Church leaders in New Rochelle say a burglar struck overnight and made off with tens of thousands of dollars intended for a medical mission.

Bishop Ray Mott, of Generations Church on Main Street, says the stolen funds were intended for an upcoming medical mission to Jamaica - the first such mission for the church since before the pandemic

Now, church leaders are confronting the harsh reality that their plans are in grave jeopardy.

Security cameras captured footage of a lone burglar breaking into the premises and ransacking the building.

Mott says the most distressing part is that the burglar managed to breach the church's safe, which contained tens of thousands of dollars in cash. The church had been holding onto this money in cash form with the intention of exchanging it for local currency during the planned medical mission to Jamaica in October. 

“It's hard to shake that feeling of being violated. What they took is significant. But the feeling of being violated, I don't know how to quantify that," says Mott.

Numerous unanswered questions remain, including why this specific church, located on a relatively busy street, was targeted. Church leaders are hopeful that the police investigation will yield answers and potentially aid in recovering the stolen funds, allowing them to continue with their mission rather than having to cancel it.