Violence is an ongoing epidemic and churches are not immune from the problem. Incidents of violence at places of worship are occurring at an alarming rate and their frequency will increase. As Christians we are often reluctant to act against violence, for we rely on our faith to guide and protect us. The bible tells us in Nehemiah 4:17, "Those who built on the wall, and those who carried burdens, loaded themselves so that with one hand they worked at construction, and with the other held a weapon." As Christians we can continue to build while protecting ourselves by using a common sense approach to church safety and security.

When addressing the issue of violence in a church, it is important to remember that active shooter scenarios are just one aspect of church security. Issues such as starting a church safety team, disruptive individuals, building security, parking lot safety, money escorts, emergency action plans and children's ministry safety are some of the many aspects that churches need to address in order to provide a safe environment for their worshipers.

The Church Safety and Security Seminar will address all aspects of church safety and security, in a comprehensive, standardized and common sense approach, that will focus on "Protecting the flock," "Protecting the lambs" and "Protecting the pasture," while never losing sight of our Christian purpose.

Sheepdog Ministries is a Christ centered security and consultation church ministry created by two current Christian law enforcement officers with over thirty years of combined police experience in Southern California. The focus is a God centered approach to security consulting and training for church settings, as well as the training and mentoring of church security ministries. All proceeds from this event will benefit the Fallbrook High School and Pop Warner Football Programs.

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Church Safety and Security Seminar Offered in San Diego County

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

PARISHIONERS of the Beato Pedro Calungsod church in Barangay Cantabaco, Toledo City celebrated the last beatification anniversary of their patron saint yesterday.

The church, located on a hill, was filled to capacity with local devotees and residents from nearby villages.

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Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma, who led the concelebrated mass, said the weather 12 years ago in Rome was fair just like the weather yesterday.

Our celebration today is joyful, he said, referring to the coming canonization of Calungsod on Oct. 21.

Palma reminded the people in his homily to follow the example of the Visayan martyr, who was beatified by Blessed Pope John Paul II in Rome on March 5, 2000.

Faith

He said Pope Benedict XVI has declared the year 2012 as a Year of Faith. The Catholic Church also marks the 50th year since the Second Vatican Council was convened and the 20th year since the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

This year, we hope that we give importance to faith, he said.

Excerpt from:
Parish rushes to prepare Calungsod church

By Stefanie Bainum sbainum@abcnews4.com

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) A downtown Reverend calls it a sign from above, tons of rain and little flooding at the Crosstown this past weekend. The Crosstown construction project has been underway for a few months and it already seems to be working.

This past Sunday was different than any other for Revered Randolph Miller and the parish of Nichols Chapel A.M.E Church.

"I said oh God it rained all night last night' and I wondered how will it be this morning because normally when that happened we would not have church on Sunday morning because the water would be so high," said Revered Randolph Miller. "I called one of my parishioners and she said, Pastor there is no water, come on to church'."

It's an answered prayer for many in the West Side area of downtown Charleston, as memories of flooded streets remain high.

"Then there was a time we were in the church and the water would start rising so highit would be in the cars," Reverend Miller said.

Reverend Miller has been a game player in the flooding project-- accompanying Mayor Joe Riley to the State Infrastructure Bank meeting last year to ask for the 88 million dollars to complete the Crosstown flooding project.

"I talked to them about being Moses and the flooding of the waters and Joshua crossing the Red Sea, and it looks to me that they heard me."

The bank granted the City of Charleston the funding last month.

"It's all worth it for what we received this morning,I will take it anytime," Reverend Miller said.

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Church celebrates Crosstown flooding project

Church's plan for solar park blocked by red tape

The government has hit back at claims by the Church of Greece that its plans to build a solar park have been caught up in red tape by saying that the intended site is actually public land, which is due to be reforested.

State authorities challenge the ownership rights that the Pendeli Monastery claims to have, the Environment Ministry said in a statement, which added that church officials have been informed that the land in question is listed as public forestland.

A prerequisite for the investment to go ahead is for the ownership issue to be settled, said the ministry.

The statement goes on to say that even if the ownership issue is resolved in favor of the monastery, which is located in northern Athens, then the question of whether the site in question is located is forestland also needs to be settled.

The ministry said that the state had listed the area to be reforested following several wildfires between 1998 and 2009. Once land is set aside for reforestation, the law prevents any construction from taking place. However, this rule has been broken repeatedly in the past.

The Environment Ministry went on to point out that the monastery has not applied for a license to build on the land, suggesting that the Church may have been looking for favorable treatment from the government.

A spokesman for the Church told Kathimerini on Monday that Archbishop Ieronymos had been encouraged to proceed with the plans for a solar park by previous Prime Minister George Papandreou and current Premier Lucas Papademos.

Meanwhile, Ombudsman Calliope Spanou on Monday gave a deposition to financial prosecutor Grigoris Peponis in connection to the rents paid by her organization. Peponis has launched an investigation into the rents paid by state bodies.

The Ombudsmans rent for offices owned by the Vatopedi Monastery, which is located on Mount Athos, is about 100,000 euros a month. Spanou said she has been asking since last year for the rent to be reduced but the governments Land Service, which is responsible for the negotiations, has failed to deliver yet.

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Church's plan for solar park blocked by red tape

CEBU, Philippines - Blessings keep pouring in for the couple whose faith and generosity made possible the rising of the first church dedicated to Visayan Martyr and soon to be canonized Blessed Pedro Calungsod.

The Blessed Pedro Calungsod Parish in Barangay Cantabaco, Toledo City, celebrated its sixth founding anniversary yesterday since the parish was established in Mar, 5, 2006.Yesterday was also the twelfth anniversary of his beatification.

The church, still half-complete, started only as a nipa hut in 2005 until it gradually improved into a concrete structure through the efforts of couple Servillano and Josephine Mapeso and several other benefactors that include mostly the residents of the barangay.

The lot where the Blessed Pedro Calungsod Parish now stands was donated by the Mapeso family to the Archdiocese of Cebu through a deed of donation signed by former Cebu archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal and the Mapeso couple in November 17, 2003.

Parish Priest Rev. Fr. Russel Sungcad said the church still has a long way to go especially on the roofing, ceiling, electrical wiring, the parking area, the rectory, the belfry and the landscaping.

After the canonization of our Blessed Pedro Calungsod in Rome, all celebration will be focused here. We hope that by November or December, our Archbishop can do the consecration of our beloved Parish, Sungcad said.

The existence of this church is another miracle from Blessed Calungsod because it has come into this state even with only meager resources and budget, Sungcad said.

The Blessed Pedro Calungsod Parish has now organized 16 communities and supervised 32 chapels. It covers five surrounding barangays.Sungcad recalled how the people have helped one another to gradually improve the structure. The structure is designed by Architect Servillano Mapeso, the donor of the lot.

The Mapeso family donated one hectare of their 13-hectare property in Cantabaco, Toledo City to the Archdiocese of Cebu when Msgr. Gerardo Jumao-as and Fr. Michael Hisoler came to them looking for a lot where to possibly build a house of God.

The priests offered to buy the one-hectare lot which was valued at over P1 million at the time.

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The church that rose from faith

POSTED: 11:03 pm CST March 4, 2012UPDATED: 11:04 pm CST March 4, 2012 The Islamic Center of St. Joseph soon wont be the only house of worship on its block.Right across the street, at 2407 Messanie St., rises the frame for what will be Heritage Church, according to documents from the city.City Planner Dustin Smith noted that work began on the building within the past couple of weeks. Plans for it went through the City Council and the planning commission last fall.In keeping with the characteristics of the buildings around it, the church is required to have a brick or stone facade and to be close to the front of the property line. Another red-brick building on the property will be removed.Once complete, Heritage Church will measure about 1,700 square feet.Were still kind of in the process of determining occupancy, Mr. Smith said, adding that for the time being, maximum capacity is set at 48.A representative from the church declined to be interviewed.Erin Wisdom can be reached at erin.wisdom@newspressnow.com. Follow her on Twitter: @SJNPWisdom. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.blog comments powered by

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Construction begins on Heritage Church

By Stacy Lange

5:07 p.m. EST, March 5, 2012

Members of the church who outgrew their old church are in the middle of building a new one.

Methodist Pastor Jean-Pierre Duncan said when four struggling churches in and around Newton Township merged four years ago a church was just a distant dream.

"The four churches, they wanted to do together what they couldn't do separately. They didn't have very strong Sunday schools in each of the churches," said Pastor Duncan.

Construction at the new Countryside Community Church is well underway. A few hundred members of the four merged congregations raised almost $3 million build the new church.

When finished, the new sanctuary that looks out on to Newton Ransom Boulevard, will seat twice as many members as their current building less than a mile down the road.

Since the merger, church members said they have been running out of room in the current building and there are a few other problems. Members have to cross a busy road to get to services on Sunday.

"The point of our churches coming together was to build our church and reach out to the whole community so we're building a church to invite our entire community to join us," said church member Keith Eckel.

He and other members launched a capital campaign and raised almost all of the money necessary to complete the new building. In a struggling economy, members said they were worried this project would never get off the ground.

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New Church Nearing Completion

Jessica Ventura felt like a brand new person on Sunday.

Ventura, of Norwich, was one of 16 people baptized into Iglesia Las Buenas Nuevas, a Spanish-speaking church, Sunday afternoon.

I feel different. I feel great, said Ventura, after taking her turn in the baptismal pool at First Baptist Church of Norwich.

Iglesia Las Buenas Nuevas began meeting nearly six years ago at the First Baptist Church on West Main Street. Since then, the Spanish-speaking Baptist congregation has grown from a handful of members to 74.

We have 58 members, but we add 16 more today, said the Rev. Jorge Morales. The church draws members not only from Norwich but also from nearby towns, including Groton and New London, where Morales is from. Morales said members hail from Puerto Rico, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and other Central and South American countries.

We want to reach as much of the community as we can, Morales explained. Although most of the services are in Spanish, the church provides a translator and individual listening devices so non-Spanish speakers can follow the service in English.

On Sunday, nearly 100 people spent several hours singing and worshipping. Many were there to see the main event of the day the baptisms of 16 new members.

Today is a very special day, said Morales, whose wife, Wanda, also helps lead services. Today, we celebrate something that doesnt occur all year long.

The 16 new members donned white gowns and sandals and took turns stepping into the pool to be baptized. Some wept and some smiled. For husband and wife Cesar and Alicia Santini, baptism was something they experienced as a couple.

My whole family is baptized, Alicia said. My husband wanted me to marry him again, and I said it had to be in the church.

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Spanish-speaking church in Norwich baptizes 16 new members

It's a new beginning for a Bastrop pastor and his wife after their home and church were destroyed in the devastating wildfires last September.

A Bryan church and a congregation from New Hampshire joined forces to build the Vega Family a brand-new home in just a week.

It's a labor for the Lord in Bastrop and it's all for Pastor Mike Vega, his wife Debbie and their congregation at Word of Life Community Church on Highway 21.

He's been doing ministry here for 24 years.

"My church, my home and my daughter's house, daughter used to live right on the church property church homes. We lost three settings here," said Pastor Mike Vega.

The Bastrop Wildfire in September of last year destroyed more than 1,500 homes but left some things like the church's outdoor worship area untouched.

"The fire just went around it as you can see even the trees there we see the fire, the trees have a little bit of burning," said Mike Vega.

After the burning has now come a building blitz and New Englanders talking Texan!

"Yee doggies!" said two of the team members from New Hampshire.

34 people from the Rockingham Church in New Hampshire partnered with First United Methodist Church in Bryan to bless the Vega Family with a brand-new 1,800 square foot home in just a week.

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Bastrop Pastor and Wife Get Brand-New Home After Wildfire Destroyed Their Church and Home

POSTED: 11:03 pm CST March 4, 2012 The Islamic Center of St. Joseph soon wont be the only house of worship on its block.Right across the street, at 2407 Messanie St., rises the frame for what will be Heritage Church, according to documents from the city.City Planner Dustin Smith noted that work began on the building within the past couple of weeks. Plans for it went through the City Council and the planning commission last fall.In keeping with the characteristics of the buildings around it, the church is required to have a brick or stone facade and to be close to the front of the property line. Another red-brick building on the property will be removed.Once complete, Heritage Church will measure about 1,700 square feet.Were still kind of in the process of determining occupancy, Mr. Smith said, adding that for the time being, maximum capacity is set at 48.A representative from the church declined to be interviewed.Erin Wisdom can be reached at erin.wisdom@newspressnow.com. Follow her on Twitter: @SJNPWisdom. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.blog comments powered by

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Construction begins on new Heritage Church building