Thanks to the Arizona Mission Offering, theft of church’s trailer results in blessing for other churches

On October 26, 2024, pastors, staff and members of The Table Church in Glendale were preparing for a normal Sunday morning. Planted in 2015 by Valley Life Church, The Table Church became an autonomous Southern Baptist church in 2020.

Since the beginning, The Table has met at Arrowhead Elementary School. While the school graciously allows the church to store some materials like sound equipment and children’s materials on-site, the church stores other supplies in a large trailer attached to a truck.

The trailer holds their chairs, tables, carts, signs and various other items they use in the lobby on Sunday mornings. The truck and trailer spend most of the week parked at The Church at Arrowhead, which generously offers a parking space. Church members move the truck and trailer to Arrowhead Elementary early on Sunday mornings to set up for service.

However, early that morning, Pastor Cody Deevers received a concerning phone call from one of his members. The truck and trailer were missing from their usual spot, and no one knew where they were. When he realized their supplies were gone, Pastor Deevers responded immediately.

“This was a quick pivot,” Deevers said. “We had to figure out how to do church without our chairs … and all the things we use [in the lobby].” On that Sunday, the church used the roll-out benches available in the school and conducted the service with as much normality as possible.

A site grant funded through the Arizona Mission Offering, along with the use of additional resources, allowed The Table Church to replace chairs, tables, carts and other items that were stolen.

Later that day, Deevers viewed camera footage of the theft of the truck and trailer, and after reporting the crime to police, he realized recovering all of their belongings was not likely.

“I was just trying to figure out how to get the stuff replaced … because the next Sunday was coming,” he said. “We prayed, Lord, give it back to us … save the thieves … but we need to get ready to move forward.” Deevers sprang into action, and he called Monty Patton to inquire about financial assistance from the Arizona Mission Network.

Within days, that help materialized in the form of a site grant through the AZMN. These grants are funded by the Arizona Mission Offering to help church plants purchase property or, for churches who initially meet in another place like a school, to help with startup costs.

This money, along with some money the church had in reserve, helped The Table Church replace their trailer and truck within a week of the theft. They also ordered new chairs and carts.

Cody Deevers, pastor of The Table Church in Glendale, stands with people from the Glendale Police Department after the church’s stolen trailer and some of the contents were recovered.

A church member also contacted Fox 10 Phoenix, and the station reported on the theft in newscasts and on its website. Ten days after the theft occurred, Glendale police contacted Deevers to say they had found the church’s trailer and some of its contents, including the chairs and many of the carts and tables. Eventually, the truck was also recovered.

Because The Table Church was able to replace materials with the Arizona Mission Offering grant money and other resources, they were able to donate their old chairs to a new church plant in Maryvale. They gave some tool carts and sold the original trailer at a deep discount to King’s Church in Anthem.

Deevers marvels at the generosity of other churches and people within the community. “It was really amazing” to see how many churches and individuals offered to help, he said.

Through the generosity of individuals and churches who donate to the Arizona Mission Offering, The Table Church continues to reach people in Glendale. The Arizona Mission Offering gives help and hope to church plants all over Arizona to reach people with the gospel.

Learn more about the Arizona Mission Offering at azmn.org/amo/.

Chelsea Bush, a freelance writer living in Phoenix, is a member of Foothills Baptist Church, Phoenix.