ELCA NEWS SERVICE
October 2, 2007
Lutherans in Pennsylvania Participate in Homeland Security Course
07-161-MRC
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Lutherans in Pennsylvania recently
participated in a course on recognizing and preventing terrorist
activity in places of worship. Considered "soft targets" by the
U.S. Department of Homeland Security, "churches can be considered
easy targets because people meet at very predictable times and
under very low security conditions," according to Julia Menzo,
Philadelphia.
"The impact of an attack in a religious setting can also be
great because it goes to the heart of many Americans' core
values," said Menzo, Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR)
coordinator. LDR is a collaborative ministry of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Lutheran Church-
Missouri Synod.
The message of the course is not to increase fear, said
Menzo, but "to acknowledge a reality so that appropriate
attention can be given to alertness." She said the course was
valuable in that it served as "an important reminder that
terrorist activity is a real threat and that there are people in
the world who would like to do real harm to Christians and
Americans."
One thing Lutheran congregations can keep in mind is to be
vigilant about their surroundings without being suspicious or
paranoid, said Menzo. "Important, simple actions, such as doing
regular security checks of church property and getting to know
neighbors, have many benefits including building relationships,
taking care of property and community, and protecting our
church's parishioners and children," she said.
Congregations can learn to recognize and prevent terrorist
activities by keeping an eye open for anyone who is out of the
ordinary, specifically by noticing anyone who is spending an
inordinate amount of time loitering on church property, anyone
who is observing and taking notes about the grounds, and anyone
who is asking unusual questions, she said.
It is possible for churches to remain welcoming communities
by building relationships with people from many backgrounds, said
Menzo. "These relationships will in many cases be the best
protection against terrorists or other individuals seeking to
harm church property or people," she said.
The Rev. Frank Sayford, Trinity Lutheran Church, Fort
Washington, Pa., said he approached the course "wearing two hats"
-- one as a pastor of a congregation, and second as a member of
the Fort Washington Fire Police. Trinity is a congregation of
the ELCA.
"Many in our area share the mentality that 'it can't happen
here.' Hurricanes, for example, are something that happen south
of us," said Sayford, but the reality is that communities can
still be affected and should "be aware and involved. It's also
about how we can reach out as a community since we are part of
God's earthly kingdom."
It's important for congregations to have an emergency
response plan, like businesses do, because it's a matter of how
congregations can be responsive and communicative in protecting
the security of children and congregations during human-caused
and natural disasters, said Sayford, adding that LDR is "taking a
proactive role in calling congregations together, looking at how
we can help each other."
The course was presented Aug. 8 by the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security's Risk Management Division and the Private
Sector Office and Pennsylvania Office of Homeland Security in
cooperation with the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency
Training Office and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Regional
Counter-Terrorism Task Force at the Montgomery County Public
Safety Training Center, Conshohocken, Pa.
- - -
Information about Lutheran Disaster Response is at
http://www.ldr.org on the Web.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog
