The church is a safe place... Or is it?

One thing that Carl Chinn’s post this week has proven to us is that crime in churches is on the rise. Despite this fact the overwhelming majority of churchgoers still think that their church is a safe place. Next Sunday when you go to your church, I want you to do a little exercise. Set your alarm clock 30 minutes early and try to be one of he first people to get to church. Sit in the back of the auditorium with your bible or a book and pretend (or do it for real) that you are reading. (I am suggesting that you do this to not draw attention to yourself as you are observing the patterns of others) Next I want you to watch as people start to show up for church. Take note of how many people walk into the church and place an item on the chair or pew and then walk away from it. If my hypothesis is correct you will notice women walking in and dropping their purses and then walking away from them. You will notice people drop bags that contain computers and tablets. Some of these people will be gone from their items for an extended amount of time, while others will simple stray for a moment…

Now let me take the same situation and place you in a different perceived atmosphere…

Your view of this situation may change slightly based on what part of the country you are in and the demographics and crime statistics of the area. With that being said the principle behind my points should still stand strong. Imagine yourself attending a concert for your favorite musical group. If you found yourself in that same situation would you walk into that environment, place your purse or $2000 computer on your chair and walk back out to the main lobby to get a snack? I would have to guess that that majority of the people reading this website would not leave their valuable items unattended…

So why do you or others you know do it every week at church? The reason is that they feel that the church is a safe place and that “it won’t happen here”. If you have been reading this website of any small length of time you will know that “it can happen here”. Crimes happen everyday at local churches just like yours and mine! Criminals are now viewing churches as “soft targets”. Criminals are purposefully attending churches to take advantage of targets like you. Individuals need to be aware of these things and not assume that the church is a safe place!

By no means am I saying that you should be scared attending church; however, I am saying that you should not put your guard down just because of the four walls that are surrounding you! Awareness is key!

Carbon Monoxide Strikes Again!

Click Link to read  >
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-ia-carbonmonoxide-ch,0,1309785.story

DES MOINES, Iowa - "Police say more than 30 children and teenagers were taken to hospitals after being sickened by carbon monoxide during a church choir rehearsal in Iowa."

The below link will take you back to a blog post that I wrote at the beginning of November. This article talks about carbon monoxide and gives suggestions on how to protect against it. 

http://www.securityatchurch.com/2009/11/carbon-monoxide-silent-killer.html

Friday Humor!

Received this interesting story on Facebook today from a blog reader and through it was worth passing it on.

“Reminds me of a sad but humorous story at our church. A drunken individual staggered into the building one morning. He was knocking things over and making a big mess. He relieved his bladder and then found his way to the kitchen and opened up the fridge. His attention was captivated by the ice cream in the freezer. He stumbled looking for a spoon; however, could only locate a fork instead. Knowing that a fork would still do the trick, he stabbed the fork into the ice cream with snickered glee. He then jammed the frozen joy into the roof of his mouth. In shock and horror he coughed out all the ice cream along with his false teeth, then collapsed to the floor in placate his pain. At that moment Vic walked in and was shocked to see an unknown man lying on the floor next to a pool of melted ice cream. In side the pool of ice cream was a fork implanted into a set of dentures.”

Some times break in can end in humor. This one would qualify for America’s dumbest criminals…”

Thanks Bonnie and India!!