Is Your Gas Tank Safe While at Church?

I had the privilege of having some of my wife relatives over for dinner last night. I am excited that they follow this blog and wanted to contribute to all of my other readers a recent experience that they encountered at their local church. I will have to say that this is the first time that I have heard of something like this happening; however, I am not at all surprised.

It seems that criminals have found a new way to prey on church goers as they worship God and learn from His Word. On a recent Sunday in Southwestern Virginia, church goers were surprised to learn that their gas tanks had been emptied while attending church. With the rise of gas prices crooks entered the church parking lot and siphoned the gas from the cars that were parked there.

Learning Point: If your church has a security, greeter or usher team. Make it part of their responsibility to walk the church parking lot a few times during the service. This practice will serve as a deterrent to anyone who may be doing harm during your church service. Although, this is the first time that I have heard about gas being siphoned, I regularly read about cars being broken into or unwanted solicitors putting flyers on cars during the service.

Police Officer Sues Church In Staged Fight

From: The Indy Channel

INDIANAPOLIS -- An Indianapolis police officer who was injured last summer during a staged fight that he was tricked into breaking up is suing a city agency and a church involved in the incident.

Matthew Grimes claims in the lawsuit that James Harrington, a pastor affiliated with Mount Vernon Missionary Baptist Church, and Willard Gupton, an Indy Parks and Recreation employee, arranged the planned fight during a youth symposium at Municipal Gardens on July 24th, 2010.

Click for Article 

Child Taken During Church Services

From: WPTV

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - "Police need your help locating a missing 7-year-old girl.

Riccara Latson was attending Sunday morning church services 1100 block of 36th Street, when her biological mother, Catrena Jones asked to see the child. Police spokesman Chase Scott says Jones then took the child and left."

Click for Article

Learning Point: Does your church have a child check in system? Does your church conduct background checks on childcare workers and staff? Send me an email and I will help provide information to you for both services. 

Church Trashed by Vandals in Rhode Island

From: The Westerly Sun

ASHAWAY - "The church community is terribly sad, said the Rev. Marilyn McNaughton, in reaction to the destruction caused by vandals at the Babcock Presbyterian Church sometime early Thursday.

Both the pastor and police believe that it was "rage and tantrum," as McNaughton put it, that incited the vandalism at the Maxson Street Church. The police don't believe it was necessarily a hate crime aimed at the church or the religion, but have not ruled that out."

Click for Article

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

Bunratty Castle Ireland
(Brian and {Brother} Shaun Gallagher)

Cliffs of Moher - Ireland

Church Community Center Shooting

From: Fox 8

HENRY COUNTY, Va. (WGHP) "Detectives have arrested a suspect wanted for shooting a man during a party at a church community center near Eden.

Akeem Laquan Clark, 20, also known as "Quan," allegedly shot Eric Lamont Blackstock, 25, during a going away party at Bethlehem United Methodist Church Community Center near Eden, deputies said in a news release."

Click for Article

Stolen 600-Pound Church Bell Recovered

From: WLKY Louisville

SULPHUR, Ky. -- "A more-than-100-year-old, 600-pound iron bell used to ring on Sunday mornings at Sulphur Christian Church in Henry County. That was until last Sunday. On Friday night, the church bell was stolen...

Kentucky State Police in Campbellsburg said the theft was a job one person could not have done alone. The tire tracks, the loosened bolts, broken lights and positioning of the heavy tower show it was a planned heist, police said."

Click for Article

Rumspringa or Simply Buggies Out-of-Control

From: WKYC

ASHLAND - "The Ohio State Highway Patrol says two horse and buggies were racing on County Road 758 on the way to church Sunday morning.

Jacob Raber was racing in the left lane when a car suddenly appeared. Raber couldn't get over in time and crashed into the car."

Click for Link

Hat-Tip: Carl Chinn

Plea Deal for Putting Bomb in Church

From KY3 News:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- "A man from Madison County charged for a bomb found in a church on the day after a runoff election last June reached a plea agreement with prosecutors. The church served as a polling place for the election.

Mark Krause, 40, pleaded guilty on Wednesday in federal court to conspiracy to possess unregistered firearms. He had initially been charged with possession of a bomb."

Click for Article

Looking for a Self Defense Tool?

The Best Self Defense System
The TigerLight® T100 personal protection device combines high intensity light with built-in pepper spray for maximum effectiveness. Designed to spray out twice as hard, twice as fast and with twice the volume per second as the best pepper spray products on the market, TigerLight® T100 penetrates deeper into the pores of the skin and moves faster and deeper into the mouth and nose. Because of the element of surprise and speed of delivery, this self defense product causes a greater impact on the respiratory system, creating a more forceful stopping power than normally achieved with pepper spray

Balance of Welcoming and Protecting

From: Star-Telegram

"Last month, a pastor pointed his gun at two burglars at his Beaumont church after one threatened to hit him with a two-by-four, the local newspaper reported.

Last year, an elderly woman in Arkansas interrupted a burglary at church and was beaten to death with a cross. The year before, robbers in Illinois beat two women while ransacking a church.

Once, churches were sanctuaries where respect, fear of the Almighty or even superstition kept lawbreakers at bay. Now, violent crimes seem to be increasingly common at churches large and small. This week's attack at an Arlington church, where the pastor was slain and his assistant severely beaten, is yet another example."

Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/03/04/2897778/churches-face-tricky-balance-of.html#ixzz1FvhTTffN

Nun Robbed at Gunpoint - Michigan

GROSSE POINTE PARK, Mich. — "Police are looking for a gunman they say robbed a 74-year-old nun at gunpoint while she was locking up a church in the Detroit suburb of Grosse Pointe Park.

WDIV-TV reports the nun was at St. Clare of Montefalco Catholic Church on Monday night when the man approached her from behind, pointed the gun at her and demanded money. WJBK-TV reports the nun wasn't carrying money and the gunman ordered her back into the church before he fled."

Click for Article

Slaying of a Pastor at his Texas Church

"A convicted felon was arrested Saturday and faces a capital murder charge in the slaying of a pastor at his Texas church in an apparent robbery, police said.

Steven Lawayne Nelson, 24, was arrested at an apartment complex following a brief standoff with Arlington police, department spokeswoman Tiara Ellis Richard said. Nelson apparently had been staying in an apartment a few blocks away from the NorthPointe Baptist Church, where the Rev. Clint Dobson was found dead and his assistant was severely beaten Thursday."

Click for Article

2011 Bicoastal Counter-Terrorism Summit

Please note that I am just highlighting one of the many great terrorism related topics that the Halo Corporation will be presenting on. Please Check out their website for full conference information!

Information from: http://www.thehalocorp.com/2011-bicoastal-counter-terrorism-summit.html

Event: San Diego, CA: March 28th – April 1st, 2011

Patron Saints of the Underworld – Narco-traffickers and the Spiritual World

This presentation will include information and cases on the use of prayer in traditional or recognized religions to facilitate drug trafficking and other crimes. Often drug traffickers and other criminals engage the spiritual world in their illegal activities for protection from law enforcement and others considered enemies, such as rival drug trafficking organizations and informants. This course is beneficial to federal, state, and local law enforcement officers in all parts of the country who may encounter these items during or pursuant to an investigation. The course has helped enhance understanding by law enforcement throughout the country, aiding in many arrests, several of which included seizures of large amounts of drugs and drug money. 

Center for Personal Protection & Safety

The following information can be found at http://www.cppssite.com/training/1

Covered in the Ministry Security Course:

Church Security Operations

• Learn how to develop and implement a crisis management plan
• Maximizethe impact of available security staff, tools and technology
• A “best practices” approach to church security that can be scaled to your resources and needs
• Learn how to assess your church for critical security vulnerabilities
• Learn how to build a church security team

Safeguarding Children, Church Members and Staff

• Learn how to recognize signs of a potential crisis before it occurs
• Be able to assess, prioritize and respond to security threats
• Gain awareness on domestic violence issues and the impact at church
• Learn how to respond to active shooter situations
• Be able to deal with difficult people and diffuse potentially volatile situations

Safeguarding Your Missions Teams

• Learn best practice travel safety principles and strategies for your volunteer mission teams
• Teach your mission teams to be an unattractive target for thieves and kidnappers
• “Best Practices” training for surviving hostage situations

Training Dates and Locations

• March 10—Crossings Community Church, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• April 5—Cornerstone Church, Chandler, Arizona
• April 7—Church of the Resurrection, Leawood, Kansas
• May 18—St. Paul Baptist Church, Peoria, Illinois
• June 14—New Life Providence Church, Virginia Beach, Virginia
• June 16—Immanuel Bible Church, Springfield, Virginia
• August 25—First Baptist Church Powell, Powell, Tennessee
• September 20—Mt. Scott Church of God, Portland, Oregon
• September 22—Denver, Colorado
• October 11—North Way Christian Community Church, Wexford, Pennsylvania
• Date Pending—San Jose, California