ANDERSON, S.C. -- There was broken glass at the Homeland Park Baptist Church in Anderson County early Monday morning.

"Had they gotten inside the church, I don't know what would've been done," Rev. Larry Cox, Pastor of Homeland Park Baptist Church said.

He stood inside the church nursery where there was a smashed glass window which had to be boarded. Deputies with the Anderson County Sheriff's Office said it was all done by two boys, a 13 and 14 years old.

"I do want them to know that I don't hate them. We can't hate children and would like for them to get their lives straightened out," Cox said.

Investigators said the two boys first broke into a shed at the church's family life center.

"We believe that they broke the glass out and got that diesel fuel that they used to try and set the school on fire with it," said youth minister, Jason Lingefelt.

He said he got the call Monday morning around 4:00 a.m. and rushed over. He said a five-gallon diesel canister was swiped from the shed.

"You can do damage to this building, but you can't do damage to the church," he said.

Investigators said that's when the boys walked about a mile to Homeland Park Elementary School and tried to set it on fire.

"I woke up, it was about 3:00 a.m. ., but it was all quiet out here then, " said Boyce Baughn, who lives next door to the school.

However, investigators said that's not the case and they found burned pieces of paper and church tithing envelopes at the scene.

"It's Homeland Park, it's just wild down here," Leslie Day, another neighbor said.

Detectives believe the two teenagers then went back to the church and tried to break-in through the nursery, where they got caught.

"The word of God teaches us to forgive and we have to do that," Cox said.