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Rev. Stephen Marsh did not expect his church in Laguna Woods, California (mainly a town of 16,500 retirees) to spend $ 20,000 a month for safety. ..
Then, on May 15, a gunman fired during a luncheon at the Presbyterian Church in Geneva, where Marsh was the chief minister, killing five other members of the Taiwanese congregation he met there. Motivated by his political hatred of Taiwan, officials said the man closed the church door, hid a fire bomb inside, and then shot a group of older church members.
The place of worship aims to be a place of shelter, remorse and peace that welcomes strangers. However, the recent mass shootings in the United States have reminded us that violence can occur everywhere, and some religious leaders are urged to strengthen their security. ..
In the Geneva Presbyterians, armed guards continue to monitor during weekday and Sunday services. The church is also adding security cameras, making aggressive shooter plans, and applying for Homeland Security funding.
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“We are not trying to militarize the church,” Marsh said. “We prayed about it and decided to use armed security as an act of faith.”
Without new security measures, Marsh predicted that a large escape by schools on the congregation and church campus would have followed the shooting.
Ravi Charlie Cytron-Walker, a former spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, said it is possible to create a safe and cozy space.
In January, he and three others were taken hostage by a pistol-wielding man during the Sabbath service. Cytron-Walker threw a chair at the shooters after nearly 11 hours of standoffs — a courageous act that helped them escape safely. He acknowledges several rounds of active shooting training he has received.
“If you can’t escape or find a hiding place, you need to find a way to act and fight back,” says Cytron-Walker. “When I was most afraid he was trying to kill us, I saw the moment I was looking for all day.”
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Cytron-Walker currently heads Temple Emmanuel in Winston Salem, North Carolina. When he is working on a safety plan with a new congregation, he keeps in mind how the welcoming synagogue can be safer.
Historically, the sanctuary was vulnerable to violent attacks, from bombing in the black church during the civil rights era to recent shootings in mosques and Sikhs in Gurdwara in the United States. In the United States, incidents at churches, synagogues, temples, and mosques increased by 34.8% between 2014 and 2018, according to FBI hate crime statistics.
“In the United States, all beliefs are being attacked by radicals and radicals,” said Alonstiv, a security consultant at synagogues, Jewish community centers and full-time schools. Some congregations are hesitant to appear.
“They are asking more questions:’Should I come to worship every week or just a holiday? And if I come, should I bring my child?'”
Religious leaders who once preferred to put security in the hands of God are taking precautions that were unthinkable years ago, Stevi said. He said more congregations were carrying hidden pistols to service.
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From $ 25 million in 2016 to $ 180 million last year, the federal government is steadily increasing the amount of money it reserves to support the religious community at security costs, Stevi said. But not all religious leaders know they can apply for it, he said.
Attacks on places of worship and other public spaces in the past have led faith leaders, sometimes for the first time, to assess whether there is more they can do to keep their herds safe.
Today, armed police are watching Sunday worship at Mount Zion Africa Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, said Rev. Chiron Middleton, who heads the congregation. Members with hidden weapons are watching when officers are unable to be on campus due to church events.
“It’s sad, but we’re in an era where we have to secure armed safety to protect people,” he said.
The church is 2 blocks away from the Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. In 2015, a self-proclaimed white supremacist fired during a Bible study, killing nine worshipers, including the chief pastor. Middleton said the late minister was like a brother to him.
According to Middleton, the genocide triggered security debates on Mount Zion, including the need to keep eyes open, especially when most people close their eyes in prayer. I worship style in the equation.
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“No one expected a mass shooting to occur in a church, a sacred sanctuary where you can escape the world and find a spiritual shelter,” he said. “When the space is compromised, it creates a restlessness of the mind.”
After the 2018 massacre at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Rabbi Jon Leener met with local New York police to discuss the safety of his home ministry, Base BKLYN, which welcomed thousands.
For years, he and his wife, Faith, believed in Judaism, where the front door was unlocked shortly before the Sabbath supper and the door was not closed or locked. It changed after the Tree of Life, the most deadly anti-Semitic attack in American history. Lehner also installed security cameras and buzz-in systems for visitors. He hired armed guards after this year’s hostage incident in Texas.
“It’s a shame that we live in an era when we need to compromise the value of openness to the threat of violence, but that’s the reality at the moment,” Lehner said.
It’s a balancing act for many. Marsh said the shooting in his church happened because members of the Taiwanese congregation were welcoming shooters they didn’t know about.
“The church needs to welcome everyone and we can’t lose it,” he said.
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“Is there a way for active shooters to re-enter our campus? Yes, but we have to make this happen again. Otherwise, we all go through metal detectors. Must be. It’s no longer a church. “