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Friday night, some high school miscreants threw a stepping stone into a glass door at the church. My Pastor calls me, tells me that the 4 police officers won't let him out of his vehicle until they clear the building....the alarm had scared them off befoere they could do any damage.
I get there 30 minutes later with a few others and we patch up the door, having a good time doing it, and off to the house at midnight.

This morning in Sunday school, a handful of close friends were in there and he starts relating the story. At one point he mentions that he saw the 5 suspected individuals coming back up the road towards the church, who veered a different direction after spotting the Pastor cleaning up the mess. So he says it made him nervous.
"But, I would have felt more comfortable if I was "Packing" like Bill does."

Sooooo, after Service I walked up to him ( I love the guy like a brother) and said "PLEASE don't announce that I am "packing".
"But why?" he says.
"Cause that is what the concealed in "concealed carry" stands for." I tell him. "Besides, not everyone is comfortable about guns, nor would believe that I should have one, especially in Church."

He turns and faces me squarely and says "Bill, I want you to be carrying in Church! I always thought you did! It is the right thing to do."
So I mentioned that the only thing that would prevent me would be if he put up the proper signage, and he looks me in the eye and says "That will never happen while I'm here."

Its good to be appreciated.

~Bill

Brings this to mind from movie Pulp Fiction.

Ezekiel 25:17,

The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who in the name of charity and good will shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

DOH! It does sounds like the pastor might be wanting a CHL .

killerquad wrote:DOH! It does sounds like the pastor might be wanting a CHL .

Right, tell him Two is better than One.

Marshal, I am on the other end of that. Several, SEVERAL in our church know I carry because I traind them & went to their class w/ them. Am working w/ 2 at the present & doing a Personal defense training Saturday (open to all in community) on Awareness & Verbal Assertiveness. In Tiny Town, Texas, It is impossible to remain totally unknown.
Everyone I teach, I also tell very straightly, "ask for any help you need, show & share any new learning or gear, but do it privately. This is NOT for PUBLIC discussion." That is not only for me but any others they know have a CHL.

You guys in the mega cities can define concealled as "No one knows you even have a CHL let alone that you are armed at present."
That just is not possible in our setting.
I have been to the class for my own, a renewal, Moms, Wifes, several that I trained & I have never been to even 1 that Everyone was a new acquaintance. Last renewal was probably the biggest gathering of first name friends, about 5. As soon as I walked in the door for the 2nd half, group standing visiting & "HEY PREACHER, what chuu doin here." Group "Same thing you are only I already have one". There were other groups of 2s & 3s.
I would have to drive a long way to insure I was not known at all & so would any others that have been here for 20+ yrs. One of those was the brother of the one hosting Sat. training.
In Tiny Town, Texas, it is as impossible to keep secret you attendance at CHL class as it is your attendance at church or the local watering hole.

Longtooth, it would make a heckuva news story if anyone ever entered your church services with violent intentions.

I am part of our "Safe Haven" ministry at our church. We are all in radio communications and most have our CHL. We walk the halls of the building during service helping "lost people" find their way. We have recently expanded to golf carts in the parking lot as well.

The Abilene Police Department provided us some "training" via the virtual reenactment of the church shooting in Ft. Worth several years back. The FWPD received permission from the families to use the CS photos as a training piece for church groups like ours.

With the "Safe Haven" ministry we focus on the two nursery areas and children's church area as the only adults are almost always female. And we have several disgruntled non churched spouses or exspouses who might attempt to take the children in their "unprotected state".

So far no incidents...other than one Wed. night this teenager entered the building from a side entrance with a hunter arrow with a broad head on it. I asked a couple inquisitive questions (he had found it in the grass behind the building) and asked him if I could take it. Sure! he said.

Got my heart pumping a little though.

TX_TLC wrote:I am part of our "Safe Haven" ministry at our church. We are all in radio communications and most have our CHL. We walk the halls of the building during service helping "lost people" find their way. We have recently expanded to golf carts in the parking lot as well.

The Abilene Police Department provided us some "training" via the virtual reenactment of the church shooting in Ft. Worth several years back. The FWPD received permission from the families to use the CS photos as a training piece for church groups like ours.

With the "Safe Haven" ministry we focus on the two nursery areas and children's church area as the only adults are almost always female. And we have several disgruntled non churched spouses or exspouses who might attempt to take the children in their "unprotected state".

So far no incidents...other than one Wed. night this teenager entered the building from a side entrance with a hunter arrow with a broad head on it. I asked a couple inquisitive questions (he had found it in the grass behind the building) and asked him if I could take it. Sure! he said.

Got my heart pumping a little though.

Good job David, sounds like you guys have a good thing going there!

cjlandry wrote:Longtooth, it would make a heckuva news story if anyone ever entered your church services with violent intentions.

Hope it never does. We are not hunting headlines.
Yes there are several armed there. We have a threat response plan & go over it once a yr. That is about 2 weeks off right now.
As far as I know there has never been a return fire resolution to a chruch shooting.
Our men & the ladies responsible for calling a report in really focus on the lesser possibilities like car buglaries, or mad transients that dont get what the ask for.

I can assure you we are not the only armed church represented on this board by a long shot. no pun intended.

Wildscar wrote:Brings this to mind from movie Pulp Fiction.

Ezekiel 25:17,

The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who in the name of charity and good will shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

I love that part in Pulp Fiction

longtooth wrote:

cjlandry wrote:Longtooth, it would make a heckuva news story if anyone ever entered your church services with violent intentions.

Hope it never does. We are not hunting headlines.
Yes there are several armed there. We have a threat response plan & go over it once a yr. That is about 2 weeks off right now.
As far as I know there has never been a return fire resolution to a chruch shooting.
Our men & the ladies responsible for calling a report in really focus on the lesser possibilities like car buglaries, or mad transients that dont get what the ask for.

I can assure you we are not the only armed church represented on this board by a long shot. no pun intended.

Nope!

"I love that part in Pulp Fiction"

If ya look it up tho, methinks you'll see they got overly-creative with that one ... But the guys on the "receiving end" never knew that.

flintknapper wrote:

longtooth wrote:

cjlandry wrote:Longtooth, it would make a heckuva news story if anyone ever entered your church services with violent intentions.

Hope it never does. We are not hunting headlines.
Yes there are several armed there. We have a threat response plan & go over it once a yr. That is about 2 weeks off right now.
As far as I know there has never been a return fire resolution to a chruch shooting.
Our men & the ladies responsible for calling a report in really focus on the lesser possibilities like car buglaries, or mad transients that dont get what the ask for.

I can assure you we are not the only armed church represented on this board by a long shot. no pun intended.

Nope!

I knew you would be short & sweet. BUT
I figured it would be Yup!
My friend & Brother.

flintknapper wrote:

longtooth wrote:

cjlandry wrote:Longtooth, it would make a heckuva news story if anyone ever entered your church services with violent intentions.

Hope it never does. We are not hunting headlines.
Yes there are several armed there. We have a threat response plan & go over it once a yr. That is about 2 weeks off right now.
As far as I know there has never been a return fire resolution to a chruch shooting.
Our men & the ladies responsible for calling a report in really focus on the lesser possibilities like car buglaries, or mad transients that dont get what the ask for.

I can assure you we are not the only armed church represented on this board by a long shot. no pun intended.

Nope!

Double Nope!

Greybeard wrote:"I love that part in Pulp Fiction"

If ya look it up tho, methinks you'll see they got overly-creative with that one ... But the guys on the "receiving end" never knew that.

Yeah me too. I wish I could say I knew that by heart but I actually pulled that off of wikipedia.com and they have the whole run down on that phrase. It's actually several different passages put together and slightly reworded for the movie.