Armed Robbery At Forest Hills Church

Six members of a Forest Hills congregation were robbed at gunpoint on Monday night.

A man with a ski mask over his face and a silver gun in his hand entered Grace Lutheran Church at about 7 p.m., police said. Under threat of bodily harm, he forced Pastor Jeanne Warfield and five members of a church task force to hand over some personal possessions. According to police and Warfield, the thief took cash, wristwatches, jewelry and personal mementos.

The assailant then got in a dark Nissan parked in the vicinity of the 103-15 Union Turnpike institution and drove off in an undetermined direction.

The following day, congregants expressed sadness about the crime, but relief that nobody sustained physical injuries.

"God was looking out for us," said longtime church member Ruth Kessler.

"We follow our practice of praying thanks and pray also for this one who has been as an enemy to us," Pastor Warfield related. "We refuse to allow this indignity to dissuade us from caring for our neighbor, because that is what the Gospel of Christ asks of us."

The suspect was described as an African-American male of unspecified height, weight and age. To make an anonymous report on this individual, call 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).