOKE COUNTY, VA -
The sound of recovery could be heard at Celebration Church of God in Roanoke County Sunday morning. You would have never known that earlier this week, valuable items were stolen from the church and the sanctuary walls were littered with graffiti.
"On the inside wall here, around here, and back here," said Pastor Sam Belisle.
Belisle has not forgotten, but he and his congregation have moved on.
"For the most part it has past because you can't live in anger. We can, but we are called not to."
The room here was filled with joy as a few hundred people packed the church pews singing plenty of praise and worship songs.
"We've never been through something like this before, but blessings are sometimes in disguise," said Carla Hazelwood, a church member.
After cleanup crews finished wiping away all the graffiti it took volunteers just two and a half hours on Thursday to repaint all the walls
"What may have been meant to try to destroy our spirit or destroy our worship today made us stronger," said Terry Kemp, Children's Pastor.
Police have yet to name any suspects, but Belisle says he's forgiven whoever tagged the temple of God.
"I led them in a prayer of forgiving whoever did this act to our church and that was a small step and part of that whole forgiveness because some people may still harbor ill will."
