By G. Jeffrey MacDonald For the past two months, worshipers at St. Columba’s Church in Washington, D.C., have been met by a new kind of greeter: an armed, off-duty police officer in a marked police vehicle. He is there to deter violence and respond if a gunman should ever open fire. Call it a sign of the times. St. Columba’s took the step as calls for security grew louder … [Read more...] about How Should Churches Protect their People?
shootings
Light in the Darkness
Police verify the identity of people in a field just outside the airport perimeter after shootings at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. REUTERS/Andrew Innerarity The Rt. Rev. Peter Eaton, Bishop of Southeast Florida, mourns the fallen at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport: As we celebrate this bright Feast of the Epiphany, we are once more … [Read more...] about Light in the Darkness
‘Jesus Is Present’
The Rt. Rev. Brian E. Prior, Bishop of Minnesota, responds (via email) to multiple shootings in North Minneapolis on Nov. 22:The Roman Empire turned its back upon tiny Bethlehem, and yet God showed up. Ignored by emperors and kings, Bethlehem was a speck on the map — if it even appeared at all. Yet Jesus entered the world in this place abandoned by empire and was Good News for … [Read more...] about ‘Jesus Is Present’
Pastoral Care after Shootings
The Rt. Rev. Mark Bourlakas, Bishop of Southwestern Virginia, writes to clergy of the diocese about the church’s response to the murder of two television journalists Wednesday morning:Our church, Trinity Ecumenical Parish, is the staging area for emergency personnel, police, fire, and EMS. The congregation is providing hospitality to the service men and women working this … [Read more...] about Pastoral Care after Shootings