WEEKLY NEWS & UPDATES
Closed church burglarized, maintenance director recovers stolen goods
Kudos to the Maintenance Director!
Warriors, it’s more important than ever to get out and check around our churches. As the weather warms up and people are still stuck at home, criminals such as thieves are out and about looking for anything, they can get their hands on. If you remember from the video on Safety and Security for Churches that are Online only, I advised that the church protector still has a vital role to play.
If you’re able to go to your church and walk around it; If you’re not sure if you can go to your church, call your local police department non-emergency number and ask if it’s ok for you to go check on the safety and security of your church. It’s likely they will appreciate the proactive approach and so will your pastor!
Walk around your church with the mind of a criminal (it’s a further stretch for some than for others 
). Look for things that a criminal would like to use: a ladder left out allows easy access to the roof, a cinder block or brick can be thrown through a window, an unsecured window or gate may be the only invitation someone needs to access your church.
School resource officer seen praying for students at school's flagpole everyday
This is a warrior. This is how a warrior acts. This is what a warrior does. We need more warriors! Are you a warrior? - what actions do you take daily, weekly or monthly?
"𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘐 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘚𝘙𝘖," 𝘖𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘳 𝘞𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, "𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘦. 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘥𝘰 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘺 𝘮𝘺 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘳 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵. 𝘛𝘰 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘺!"
‘They are still shooting.’ Teen took killer’s gun and shot him dead, police say
A lot to unpack in this story but it drives towards a simple question: 𝐖𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡? I'm not talking about a bloods vs crips type funeral, but a funeral like the one illustrated in the story. There were a ton of warning signs before the event even started. How would you and your team and your church handle this? Do you have a process to gather intel on funerals before they occur at your church?
Houses of worship struggle to balance security and belief in wake of violence
What level of threat does your church want to be able to respond to? For the majority of churches this will likely be a theological or philosophical discussion first, strategy second and tactics will be tertiary. How does your church approach the theological and philosophical side of protecting the flock?
Many leaders, members admit PCUSA not equipped to address mental health issues
This certainly isn't a Presbyterian only problem. Does your church have any specific plans or training for this issue?
1 Corinthians 13 tells us "love is patient and love is kind..."
Does your safety and security ministry have training for this issue and do you have plans for successful outcomes?