Police are appealing for witnesses to the theft which happened sometime between Sunday, November 26, and Saturday, December 2. The theft was not discovered by the church until Sunday, December 3, when the organist went to play. Reverend Alex Baxter, rector of the Parish of Clayton with Keymer, said: “The congregation are heartbroken and people feel violated. “The keyboard was ripped out – people feel a bit shaken up. The church has been a place of worship and prayer for more than a thousand years and we still keep it open during the day for the many pilgrims, visitors and walkers who visit the church on a daily basis. “We feel as a community very hurt that somebody would target the church and steal what is a very key piece of equipment used in our worship. “It feels a real violation that somebody has entered the church to remove something in this way. “We would ideally like to get the original keyboard back instead of having to replace it with something modern that has no history to it. “It was made of ivory veneer and not very large but a crucial part of the organ which is now rendered unusable. “We had to sing a capella that Sunday when we realised it had been taken.” Reverend Baxter, who lives in Keymer, has been on post at St John the Baptist church in Underhill Lane for the past three months. He said the theft will affect some of the church’s carol services this Christmas. “It will affect some of our carol services, but not all of them,” he said. “We will have to use an electric keyboard instead, which will not be the same. The organ is part of the fabric and culture of the church. “We just feel a bit hurt and sore and we don’t know what the motive was, you just don’t expect someone to do it. I can’t think it is enormously valuable. “John our organist has been playing that organ since his first service at the age of 12, that’s 62 years ago. “Before that he used to pump the organ for the previous organist. “There is a plaque about the manufacturers dating their company as 1922, that it may have been installed by the Shands when he was the vicar and his wife the organist.” A Sussex Police spokesman said: “The church is normally open to the public during daylight hours. “The organ was last used on Sunday, November 26, and the theft was only discovered on Sunday, December 3, when the organist went to play it. “The organ is very old and it is likely to cost thousands of pounds to replace. “If anyone has information, please contact the police on 101 quoting reference number 0662.”