The News article came from - LAKE CHARLES, LA (KPLC) ...
A pastor was shot and killed during a church service on Friday night in Calcasieu Parish.
According to Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Kim Myers, it happened around 8:20 p.m. at the Tabernacle of Praise Worship Center at 307 Deshotel Lane in Lake Charles.
Myers said Pastor Ronald J. Harris Sr. was shot "as he was preaching."
Woodrow Karey Jr., 53, of Lake Charles, is accused of walking into the church and shooting Harris.
Myers said Harris, of Lake Charles, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Myers said Karey shot Harris with a shotgun twice, once when he walked into the church and a second time when Harris fell to the floor. Myers said Karey walked up to him and shot him at close range.
This incident happened a few years ago but similar incidents are becoming all too common in our Places of Worship. Churches are considered “soft targets”. At a recent security seminar I attended, the presenter told us that violence in Places of Worship has increased 3,000 percent -- yes, he said INCREASED THREE THOUSAND PERCENT -- in the last 10 years! He went on to say that on Sunday morning you are safer in a “strip club” than you are in church. The reason is that most churches have little or no safety or security evaluations and teams in place, and strip clubs do.
My burden for the last 10 to 15 years has been to educate and instruct places of worship how to be as safe and secure as possible. The safety and security I am talking about is not just concerning violence. In fact, that is only a small part of being safe and secure. There are so many areas that need consideration. Things like natural disasters, mechanical breakdowns, medical emergencies, accidents and the list goes on. Most of us know some of the areas but many of them go unnoticed.
Christian Leadership University is breaking new ground by establishing College Level courses to change that. The first of it’s kind, CHU101 Place of Worship Assessment for Safety and Security will guide you through assessing your place of worship for risk. This is a step-by-step course that will give you an accurate assessment of how safe you really are in your church. It will identify areas you are strong in, areas that need attention and areas that you have not considered. You will be instructed how to assemble an assessment team, garner advice from experts, examine and assess your entire operation for safety and security.
Dr. Don Swartzlander, writer of this blog and creator of CHU101, will be your CLU instructor for CLU's courses on church safety.
Future additional courses will be:
- How To Establish a Safety and Security Team
- How to Write a Safety and Security Policy and Procedure Manual
We have been given permission from some of the leading experts across the country to use their materials. These experts are all “Believers” and have a desire to make our churches safe. We need to be Watchmen on the Wall and provide safe and secure facilities to worship and fellowship in.
Whether your church is large, medium or small, this new course and those following will be invaluable as you tailor them to fit your operation. I believe every place of worship needs to get on board and do everything we can to make our congregants safe.
Click here to enroll in this course now
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