Update: Man Threatened to Burn Down Matthais' Lot Church, Shoot Pastor, Police Say

A man who told police he practices witchcraft phoned in threats against Matthais' Lot Church and the church's pastor on Sunday. He left messages telling the church pastor, Marc Sikma, that he would burn the St. Charles church building down.

Police said Derek M. Ficik, 26, of the 12100 block of Sagemeadow Lane in Maryland Heights, also told Sikma he would “look Pastor Sikma directly in the eyes and tell him to pray to God right before he puts a bullet in his head.”

“He further threatened to burn Christianity and all its followers and he would fill the seas with Christian blood,” according to St. Charles Police probable cause statement.

St. Charles Police provided updated information Wednesday afternoon in a news release.

Police said in the news release the church received three separate, threatening voice mail messages Sunday. All three of the messages contained graphic and and sexually explicit language and made explicit violence threats.

The church recorder captured the phone number of the caller and the investigation led to Ficik, who had attended the church on Dec. 12 as the guest of a regular attendee.

Ficik was arrested by Maryland Heights police Tuesday and was transferred to St. Charles Police later that same day.

The investigation has not yet determined a specific motive for Ficik’s actions and is ongoing, police said.

St. Charles Police said the threats led Sikma to consider canceling the church’s Christmas concert because he feared that he and church members could be in danger. However, the concert will proceed as scheduled now that Ficik is in custody.

Sikma declined Wednesday to comment on the threats.

Police said that Ficik admitted to practicing witchcraft and astral projection. He said demons tell him to do things and he must obey. Ficik also told him that evil and dark things fascinate him.

Ficik was charged Tuesday with making a terrorist threat and making a terrorist threat with reckless disregard of causing a building evacuation. He is being held in St. Charles jail. Bail was set at $50,000, cash only.

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