'Our community will still be blessed at Christmas': Bilston church leader speaks out after £2,000 of damage caused by lead thieves
A Bilston church leader insists Christmas is still on track after damage was caused to the building just days before a major event
The staff and congregation at Excel Church have been left facing more than £2,000 worth of repairs after thieves stripped lead from its roof in the early hours of this week.
Staff discovered the damage across three dorm windows at the church in Wolverhampton Street on Monday.
Further inspection revealed that a section of lead roofing had been removed, leaving the building vulnerable to significant weather-related damage.
The church has already begun emergency repairs to prevent further deterioration but a full programme of Christmas activities will go ahead, starting with ChristmasFest on Saturday, designed to bring families together for a day of joy, celebration, and festive fun.
The event will feature a carousel, live music, children’s activities, and special character meet-and-greets and hundreds of people are expected to attend.
Associate Pastor Daniel Lee said: “This is heartbreaking at a time when we are pouring our energy and resources into serving our community—especially through events like ChristmasFest—it’s devastating to see the building targeted in this way.
“Even though this has caused a setback financially and emotionally, we remain committed to blessing our community this Christmas and won’t let this stop us from opening our doors and creating a place of hope and joy during this season.”
Police are investigating the theft of the lead, which is believed to have happened on Sunday night but say without CCTV footage there may be little help of apprehending the thieves.
Daniel added: "We do have CCTV in place but it is not the greatest and we are just in the process of ordering a new system so that is a bit frustrating and unfortunate.
"We are checking with our insurers but either way it is probably going to cost us financially but we are determined to plough on at this massively important time of year."
The Christmas Fest even runs from 11am-7.30pm on Saturday
nal events.
