September 11, 2001. Can anyone not remember what they were doing when they heard about the attack by Muslim extremists on the United States? I certainly remember. I was working in the shop listening to the machinery cutting lumber for a piece of furniture. I had to make a phone call to a company with which I was doing business and was greeted by a lady sobbing. When I asked her what was wrong she seemed incredulous that I was not watching the news and she told me what was happening.

On that horrific day consumed by those horrific events all we could think about was the tragic loss of life and who could have possibly carried out such an attack. We soon learned that it was a radical Muslim organization called al Qaida. Most of us had never heard of al Qaida before or at least it was just some organization in the background noise of the news. Today it is a household discussion item.

Many atrocities have been perpetrated over the centuries in the name of Mohammed and Allah. These include individual acts of terrorism such as the assassination of Theo Van Gogh, the Dutch film maker who had “insulted” Islam in film and the beheading of Daniel Pearl because they thought he was trying to spy on them. Obviously, we can name countless examples of their mass terrorist acts in addition to the September 11, 2001 attack.

You will never hear me try to defend a religion that advocates the destruction of non-believers of Islam. However, as Christians, we must remember and follow the teachings of Christ. There is a church in Gainesville, Florida that is planning a mass burning of the Koran on the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attack. There have been death threats on the pastor and I'm sure others of the church. Numerous US and international organizations have urged that the event be cancelled. It has been my observation that when someone is bent on making a very public statement and advertises the event, no one can talk them out of it. However, I would entreat all Christians to remember that this is not in accordance with Christ’s view of His church.

We have been taught to love our enemies, not incite them. As Christ said “But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:44-45) I would submit that an appropriate celebration of the 9/11 attacks would be a gathering for prayer to ask God to work in the hearts of terrorists and all Muslims so that they may see where their salvation truly lies.

This pastor in Florida is putting himself and his congregation in the crosshairs of any radical who wants to make a name for himself as a defender of the faith. Besides placing his membership in danger, the pastor is possibly leading some young man to do something that will damn him forever and start him down the terrorist path. This is definitely counter to Christ’s teachings.

All this having been said, assuming the Koran burning takes place I would urge all churches to be alert to the possibility of sympathetic Muslims in the local community taking it upon themselves to retaliate against the nearest target, the local Christian church. We can have very little, if any, impact on the Florida pastor and his membership but we can strive to keep our local Christian family safe. Those with security teams may want to lay on additional personnel to increase the visibility of the security team. Visibility can be an effective deterrent.

Dan Lanotte

Keeping our children safe from stalkers-written by Dan Lanotte

On Sunday evening, 11 July, a number of children were playing outside one of our member churches. They noticed a pickup truck parked across the busy street with a man in the driver’s seat watching them with binoculars and taking pictures of them. They notified one of the members as well as the pastor. By the time these gentlemen got outside the truck was gone. It seems obvious that the driver did not want to be seen by any of the adults.

With the long days and good weather of summer it is tempting for children to stay outside and play. While we encourage kids to play outside it is important for us, as parents and church leaders, to keep a close eye on them. In the fun and excitement of playing, the children will often not be aware of their surroundings, making it easier for pedophiles to stalk and abduct them. This must be one of the most horrific nightmares of parents, having their child abducted. With that in mind I would like to give a few tips on keeping kids safe from those who would do them harm.

1.      Keep a close watch on children playing outside, especially as dusk is falling. Remember, it only takes a few seconds for someone to snatch a child off the street.

2.      Teach children to report strangers that appear to be hanging around for no apparent reason. It is important to involve the children in their own safety.

3.      Any time a suspicious individual appears to be lurking around, notify the police with as complete description as possible. The situation could be completely innocent but the police keep track of these situations and your report may be another piece in a puzzle that they are trying to solve.

4.      If you see someone approaching a child under your charge, do not be bashful. Challenge the individual and, if necessary, raise a ruckus. The last thing a pedophile wants is attention.

Remember, our children are our greatest earthly treasures. Let’s keep them safe. 

Unfortunately, in today’s world we have become used to people of “less than sterling repute” trying to scam us in very inventive ways. Different tactics are used for different demographics.  One that has been going around in the past year or so is the scam of trying to get you to reveal the login information to your bank account. After you do, your account is cleaned out and you are left holding an empty bag. And, of course, we have all been told that some barrister in Nigeria is holding a very large sum of money for you which came to him by way of a very wealthy client who had no heir. This benevolent soul just wants to help you out. Of course, after you tell him where to deposit the check with, of course, your bank and login information, your account is promptly cleaned out.

Of course, individuals are not the only targets for these scam artists, and not all scams come over the internet. Churches are especially vulnerable to scams just because of the benevolent nature of the organizations. Besides bringing the Good News to the world, churches have historically been the dispensers of charity to those in need. Because of the charitable nature of churches they will be hit by such scams as the pastor who walks in off the street with a very big cross hanging around his neck asking for money to assist in getting his ministry off the ground (true event), or the man who comes in to the office to ask for money to feed his starving family. Of course when one of the pastoral staff offers to take him to the grocery store and buy some food for the pleading man, he somehow disappears.

Please do not misunderstand me; this is not to say that no charity is legitimate. In El Paso County, Colorado, fully 10% of the residents, over 56,000 people, are on some form of food assistance as of this writing.  There is a great need for charity. However, churches need to be weary of those folks walking in off the street seeking a handout. They may be truly in need but that is where the church must exercise due diligence with such questions as:

• Can I take you to buy some groceries?
• Maybe we can work with you and your landlord to work out a payment plan for your rent.
• Can we work out some arrangement with the bus company to make sure that you get to work?

People who are truly in need and come to a church for assistance will be more than happy to allow direct help in the form of groceries, bus passes, etc. Being a charitable organization can often require those in charge of benevolent funds to walk a very fine line.

There is a level of violence that has come to churches over the last ten years that is unprecedented. We have seen work place violence, school violence, and now church violence at an alarming rate. How many pastors, or people in a place of leadership see this as a potential threat? If not why? If so what are the proactive churches doing to make a difference? Take a look at Dr. John Nicoletti’s short article on causes and cures.

Many of the perpetrators in these crimes announce in some way their intention to do harm. With that being said what is necessary for the church to do to monitor this behavior? When does keeping an eye on someone that has overtly made a threat become too much/if at all? What right do we have to protect our congregation and how do we not cross a line of privacy/political correctness/gossip? Send an email to Contact@NationalChurchSecurity.com to weigh in with your thoughts on this serious topic.

John Casey, President, NACS

E-mail us at Contact@NationalChurchSecurity.com.