Sunday, September 18

2 Shot at Florida Church

From: Associated Press

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Authorities say a man shot and killed a person at a home in central Florida, then shot two others at a church about a block away.

The Polk County Sheriff's Office says it was not immediately known if a suspect was in custody Sunday.

The wounded people were shot at the Greater Faith Christian Church in Lakeland, about 30 miles east of Tampa. Bryan Neely, who owns a motorcycle shop about two blocks away, says the church is relatively small and has an academy for schoolchildren.

The victims were taken to Lakeland Regional Medical Center. A spokeswoman for the sheriff's office did not have further information on their injuries, and a hospital supervisor did not immediately respond to a message.

A message left at the church was not immediately returned.

Friday, September 16

Church Leader Carries Gun out of Fear of Police

From: Globe Gazette

MASON CITY — The Rev. Shane Philpott carries a gun because of his fear of some members of the Mason City Police Department.

Read Full Article
 

Note: I found this to be an interesting article. It seems that the church Reverend is carrying a gun out of fear of his own police department. I understand that the police department may have done some things wrong in this story; however, it only strengthens the point that working hard at creating a working relationship between your church and its first responders is of extreme importance.    

Thursday, September 15

History Lesson: The Learning Network

From: The New York Times

On Sept. 15, 1963, a bomb exploded before a Sunday morning sermon in the predominantly black 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., killing four girls and injuring more than 20 others. The bombing incited violence in the city, which led to the killing of two black boys, one by a police officer.
Click for Full Article

Note: Times have changed since 1963; however, we should still remember the events that occurred in our past. How easy would it be for a bomb to explode at your church? Are there groups that are not happy with the message you are spreading?


Friday, September 9

Authorities Probe Possible Terror Threat Around 9/11 Anniversary

From: Fox News

Federal authorities are warning local law enforcement agencies of a potential terrorist threat involving car bombs that could coincide with the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, several sources told Fox News on Thursday.

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that it had information about a "specific, credible but unconfirmed threat," and the White House said President Obama was briefed Thursday morning and has been updated throughout the day.

Read Full Article

Thursday, September 8

Who's Reading Securityatchurch.com

We are approaching the second year of this website being operational (Started October 2009). I am happy to report that we are continuing to receive growing support as each month passes.  Traffic to the website is also up 20% from this time last year!


As we have learned from others like Jeffery Hawkins with the Christian Security Network, we need your support to spread our message. In order for this website to grow we need our readers help in spreading the word. 


For many websites funding is required to help advertise and spread their message. Unfortunately, funding has not been available for this website or others like it. I am looking to you to help share securityatchurch.com with others! Please help us increase the number of readers subscribed to this site. The more supporters we have the better of a job securityatchurch.com and others like it can do to spread their message to churches across this nation. If you have any sponsor recommendations please feel free to pass on that information to sponsors@securityatchurch.com 


If you are reading this message, thank you for your continued support in this effort!

9/11: We have faith in you...

From: STL Today

The faith community is sending a message to first responders and political leaders on the 10th anniversary of 9/11: We have faith in you...

"That's a good date to honor the men and women who put their lives on the line every day," said the Rev. Avery Duff. "We kind of take them for granted and we tend to look on them in a negative connotation, but these guys actually put their lives on the line and I think we should really pay special attention to that."
Read full Article Here


My Thoughts:

What is your place of worship doing to support your local first responders? Who will respond at your time of need? Often the military is remembered for its efforts; however 9/11 is a good opportunity to remember those working in your local community. 

Monday, September 5

One in Four College Women Report Surviving Rape

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Every 2 minutes, someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted.

"Here's the math. According to the U.S. Department of Justice's National Crime Victimization Survey -- the country's largest and most reliable crime study -- there were 248,300 sexual assaults in 2007 (the most recent data available).

There are 525,600 minutes in a non-leap year. That makes 31,536,000 seconds/year. So, 31,536,000 divided by 248,300 comes out to 1 sexual assault every 127 seconds, or about 1 every 2 minutes."

Saturday, September 3

No specific terror threat against U.S. as 9/11 anniversary approaches

From: Washington Post

"With the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks approaching, there is no specific or credible intelligence suggesting al-Qaeda or its affiliates are plotting attacks against the United States, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Friday."

Read Full Story

Congratulations Mike McGrath

One of my big supporters is a leading security expert out of Nashville, TN. Mike McGrath is considered both one of the leading country music tour managers, as well as, a specialist in security for the music industry. Last month Mike was inducted into the Martial Arts Masters Hall of Fame. Securityatchurch.com wanted to take a moment and say "Job Well Done"!


Friday, September 2

We are back!

Sorry for the long pause that you may have noticed on the blog over the last month. In August I spent two weeks in Asia and was limited on the internet availability. 


This is a important week of all Americans. We are approaching the 10th anniversary of the attacks on September 11th, 2001. Much has changed for this nation in relation to security over the last decade. Many of these changes have bleed over into our places of worship. I still believe that churches across America have a long way to go in securing their facilities; however, I am glad that people are starting to see the need. 


Please remember to take the extra time this week and say thank you to any police officer, fire fighter or military solider that you may encounter. Too often these opportunities pass without us taking advantage of them. Our public servants risk their lives and dedicate themselves to keeping us all safe and secure.