Breaking News! Church Shooting, Pennsylvania, 4 Dead

From: CBS Pittsburgh

BLAIR COUNTY, Pa. (KDKA) — Emergency officials are on the scene of a deadly shooting in Frankstown Township, in Blair County.

Right now, sources tell KDKA-TV that four people are dead, and three Pennsylvania State Troopers were also hurt, but are expected to be okay.

Sources say at least part of the shooting took place at the Juniata Valley Gospel Church.

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Ushers Stop Purse-Snatching in Pittsburgh Church

From: Fox News

PITTSBURGH – A man who claims to be a heroin addict has been jailed on charges he snatched a woman's purse while she was taking communion during Mass at a Pittsburgh church.

Pittsburgh police say parishioners, including the off-duty chief of the Port Authority of Allegheny County police, tackled 31-year-old Eric Csurilla on Sunday morning and held him until officers arrived.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/09/10/ushers-stop-purse-snatching-in-pittsburgh-church/?test=latestnews#ixzz264a2XAaq

My Thoughts: Although short, this is a great article! Ushers & greeters are often your first line of defense in a church setting. Many churches do not have the ability to have a trained security team; however, by providing a little extra training to the ushers and greeters you are one step in the right direction. Larger churches that do have security teams should still incorporate their ushers and greeters into their overall plan. 

Pastor Charged in Fake Kidnapping, Intended as Lesson in Religious Persecution

From: The Washington Post

PITTSBURGH — A southeastern Pennsylvania church and a youth pastor are facing criminal charges for a mock kidnapping of a youth group that was meant to be a lesson in religious persecution.

The Glad Tidings Assembly of God in Middletown and 28-year-old Andrew David Jordan of Elizabethtown were charged Friday with false imprisonment and simple assault, said Dauphin County District Attorney Ed Marsico.

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Sexual Predator Training Helps Catch Priest

From: Reuters

{A Catholic priest already charged in state court with possessing thousands of pornographic images of young boys is due in a Pittsburgh courtroom on Friday on new federal charges, authorities said...

A parish employee who had undergone training to identify sexual predators allegedly saw Sorensen viewing child pornography on his computer and called the church child abuse hotline.}

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My Thoughts: What caught my attention in this article was the part about the parish employee who had received training to identify sexual predators. I think this is a very important point that so many churches overlook. Sexual sin and sexual abuse is a concern that is plaguing our churches and places of worship. Take the time to give your church membership and leadership the proper protection it needs. 

A second item of interest in this article was the fact that this was the second set of charges that this priest was receiving for child pornography. A good learning point is to insure that your church leadership is included in your screening when doing background checks. It is a good habit to re-screen everyone every couple of years.