Billboards target church trailer thief

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A Concord church has posted five billboards along interstates in the Charlotte area addressed to a "church trailer thief."

The billboards refer to a March 2 theft at the Kinetic Church. Someone stole a trailer that contained about 75 percent of the church's equipment, including hymnals and communion trays.

The church meets at the AMC Theater at Concord Mills, so it has to store most of its equipment.

Lead pastor David Milam said he hopes to come face-to-face with the person who stole the trailer, and he's going to great lengths to get the thief's attention.

"I want them to call me," Milam said. "I've put a disposable cell phone in the place where they dumped our Bibles. They took our Bibles out of the trailer and just dumped them, so I've got a disposable cell phone sitting there and they know where that is. My goal is for them to grab that cell phone, for them to call me and for me to be able to take them out and get something to eat."

Milam also posted a video message on the church's Web site and says he forgives the thief.

Some of the messages Milam posted on the billboard include, "Enjoying our communion trays?", "God forgives you, but we need our stuff," and "Ever worry about lightning strikes?"