Church Security Guard Shoots Man in Birmingham

A church security guard shot a man he believed was breaking into Holy Trinity-Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Cathedral this morning, according to Birmingham, Alabama police.

A South Precinct sergeant said the man who was shot is in critical condition at UAB Hospital while the guard suffered bruises to his head and face during a struggle.

The guard came upon the man as he patrolled the church at 307 19th St. South sometime before 7:30 a.m., the sergeant said.

Police have been called to the church on several occasions this week, but the sergaent said he did not know the nature of those calls.

[Posted by Jeremy Gray -- The Birmingham News]

How Safe Is Your Church?

What's your responsibility to your peoplefor their safety? Do you have ex-offenders who attend your church? Don't they matter to God? Many of them have experienced life transformation by the work and wonder of the Holy Spirit and their cooperative steps in community, study, and surrender. But, transformed or not - when an offender has harmed a child, sexually transgressed another person ... what then?

Does your church have a security team? Are they trained and competent? Is that enough? What's the awkward but appropriate mix of grace and boundaries? How do you decide who should have background checks and who doesn't? How do you treat people who matter to God? What's your responsibility to the individual seeking new life ... or seeking new prey? What's your responsibility to the people who could be harmed?

Bob D'Ambrosio at Church Solutions says:

Imagine your worst-case scenario. You discover one of your youth ministry volunteers hid a history of sexual abuse and you never knew about it until it was too late. You didn't think it could ever happen, at least not at your church. According to GuideOne Insurance, in a typical year one in 100 churches will experience an allegation of sexual misconduct.

The days of thinking that nothing like this could happen at your church are long gone. Churches weren't asking these questions just a few years ago. But recent attention to clergy sexual misconduct has forced the church to not only ask the questions but also to act with diligence to protect the people it serves. Paul warned the Ephesians to have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them (Ephesians 5: 11). Background checks have become the new screening tool of the church to expose the darkness.

A survey conducted by Church Law and Tax Report found that church volunteers commit 50 percent of all incidents of sexual abuse in churches; paid staff commit 30 percent; and other children commit 20 percent. Many risk-consultant professionals agree that the church is now the pedophiles last refuge because screening doesn't exist in many churches. In a recent Barna study, only 57 percent of the pastors who were polled said their church conducts background and reference checks on those who work with children and youth. Failing to screen out a potential predator may not only bring harm to those in your care but also cause damage to your reputation in the community, in addition to the financial strain of a potential lawsuit. (The average jury award for negligent hiring is more than $8 million.)

The courts describe an organization's screening responsibility as "due diligence," meaning you did everything expected in the screening process to demonstrate you weren't negligent in placing someone in a position where he or she could harm another person. This would apply to those who work with vulnerable groups, such as children, youth, and the elderly and disabled.
So, how do you implement the process of background checking? Here are steps to get started:

- Create a written policy.
- Determine whom to check.
- Include screening requirement in ministry descriptions.
- Start at the top.
- Consider your budget.
- Work your plan.
- Keep Records.

You'll never have a 100 percent guarantee that conducting background checks will prevent all bad things from happening at your church, but it will help to reduce the risk. Make safety a priority in your church as Paul warned the Ephesians and reap the benefit of a secure and caring community.

[from Mark Waltz ...because People Matter by Mark Waltz]

What you doing to a safe environment at your church?

Gunman Opens Fire in New Jersey Church

A gunman entered a northern New Jersey church during Sunday services and shot three people in the vestibule, killing his estranged wife and injuring the other two before fleeing, authorities said.

Police were searching for 27-year-old Joseph M. Pallipurath of Sacramento, Calif., after the shooting at St. Thomas Syrian Orthodox Knanaya Church in Clifton. He was last seen driving a green Jeep Wrangler, police said.

Detective Capt. Robert Rowan told The Star-Ledger of Newark that the victim, 24-year-old Reshma James, had recently moved from California to escape an abusive marriage and had filed a restraining order against Pallipurath.

When he came to into the church, Pallipurath said "I came to take my wife," a witness told The Star-Ledger. Authorities believe he acted alone.

About 200 people were attending services in the sanctuary of the church, whose members are mostly first-generation Indian immigrants and their children.

The victims were taken to St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Paterson, where Mr. Pallipurath’s wife, Reshma James, 24, died about 4 p.m., the police said. The other victims, both listed in very critical condition, were identified by church members as Ms. James’s relative, Silvy Perincheril, 47, of Hawthorne, N.J., who is the principal of the church’s Sunday school, and Dennis John Malloosseril, 23, a church director.

“It was very scary,” Anna Manimalethu said. “My kids are still scared.”

The Clifton police described Mr. Pallipurath as armed and dangerous, 5 feet 8 inches tall and 160 pounds. They said active restraining orders had been issued in California and New Jersey against him after domestic violence complaints by his wife, who had moved recently to New Jersey. Detective Capt. Robert Rowan said it appeared the gunman had driven from California to try to force her to return with him.

Members of the church gave a more elaborate account of the woman’s hardships, citing an arranged and abusive marriage that had left her terrified. A family friend, Aniyan Panavelil, said Ms. James, a registered nurse who grew up in India, had wed Mr. Pallipurath, an American, in India a year ago in an arrangement made by their families.

It was unclear if they had met before their wedding. Mr. Panavelil said the husband returned first to the United States and she joined him in Sacramento last January, but soon became a victim of domestic violence. Mr. Panavelil said the couple returned to India for a month to try to work things out with counselors, but the effort failed.

“He said he couldn’t do it anymore,” Mr. Panavelil said. As for Ms. James, he said, “He was torturing her too much.” The couple separated when they returned to this country, Mr. Pallipurath going to California and Ms. James to New Jersey, where she took refuge with Ms. Perincheril.

Ms. James began attending services with Ms. Perincheril at St. Thomas Knanaya, where some 60 families — first-generation Indian immigrants and their children — worship in a Christian tradition that traces its heritage to Abraham and its culture to Jews of the Aramaic-speaking regions of Israel and Syria, who migrated in 345 A.D. to the Malabar coast, in what is now the state of Kerala, in southwest India.

In recent decades, thousands of Knanaya people have migrated to North America, starting churches in Canada, New York, Massachusetts, Texas and elsewhere. They preserve many customs modeled on Jewish traditions, including the menorah, unleavened bread at Passover and wedding canopies, and they practice endogamous marriage.

The parish of St. Thomas Knanaya was founded in 1987 as part of the Universal Orthodox Church, with allegiance to the Holy See of Antioch. Most members formerly belonged to St. Peter’s in Yonkers, and the congregation met in rented spaces. But in February 2000, it bought the building at 186 Third Street in Clifton, set on a residential block in a working-class neighborhood 10 miles west of Manhattan.

What does your church do about security for your congregation? Do you feel that church security is becoming more of an issue?Click "comments" below and leave your comments.

Church Related Shooting at Seattle Church

Gang violence appeared to have spilled over to a Seattle based church event for teens resulting in one shooting death and the arrest of three men. Apparently, four men were involved in a confrontation outside the youth center involving staring, vulgar gestures and threats.

When the men walked into the community center and wanted to fight, the incident became deadly resulting in one man being fatally shot.

Church Security

A city official said that a second victim has died following a shooting at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church Sunday in Knoxville, Tennessee.

The dead have been identified as 61-year-old Linda Kraeger and 60-year-old Greg McKendry.

Witnesses credit McKendry, a church usher, with shielding others during the attack which occurred as kids were performing a play.

Church member Barbara Kemper told The Associated Press that McKendry "stood in the front of the gunman and took the blast to protect the rest of us."

No children were hurt, but seven other people were injured. Five remain hospitalized, all in critical or serious condition.

Police said that the FBI is assisting in the investigation in case it was a hate crime.

One church member said that the gunman was shouting "hateful" words. Police have been collecting video cameras from church members.

The suspect, 58-year-old Jim Adkisson, is charged with first-degree murder.

The alleged gunman's motive is not yet known.

The church is known for promoting progressive social work, such as desegregation and fighting for the rights of women, gays and the homeless.

A church member told the media that the suspect was not connected to the church. He also said that the shooting happened as children were performing parts of the musical "Annie" during a regular service.

None of the children were believed to have been injured.

What does your church do to protect the pastor and congregants? Click "comments" below.

[Check out "Download Documents" in the right column of this Blog. One document is for security training for Ushers and Greeters.]

Church Shooting

[By Malcomb Daniels -- The Birmingham News]

An Hispanic man of about 45 years of age was shot and killed today during an argument in the parking lot of a St. Clair County Alabama church.

The man, whose identity is unknown, was shot multiple times in the parking lot of church on Pinedale Road in Ashville, Alabama according to St. Clair County Coroner Dennis Russell. He was pronounced dead at 4:20 p.m.

The man was shot during an argument with someone who lived in the area, Russell said. The dispute started after the homicide victim ran off the road and hit some mailboxes, Russell said.
Church was not in service at the time.

Armed Guards at Church are Recommended

[By Mike Conneen - Fox 21, Colorado Springs]

Colorado Springs Police and New Life Church Pastor Brady Boyd hosted a church security forum Thursday.

Organizers said they wanted to share information with local churches to help them in their efforts to provide security.

A C.S.P.D. Crime Prevention Officer touched on emergency planning, including the role of greeters and ushers and how to interpret suspicious activity.

More than 100 churches and other religious organizations registered to participate. They are from communities across the Pikes Peak region, and as far as Canon City, Castle Rock and Denver.

Boyd said he does not want to see another attack on another church.

"We're not calling ourselves experts but we have some contemporary experience that could be helpful to to others," he said.

Boyd said the church made immediate changes ... mainly, more visibility of police officers and security guards.

He said he absolutely recommends churches use armed guards. He said, in today's culture, it is the wise thing to do.

"If we had not had someone on our campus with a gun, we'd be doing funerals for three weeks," he said.