Inclement Weather

Most Pastors don't think about the aftermath of a storm.  The reason for this is that is doesn't happen very often, but when it does it is usually devastating not only to the church but to the parishioners as well.  With the Tornadoes that hit North Carolina in the past 24 hours, many ministries are dealing with damage to church property as well as to personal property.  Does your Ministry have an Inclement Weather plan?  Do your workers and staff members know what to do during a severe weather event during church services?  Do you have a plan to account for everyone when a storm hits?  How about a Ministry Continuity Plan if the church is severely damaged?  Your Ministry needs to be prepared.  Think about it.

Do You Know How Many Registered Sex Offenders There Are Near Your Church?

Canton man accused of raping 5-year-old at church event

Monday, April 4, 2011  12:22 PM

Updated: Monday, April 4, 2011 03:29 PM

BY RANDY LUDLOW

The Columbus Dispatch

A northeast Ohio man has been charged with luring a 5-year-old boy into a bathroom and raping him during a church event in Athens County on Saturday.

Richard Leroy Merryman, 20, of Canton, was charged with one count of rape and is being held under $500,000 bond at the Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail in Nelsonville.

Merryman also is suspected of raping a second boy, a 4-year-old, during the Albany Bethel Apostolic Church event staged at the Albany Community Center, said Sheriff Patrick Kelly.

The boys' families contacted authorities after the event to report that they had been molested, the sheriff said. The church event attracted people from around the state, Kelly said.

The cases will be presented to a grand jury for potential indictments, he said.

Merryman is a non-reporting registered sex offender who was not allowed to leave the Stark County area, Kelly said.

The Importance of Training Your Security Team

Have you ever had a bully come up and hit you for no reason?  What did you do in response?  Did you hit him back?  Most people would unless they have been trained to handle the situation by de-escalating the situation rather than making things worse by striking out.  It is important that your security team knows how to de-escalate a situation that can quickly get out of control rather than striking back when challenged by a person who is acting out.  If your team is properly trained on how to handle these situations, there will be much less of a chance of someone getting hurt and less of a chance that someone can sue for bodily harm.  Training your team ensures that they will respond with professionalism and cooler heads rather than having a team that just shows up every Sunday and you have no way of knowing how they will respond when challenged.  Think about it.  You can find more information on training for your Security Team at my website www.trinityriskmanagement.com.  A Basic Training Course for the Church Security Team is a must when you consider the alternatives.

It Can Happen In Your Church Too

Man barges into church, attacks people

7:03 PM, Mar 29, 2011

St. Peters, MO (KSDK) - It was a startling scene at a St. Charles County Church and daycare Tuesday.  St. Peters police say a church worker had to tackle and hold down a man who barged in and started attacking people.  It happened at the First Baptist Church of St. Peters on Mid River Mall Drive.  There were kids in the daycare at the time, but police tell NewsChannel 5 they did not witness what happened and they were not involved.  The 26-year-old man came into the church before noon.  Police say he was screaming, threatened at least one person and hit some people too.  This is all inside the building where there are young children.  But the children were not threatened; perhaps in part because a church worker tackled the guy and held him until police could arrive.  Police are not saying what a possible motive could be and it's not clear if the man had any connection to the church.  NewsChannel 5 is not releasing the man's name because he has not been formally charged. Police say he will spend Tuesday night in jail while the warrants are put together.  Police say he'll be charged with burglary and four counts of assault.

By Mike Rush – KSDK News