We live in dark times and the horrific slaughter at the First Baptist Church Sutherland Springs, Texas was a grave reminder.
Good News Church was actually already in the midst of planning out increased security measures even before the shooting earlier this month, simply because that’s something churches need to think about as the number of people grows. What happened in Texas has, of course, increased the number of people concerned and the types of things people get concerned about.
That is why I wanted you to know that the elders of Good News Church have been discussing, and are in talks with the Marion County Sherriff’s office regarding a plan to hire an off-duty police officer to be on site for the four-hour period that we hold services on Sunday mornings. A police car and an officer, we believe, would serve as a “visual deterrent.” In other words, the visible presence of security lowers the odds that it is actually needed.
I wanted to give you warning, just in case you see a police car at Good News Church some Sunday over the next couple of weeks and wonder if something is up. Right now the elders just want to try this level of security for a few weeks/months to see how we feel about it, before making some kind of long-term commitment.
