Nothing has been reported about auditing the building fund for the new school? She was in charge of the fund raising. Is this being looked into? Also, I find it interesting that the Stoughton news media did not bother to report this to the community. Yet, such wonderful comments were posted about Ms. Mehlert during the first phase of building the new school.

The church blows things out of proportion (about being robbed weekly for 5 months) because it wants its name in the news for in-house theft, and the Gazette wants to sympathetically word the news story favorably for Hope (the victim) because Hope is in conflict? Do you proofread your entries for logic before sending them?
And a safe, indeed, would be wise, but a locked compartment behind a locked door would have stopped this thief, if this thief would not have had the key. (But might not this particular thief have acquired a key or combination to the safe?) Nothing was broken into by force, you know. Just like you suggest it should do, Hope must have been assuming innocence before the money was stolen, to allow the money to have been kept this way before further processing. And trust is what apparently allowed this theft to go on for about 5 months. It was just assumed some members (the cash-givers) stopped giving as much, or stopped giving altogether. Or, as you suggested earlier, were they trying to trap a particular person by using the same money handling routine they always have done?
No one said checks were not given as offerings, but the cash donations were what were taken. No self-respecting thief would find value in checks written to Hope.
So, I would have thought you were a Hope member. But from your lofty perch somewhere else, you judge Hope as having been troubled, in conflict and without mutual trust for many years. (The alleged thief was a relative newcomer.) Please, if you have any mercy, do not pass this privileged information on to Hope’s many long-time happy and dedicated members. They would be devastated. (They’re so naive, you know, when they’re not out to get someone.)

It appears that most people commenting on the Mehlert article are interested in pointing the finger at her. She may have done the crime but I won't know until the justice system completes it's work. I believe the Gazette slanted the article in a certain direction to give sympathy to a congregation that has been in conflict for many years. When money was noticed missing from the church I attend, our deacons changed the place we kept the money and installed a small safe. I believe that the same action would have stopped whomever the person is who took money from Hope Church. It is my understanding that the Thursday night services are a small group of 20 - 30 people. I can't possibly imagine they all put cash in the offering. Some surely wrote checks. I think the leaders of the church are blowing things out of proportion just to get their names in the news. As for the lack of trust among the members and staff, it's my understanding that mutual trust hasn't existed for 20 or more years.

2sidedcoin seems to be imply closeness to the situation (without admitting first-hand closeness), while carefully orchestrating the facts for her entries here. Yes, she was allowed to keep a key to the building-many people were. But not to the office-and certainly not to the money kept there. She was asked early on to give back her key to the office, she kept “forgetting” to turn it in-then finally said she’d placed it on the office desk some time before. It was never found.
And she suggests, but doesn’t explain why, the church set up a trap specifically for her. Doesn’t she think the trap was to stop the bleeding of donations from the church, no matter who was the thief? I’m sure it was a sad day when they were forced to do that. And she doesn’t beg “practice forgiveness”, she shouts “PROVE IT!”-which they did. Of course, this country still gives us a right to a fair trial, so the proving will be done, easily, at a future date.
Probably something even more important than money was willfully stolen, however. An entire family (the congregation and staff) was/is in jeopardy of losing a bond of mutual trust that should have always been part of its framework. Might that damage remain forever? And some members, never doubting that it was a safe thing to do, gave cash offerings, making it appear that no offerings were made by these people for many months. (Didn’t she think it would be noticeable?)
Why, and at whom, are you angry, 2sidedcoin?

2sidedcoin seems very interested in trying to justify the act of stealing.

2sidecoin, are you serious???? boycot a church for being a victim? You need some help. I will pray for you!

The Gazette reported that Ms. Mehlert was not supposed to have a key. Ms. Mehlert was a former staff member of the church. She resigned to take a full time position as director of a parochial school. The church allowed her to keep her set of keys because she became the volunteer Youth Director and assisted in setting up the worship room. Additionally Ms. Mehlert was on the council until her arrest when she resigned. Ms. Mehlert is innocent until PROVEN guilty.

My child came home from school (the one she was principal of)and told me about this yesterday. What kind of world allows six year old children to know about this before their parents do? We had been told she was on a leave of absence. I didn't know what to say to my child. I knew Sue, talked with her, hugged her, trusted her. I am very sorry for her family. My child misses her. I am just torn up about this. I do agree that our school needs to audit the building fund. I forgive Sue, but she needs help and needs to seek forgiveness from God and all whose lives she has touched and she needs to pay back what she has taken.
It wasn't worth it.

Since the church chose to make this a legal matter it is now out of the hands of the "church". You might say the church did the right thing by asking for help to catch a thief or others might say the church should have dealt with it in a "Christian" manner by catching her themselves and then counseling her to help her with her "problem". Some would claim "coverup" if the church dealt with it internally so I guess it just comes down to which side of the fence you are on.

We all have opinions and sometimes like armpits, they don't smell very nice.

Why should the poeple of Janesville boycott the church? Someone was stealing from the church, they set up a camera, and did the dust, THAT WOMAN TOOK THE MONEY. "She said she took the money" weather she said it was only ten bucks or a hundred, she took it.
The church is not in the wrong.

How in the world do you 'set up' someone to steal? If you steal, you steal. If someone put a pile of money in front of me and told me it belonged to someone else, if I took it, it's stealing.

she was caught stealing, purple handed, i dont think there even is a side to her story. If she stole money, she stole money!!! That is it, you should not steal, especially from a church. I am under the impression that they didnt know it was her stealing, maybe Im wrong but they caught HER stealing. Not anybody else!!

There are two sides to every story = I believe that they were out to get Ms. Mehlert and that she innocently fell prey to the trap set up by the leadership of the church. The Gazette left out many details of the story in order for it to look like she was no doubt the Burglar. I think the people who are member of Hope Church should boycott worship until this matter is resolved. Janesville has many fine churches where the Christians are a better quality.

It should be required that the Stoughton Church audit the building fundraiser money.
Currently, raising funds to build a new school.

She's pathetic. stealing from a church of all places.

This is a forum to discuss ideas and opinions about news stories. 'We' aren't doing anything to 'her'.
Perhaps if she didn't want to make the paper, she should not have been a thief.

wow...he who is without sin can cast the first stone. It is amazing how many sinless people there are right here in jtown and its surrounding area. I never said she shouldnt be punished or there werent ramifications to her sin. Those will get taken care of without the "sinless" casting stones. She & her family must live with this leave them alone.

I just laugh at the fact they had her on video, with purple hands, and the money, yet she tried to claim innocence.
Never come between a church and it's money, people.

As far as the bible saying "forgive" it also says:There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses.
-- Ezekiel 23:20 (NIV)

Kids killed for taunting heros:
Some small boys came out of the city and jeered at [the prophet Elisha], saying, "Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!" And ... he cursed them in the name of the Lord. And two she-bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the boys.
-- II Kings 2:23-24 (RSV)

God orders child sacrifice

God did tempt Abraham, ... And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest ... and offer him there for a burnt offering...
-- Genesis 22:1-2 (AV)

Gee, no offense, but this really should be dealt with as a legal matter. Foget what the bible says. Throw the LAW at her. Or she could be burned or eaten by BEARS.

I think this is interesting considering she is a lay pastor as well as the principal at Martin Luther Christian School in Stoughton....How sad that she is supposed to be a role model for our youth.

There are many ways to judge a thief. In this case the the facts are she stole from a church and even with evidence proving she was a thief, still denied it. In my book that makes her more than just a theif, it makes her a liar too. My guess is she probably is still more upset she got caught than she is willing to be responsible for her actions. Dont feel sorry for her in any way.

As for the church and its members, they need to focus on the fact the thief has been caught and no more of the donations will be missing in the future. If they get restitution thats a bonus.

Maybe the church has insurance for this and the insurance company can carry on with the thief, and not the church directly.

Yes, forgiveness is good. But the woman,if she did it, she should be punished. No matter what is going on in your life, you can't hurt other people. You have to be responsible for your actions. She knew it was a crime, and the risks involved. She should have asked the church for help.

SXGDS:
The Bible may say forgive....it doesn't say anything about forgetting. Or making someone pay restitution.
Too many people are using their bad lives for excuses for their behavior. So, using your logic, I can go out and kill someone if I am having a hard time in my life, say I am sorry, and that's it?

ITS great to forgive. Everyone needs to forgive. But will they ever trust?? And because maybe something is going on in ourlives we should all steal from those who trust us.

What kind of world do we live in.

The bible also says to forgive. Others have no idea what is going on in her life so leave her alone. Forgive and love.

Well Church Members aren't what they used to be. It used to be people had a fear of ' God.' Is not one of the commandments " thou shall not steal.'

Nice