Anonymous Donor Replaces Miami Church’s Stolen Air Conditioners

A Miami good Samaritan made a much-needed donation to a local church just days after they were robbed of their air conditioning units, leaving them in the scorching heat.

With the average temperature being in the high 80s, the congregation of Gospel Arena International Ministry was sweltering. 

“It was so hot Sunday,” said Minister Alex Alexander told 7News Miami. 

He said Pastor Junior Thompson was drenched in sweat while preaching the sermon. 

“He preached for like 45 minutes with a suit on, and it was really [piping hot] in the church,” Alexander recalled. 

He added that “God brought us still,” and people attended church anyway. 

“Everyone was sweating and fanning,” said Pastor Emmanuel Bryant.

Originally, church officials thought their air conditioner was just broken. It wasn’t until they checked outside that they realized that two out of three units were gone, and the remaining one had been tampered with and damaged.

Watch video:

“We pray for the person who did it. We pray for their family,” Alexander said. 

“We don’t wish these people any harm, because obviously, there is something seriously wrong that needs addressing,” added Joseph Wade.

When the church received a $20,000 estimate to repair and replace their damaged and stolen property, the leaders were devastated. 

“We’re just heartbroken to know that the AC was missing, and then to find out how much it would cost to get the replacement,” said Bryant.

However, a kind stranger stepped up to the plate after seeing a 7News story on the theft. 

“Because of the news, someone called me today and said, ‘I wanna just sponsor both units,’” Thompson told the outlet.

Two brand-new air conditioning units were delivered to the church, with a third still on the way.

“I thank God for all the donations that came from people that I don’t even know,” said Thompson. “I mean, these people, I never came in contact with, but thanks be to God that our blessings come back to us, because we love our community, and we’re here for our community.”

While the donor wanted to remain anonymous, the church wanted to make sure everyone knew about their good deed. 

“Thank you all. Thanks, Channel 7 News, for what you’ve done,” said Thompson. “Look around. You can see it right now: two brand-new units, better than what we had.”