Churches armed for unholy spirits

GERING (AP):

A shooting at a Texas church in which two armed congregants killed a gunman who had slain two people during church services Sunday highlighted a juxtaposition religious leaders have been struggling with in recent years. Churches are sanctuaries, places where a message of peace and understanding guide the mission. However, in a modern world, more churches are weighing the heavy burden of “protecting flocks,” in the words of security leaders at Scottsbluff and Gering churches.

“If you would have asked me even 10 years ago if we would have armed security in our church, I would have told you no,” Chris Smith, a deacon at First Baptist Church, told the Star-Herald. However, as he notes he has told at least one person: “Unfortunately, it’s not the 1950s anymore.”

At First Baptist Church, efforts to form a security team began three years ago after some of its members attended a training on active shooter events, Smith said.

The church is located on a major thoroughfare, Avenue I, in Scottsbluff. Its location near Walmart and a local park means that oftentimes, different people have shown up at the church. On one occasion, the church secretary found a homeless man sleeping in a back room. The man startled the woman and it’s unknown how long the man had been in the church. The discovery of the man pointed out a problem common in many churches: it is hard to keep an eye on all the nooks and crannies without a lot of foot traffic.

The church has also fallen victim to some thefts and burglaries. One brazen theft occurred as the pastor sat in his office.

At Northfield Church, a November 5, 2017, church shooting in Sutherland, Texas, caught the attention of church leaders at the Gering congregation, prompting formation of a security team. Twenty-six people were killed in the shooting and 20 more were wounded.

Bart Bartels leads the security team at Northfield Church since it started two years ago. The retired Army veteran had been asked by the church’s pastor to lead the team, which he has called ‘The Gatekeepers’.

For Bartels, a team that is made up of both armed and unarmed parishioners is simply about readying for a worst-case scenario.

“If you don’t think it can happen here, just look at Rushville,” he said, referring to an April 14 shooting at a Catholic church in the northwest Nebraska community. A man, who had been a suspect in an assault, entered the church. A Sheridan County Sheriff’s deputy shot and killed the man.