Worshippers should ‘not be fearful of attending church,’ local pastor says

Leaders of local congregations believe that more active shooter trainings would be beneficial in light of a mass shooting at a Texas church Sunday that left 26 dead.

The Rev. H. Clark Edwards, of First United Methodist Church in Bradenton, had joined the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office’s first ever “Safety Plan for Houses of Worship” class last year. Now, he says, he will be “pursuing” an opportunity for another training.

Edwards moved to the area in July 2016, and the active shooter training for clergy members was the following month. It was about a year after nine people were killed at the Emanual African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C.

Sheriff’s office spokesman Dave Bristow said the department is often holding training seminars, and that having another for church leaders is an option.

“It’s on the minds of people, whenever you have situations like we had (Sunday) in Texas, it makes people uneasy,” Bristow said.

Representatives from about a dozen congregations gathered for the 2016 class, learning things like knowing where your exits are, barricading themselves in place and seeking out ways to aggressively defend themselves if necessary.

“I thought it was a good beginning for us to think in a broader way because of things that are happening in our country,” Edwards said.

As a result of that training, First United Methodist installed security cameras.

“Not that it will prevent anything, but at least it gives us some insight of what happens at our campus at all hours,” the pastor said. “We want our congregations to be safe and not be fearful of attending church.

“I think we do have a responsibility to provide a safe environment and looking at how we can do that,” he added.

Some members of Ohr Yeshua Messianic Synagogue in East Bradenton were also at the 2016 training. Rabbi Gary Beresford said they are more vigilant, but they have to find the balance between “security and freedom.”

“While we’re being cautious, we have to be open that people will be coming in to worship with us,” he said.

It’s “frightening that people resort to this type of thing,” he said, believing that there was a “lack of fear of God.” Beresford said he would be open to have more active shooter trainings, because “more training and more awareness is a good thing.”

Both Beresford and Edwards shared their condolences for the victims of the Texas shooting and their families.

“Our hearts go out to our friends in Texas and this community, and we’re saddened by it happening,” Edwards said.

This story was originally published November 6, 2017 at 4:46 PM with the headline "Worshippers should ‘not be fearful of attending church,’ local pastor says."