Intel Monitor/Report Suspicious Activity

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Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF)

Yesterday, October 23, two or three masked gunmen attacked a funeral at St. George Greek Orthodox Church in the village of Hmoud, Karak Governorate, southern Jordan. Nine people are dead and about 40 are wounded. The death toll rose from seven to nine today when two critically wounded people died. Jordanian officials call it a terrorist attack by a group of extremists. The attackers fled, no arrests have been announced, and no claim of responsibility has been verified. The National, a news outlet in the United Arab Emirates, reports it is the deadliest attack on Jordan’s Christians since the mid-1950s.

What Happened

Around 2:10 PM local time on Friday, two or three masked gunmen arrived at the church by car while a funeral was under way for a woman from the community. They fired first at mourners outside the church from the street, using trees and a low wall for cover. They then rushed the church entrance and kept shooting. Witnesses said the shooting lasted about five minutes before the attackers drove away. Survivors also reported an explosion as the funeral procession began. The cause of the explosion has not been confirmed.

Between 150 and 200 people were in and around the church. Closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage verified by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) shows two attackers entering the church grounds through a vehicle entrance, pulling back, and returning with a third gunman. Witnesses described handguns and at least one rifle.

Police and security forces launched a manhunt, and roads in and out of Karak were closed. Security remains tightened in Karak, and police were patrolling outside the church on Saturday. On Saturday, King Abdullah II chaired a security meeting and ordered security forces to pursue those responsible. Jordan declared three days of national mourning beginning Friday.

⚠️ Graphic Content Warning: Video of the Attack ⚠️

The videos below show people being shot, and people who are dead and dying. They are disturbing. Do not watch them if you are sensitive to graphic violence, if children are nearby, or if you are not prepared to see mass casualties at a funeral. The videos are included so church safety teams can study how the attack unfolded.

The Suspects

The church security camera recorded three men. No arrests have been announced, and the suspects have not been publicly identified. Authorities say it is too early to determine whether they have links to known groups inside or outside Jordan.

Cedar News, a Lebanese outlet, reported on Friday that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) claimed the attack. That report has not been verified, and Reuters and Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported on Saturday that no group had claimed responsibility.

The Victims

Nine people have died. The eight victims reported on Saturday morning were all men, most from the Halasah family, one of Jordan’s prominent Christian families. Three were doctors. A witness said most of those killed were between 50 and 70 years old. About 40 people were wounded, and Jordan’s health minister said 25 remain hospitalized. A Halasah family member who is a doctor told The National the attack appeared designed to make Christians leave the area.

The Response

King Abdullah II visited the wounded in Karak and said the perpetrators would be punished with an iron fist. Prime Minister Jafar Hassan blamed terrorist ideology and extremism, and the interior minister called the attack unprecedented in the history of the kingdom. The United States embassy in Amman said security was stepped up at malls, foreign embassies, and other locations across Jordan. No United States connection to the attack has been reported. Lebanon, India, Greece, and the World Evangelical Alliance are among those who condemned it.

The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which oversees the church in Hmoud, called the attack a vile and cowardly act that struck its own community. On Saturday, Patriarch Theophilos III held a memorial service in Jerusalem for the victims. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the senior bishop of the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem also condemned the attack.

Background

Karak is home to a long-established Christian minority in a Muslim-majority country. In December 2016, ISIS gunmen attacked police and then Karak Castle, killing 10 people, including seven police officers and a Canadian tourist. Jordan has also been a repeated target of Iranian missile and drone strikes this year during the war between Iran and the United States and Israel. Officials have not linked the church attack to that conflict.

Why It Matters for Churches Here

Christians in Jordan and across much of the Middle East are targeted for their faith, and this attack hit a Christian family in its home village. Churches in the United States do not face that kind of open persecution, and most funerals here do not need a safety team on duty. The risk changes when the person being buried was the victim of a murder, had ties to crime or gangs, or belonged to an organization that brings enemies. Those funerals are announced publicly, draw large crowds of older adults, and can draw the people who caused the death. The attackers in Hmoud fired from cover outside the church before they moved on the entrance, and the people standing outside were hit first.

What You Can Do to Prevent It

1. Ask your pastor or church office to notify the safety team leader of every funeral. When the person being buried was a murder victim, had ties to crime or gangs, or belonged to an organization that brings enemies, staff the service the way you staff a Sunday service. Apply the same check to weddings, celebrations of life, and vigils.

2. Post one team member outside where they can see the parking lot, the street, and any vehicle entrance.

3. Practice closing and locking your entry doors, and time how long it takes.

4. Choose a room-by-room evacuation route that leads away from the street-facing doors and windows, and walk each route with your team.

5. Stock bleeding-control kits in every building, and schedule a tourniquet class for your team.

6. Write down the license plate and description of any unfamiliar vehicle that circles or parks near your building during an event, and call law enforcement.

7. Give your pastor and funeral director a short script for announcing a lockdown or evacuation from the front of the room.

What the Bible Says

“Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.” (Psalm 116:15, ESV)

The people killed in Hmoud died at a funeral, standing with a grieving family and honoring one of their own. Psalm 116 was written by someone who had come close to death and been delivered, and verse 15 tells us that God does not treat the death of His people as a small thing. He sees it, and He counts it as precious. That same church was gathered around the promise Jesus made at another funeral, outside the tomb of Lazarus in John 11:25-26, when He said that whoever believes in Him will live even though they die. That promise still stands for the families in Hmoud, and it stands for us.

Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:12 that everyone who wants to live a Godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. Christians in Jordan, Nigeria, Syria, and Egypt live that verse every week. In Revelation 6:9-10, John sees the souls of those killed for the word of God crying out and asking the Lord how long it will be before He judges and avenges their blood. Their question is answered with a promise that judgment is coming on God’s timetable, and Romans 13:4 tells us that the governing authorities who bear the sword are God’s servants in the meantime. Churches in the United States do not face open persecution. First Corinthians 12:26 still applies to us: when one member of the body suffers, every member suffers with it. The families in Hmoud are our family.

When Nehemiah’s people were rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem and their enemies threatened to attack, Nehemiah stood up and said, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes” (Nehemiah 4:14, ESV). Nehemiah treated the threat as real and kept the work going. He posted guards, armed the builders, and kept the people working (Nehemiah 4:16-18). A church safety team does the same work today: keeping the doors open so people can come to Christ, watching the parking lot and the street, and standing ready to protect the congregation when a funeral or a service carries real risk.

Please pray for the victims, their families, and the Christian community of Karak. Details may change as the investigation develops. Share this with your pastor and your team leader. Paid subscribers get my Analyst’s Notes, a Leadership Memo, a Team Huddle Brief, and a Tabletop Scenario below.

For Paid Subscribers

✅ Analyst’s Notes on how this attack was carried out and what I am watching for next

✅ Leadership Memo (PDF) for your pastor and elders on which funerals need a safety team

✅ Team Huddle Brief (PDF) your team leader can use before any service

✅ Tabletop Scenario (PDF) built on the Hmoud attack, in the CASIC scenario format

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Intel Monitor/Report Suspicious Activity

Hello Christian Warriors. Here is your weekly Roll Call Briefing. It is meant to be read, or to be delivered verbally as a team, before you start your shift protecting the Body of Christ. Here is what we cover today:

✅ 0:00 Intro — briefing from the mountains of Idaho

✅ 0:28 Alert Posture — still at Orange, and why

✅ 0:50 Christ First — Matthew 18:10 and the five child cases

✅ 1:50 Suspicious Activity Reports — Las Vegas, Lake Havasu City and the Bronx

✅ 3:11 Intelligence Updates — seven threats, including a church bomb threat and an ISIS claim in Nigeria

✅ 8:18 Violence Against Churches — the child-case surge, a parking lot takeover and seven more cases

✅ 13:13 Training Focus — the visitor who studies your cameras

✅ 14:12 Assignments & Close

🔴 Download the Roll Call Briefing Below 👇

Read more

Intel Monitor/Report Suspicious Activity

Drone Warfare and the Threat to Your Church

I have been warning church safety teams about drones for roughly two years. Some people have listened. Others have told me to stay in my lane, that this is a problem for another country, or that their church has no reason to prepare for it.

I recently sat down with Matt, a former Air Force Joint Terminal Attack Controller who now works in drone training and production with Valdi Labs and Watchfire. He is also a Christian and serves on his church security team. He understands the military capabilities, and he understands the responsibility of protecting a congregation.

His warning was blunt. When I asked about people dismissing the threat, he said, “You’re going to get your people killed, flat out.”

That is a hard statement. But before you dismiss it, listen to the training experience behind it and ask yourself a question: If a suspicious drone appeared over your church this Sunday, would your team know what to do?

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A Cheap Drone Can Defeat an Experienced Team

One of the strongest moments in our conversation came when Matt described acting as an opposing drone pilot during military training. He explained that he could not pick up a rifle and expect to defeat the highly trained special operations personnel he was working against. With an inexpensive drone, however, he had been able to defeat entire SEAL teams in simulated engagements.

These were training scenarios. He was talking about simulated casualties, and he made that clear during the interview. The lesson was how quickly a threat from above could expose weaknesses in people who already had years of tactical experience.

Train Before Your First Encounter

According to Matt, the teams changed how they moved and responded as the training progressed. They learned to take the drones seriously, and they adapted. Their first exposure happened during training, where mistakes could be corrected.

That is what I want for our church safety teams. Learn now, while you have the opportunity. Your first discussion about a drone response should happen around a training table, not in the parking lot while families are arriving.

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The Attacker Does Not Have to Walk Through Your Doors

Most church security planning concentrates on threats at ground level. We watch the entrances, identify suspicious behavior, position people in the parking lot, and prepare to respond to an armed attacker. Those responsibilities remain essential.

A drone introduces a different problem. The person controlling it can be away from the church, outside the area your team is watching. Your people may see the aircraft without ever seeing the operator.

Matt also explained how operating through a screen or goggles can distance a person from the immediate human consequences of an attack. His assessment was that this changes the psychological barrier for someone willing to commit violence.

We do not need to predict exactly who will use that capability against a church to recognize the gap in our preparation. A plan built entirely around someone approaching on foot leaves a threat from above largely unaddressed.

Observation Can Come Before an Attack

Matt described three broad drone roles: intelligence gathering, direct attack, and dropping a payload. Church safety teams should understand those categories without assuming they can reliably identify a drone’s purpose from the ground.

A drone watching entrances, parking areas, or the movement of people could be gathering information. It could also have an innocent explanation. You need observation, documentation, and judgment to distinguish concerning activity from ordinary drone use.

Recognize and Report Suspicious Activity

Pay attention to behavior. Repeated appearances during services, persistent observation of particular areas, or activity that coincides with other suspicious conduct deserves attention. Record what you actually observed rather than turning your suspicions into facts.

An aircraft does not have to be visibly carrying something to warrant a report. At the same time, failing to see a payload does not establish that the aircraft is harmless. Your team needs a process for communicating uncertainty and escalating a credible concern.

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Glass and Open Spaces Create Vulnerabilities

Churches love glass. We have large lobby windows, bright entrances, and open gathering spaces. During the interview, Matt raised the possibility that an attack could exploit those features. Closed doors are useful, but the building’s construction and the location of your people also belong in the discussion.

He also emphasized cover, concealment, and the danger of people remaining exposed or gathering together during an attack. Those are lessons your team should consider when reviewing outdoor activities, arrival periods, and dismissal.

Plan Where People Will Move

Ask where people could move if a threat appeared above the parking lot. Look at the routes to protected areas, the amount of glass along those routes, and the needs of children, older members, and people with limited mobility. A direction that sounds simple in a meeting may become difficult when several hundred people try to follow it.

People may also stop to record an unfamiliar drone instead of moving away from danger. Your response plan needs clear instructions and people who can deliver them calmly. Watching a threat develop through a phone screen does nothing to protect a congregation.

Understand the Limits of Your Response

The interview included discussion of military counterdrone techniques and training. Churches need to distinguish those discussions from what they are authorized to do. The FAA states that shooting at an aircraft, including a drone, is illegal under federal law. A drone hovering near your property does not give your team permission to shoot it down. If its operation poses an immediate threat, contact local law enforcement.

Protecting people, communicating the threat, and coordinating with responders should be the foundation of your plan. Do not build it around a volunteer improvising a counterdrone response.

A Drone Can Also Help Protect the Church

We spent a substantial part of the interview discussing how churches can use drones for observation. I believe church safety teams should seriously consider a trained drone operator as part of their program.

At the property where we recorded, we were discussing approximately 35 acres. Three people in the parking lot cannot watch every part of that property at once. A drone can help an operator observe areas that would otherwise require someone to walk or drive out to investigate.

That can give your team information before it sends a person into an uncertain situation. It can also support the people already watching entrances and interacting with arriving families.

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Inspect Uncertain Areas Without Sending Someone Inside

I described the training we have available at courses.christianwarriortraining.com on using an Avata 2 drone to inspect a church interior. Being able to look into an area remotely can reduce unnecessary exposure. It does not mean a camera has established that every room, hiding place, or part of the building is safe.

A pastor should not be walking through a church alone to investigate a possible intruder. A drone may help gather information, but the goal remains making sound decisions and giving responding officers useful information.

Build a Trained and Accountable Drone Program

If your church develops a drone program, make it a real assignment with training, procedures, and coordination. The FAA explains that almost all flying for purposes other than recreation falls under Part 107. Using a drone for church security is a mission, even when the operator is a volunteer.

Plan for the applicable pilot certification, airspace, and operating requirements. Assign someone to manage the equipment, maintain proficiency, and make sure the operator can communicate effectively with the rest of the safety team.

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Put This Into Your Next Training Meeting

You can begin preparing before buying equipment. Start by making drone awareness and response part of your existing safety program.

Your next meeting should address these questions:

• Who watches above the property? Assign responsibility instead of assuming somebody will notice.

• How is a sighting reported? Agree on the information to relay, including location, movement, time, and observed behavior.

• Who makes protective decisions? Identify the person who can redirect arrivals, move people, and coordinate with ministry leaders.

• Where will people go? Review protected areas and practical routes from parking lots, playgrounds, and outdoor gatherings.

• Who calls law enforcement? Establish how a credible threat will be reported without delaying the call while everyone discusses it.

• Could a church operated drone improve observation? Consider your property, personnel, training needs, and the requirements for a lawful program.

Practice a Sunday Morning Scenario

Then walk through a scenario. A team member reports a drone repeatedly hovering near the entrance while families arrive. What happens next? Who communicates with the children’s ministry? Who watches the aircraft? Who keeps the entrance from becoming a crowd of people staring upward?

Work through the uncertainty now. An unfamiliar drone is not automatically an attack, but your team should be capable of assessing and responding without confusion.

Christian Men Need to Take Responsibility

In the interview, I brought up Ezekiel 33 and the responsibility of the watchman to sound the warning. I also referred to Nehemiah 4, where the people continued their work while taking precautions against attack.

Those passages describe particular circumstances, but they give us something serious to consider. We should not treat awareness, preparation, and the protection of others as evidence that a Christian lacks faith.

Matt made another point that deserves attention. Christian warriors need judgment about when force is appropriate. Courage carries responsibility. A safety team must be able to recognize danger while remaining disciplined, welcoming, and accountable for its actions.

Turn the Warning Into Preparation

I hope the people who dismiss this threat are right about their own church never experiencing it. I would be thankful if none of us ever had to respond to a drone attack. But hope does not answer the questions your safety team needs to resolve.

Churches have adapted before. We added security teams, expanded our attention into parking lots, improved communications, and trained for threats that previous generations rarely discussed. Our responsibility is to keep learning as the capabilities available to violent people change.

Watch the interview and share it with your pastor and safety team leader. Then put a drone response discussion on your training schedule. Take the warning seriously enough to turn it into preparation.

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Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF)

Online supporters of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) are calling for attacks on Christmas markets and Christian communities this season, and one user recommended vehicle ramming for attackers who cannot get guns or explosives. No church, city or date is named in the reporting, so churches should hold their Christmas events and put vehicle barriers and approach-route control in place before the first one.

Key Judgments

• Highly Likely: ISIS supporters will keep posting target lists and attack advice aimed at the holiday season through December.

• Likely: Churches will stay on those lists, and outdoor events with crowds near open streets or parking lots are the easiest targets for a vehicle attack.

• Possible: A lone offender will attempt a vehicle ramming or a shooting at a holiday gathering in the United States this season.

What the Reporting Says

A restricted government document circulated this week describes two online posts from 13 October. In the first, one pro-ISIS user posted a list of targets for mass-casualty attacks by lone offenders. The list emphasized US citizens and Jewish and Christian communities, and it named Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands as countries where such targets can be found. Target types included civilian and commercial infrastructure, religious landmarks, large crowds and government institutions. The user told readers to pick the targets they considered the highest priority in their own region or country.

In the second post, several pro-ISIS users in an online forum ranked targets from highest to lowest priority. One user listed schools, Christmas markets, gatherings of LGBTQIA+ people, sports stadiums and political events. One user advised that an attacker who cannot get weapons or explosives should drive a vehicle into a crowd, citing earlier truck attacks in Belgium, France and Spain during the winter holidays. The government analyst noted that the first post appeared a few hours after a similar one, and expects more of this incitement as the holidays approach, in Europe and in the United States. The same document says Salafi-jihadist messaging has broadly encouraged supporters to attack Jewish and Christian communities this winter with weapons, explosives or vehicles.

Neither post names a specific church, city or date in the United States. These are anonymous users on online forums, and the document describes their posts as incitement. Nobody has claimed a plan.

Vehicle Attacks on Holiday Events

On December 19, 2016, a truck was driven into a crowded Christmas market in Berlin and 13 people were killed. On December 20, 2024, a rental car was driven into a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany. At least five people were killed and more than 200 were injured. Police stopped the driver within three minutes, and in that time the car still injured more than 200 people. A barrier that goes up after the vehicle arrives does nothing, so everything that stops a vehicle has to be in place before the crowd gathers.

Recent Attacks in the United States

Three attacks since the start of 2025 show how vehicles and rifles get used. On January 1, 2025, a man in a rented pickup truck drove around a police barricade onto Bourbon Street in New Orleans and into a crowd, killing at least 14 people. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) found an Islamic State flag on the truck and called it a terrorist attack. The truck traveled three blocks before a heavy lift vehicle in its path stopped it.

On September 28, 2025, a suspect drove a pickup into the front of a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints church in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, during a service with hundreds of people inside. He then shot at worshipers and set the building on fire. Four church members were killed and eight were injured, and police shot the suspect in the parking lot within minutes. The FBI called it an act of targeted violence.

On March 12, 2026, an armed suspect drove a vehicle through the doors of Temple Israel, a synagogue in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, and into a hallway, where the vehicle caught fire. Security officers at the synagogue shot him. One officer was struck and not seriously hurt, and no children or staff were injured. The building houses an early childhood center. Investigators were still working on a motive in the first reports.

Motives differ across these cases. In each one a vehicle was used to reach a crowd or break into a building. In New Orleans a barricade that left a route around it did not stop the truck, and at Temple Israel armed security stopped the suspect inside the doors.

Church Events at Risk

Churches hold outdoor events in December: live nativities, tree lightings, caroling, parking-lot markets, parades and any event that closes a street. Each one puts a crowd in the open, next to a road or a parking lot.

Shootings are the other concern. On 11 October, a 19-year-old was arrested in Illinois and charged with plotting a mass shooting at a Hindu temple near Aurora. Police recovered a rifle, loaded magazines, ammunition, a gas can and a tactical vest. A document on his devices referenced violence against South Asians and white supremacist ideology, which the government labels racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism (REMVE). Investigators have not confirmed the planned location. The government analyst’s comment on that case is that churches and other religious sites remain targets of opportunity around major holidays for violent extremists from across the ideological spectrum.

Barrier Placement for Outdoor Events

You are setting up for the Sunday tree lighting. The crowd will stand on the grass between the sanctuary and the street, and the parking lot entrance is twenty yards to the left. A driver who wants to reach that crowd needs a straight path and enough room to build speed. Your job is to take both away.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recommends establishing clear standoff zones, which means distance between a crowd and any place a vehicle can travel, and evaluating vehicle barriers. CISA divides barriers into passive types such as fixed bollards, fences and jersey barriers, and active types such as retractable bollards. It also recommends looking at traffic patterns around the venue and reducing vehicle speed and access.

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1. Walk every approach route. Two weeks before the event, walk every road, driveway, alley and parking lot entrance that a vehicle could use to reach the crowd. Mark each one on a sketch of the site, including curb cuts and gaps in fences or landscaping.

2. Move the crowd back. Set up the stage, seating and standing area as far from the nearest vehicle route as the site allows. Use the sketch to choose the spot before you set anything up.

3. Block each route. Put a barrier across each marked approach. Ask city public works or the police department whether the city lends barricades for events, and request them in writing as soon as the event date is set. Heavy fixed objects such as concrete jersey barriers stop vehicles better than cones, sawhorses or plastic barricades.

4. Leave one staffed gap. Fire and ambulance crews need a way in. Keep one opening, assign one team member to stand at it, and give that person a phone and the direct number for the police dispatcher. The team member’s job is to open the gap for emergency vehicles and call for help, not to stop a vehicle with their body.

5. Slow the traffic. Ask the police department to close the street in front of the event, or at least to post an officer or signs that cut vehicle speed during the event.

6. Get a second opinion. CISA has security advisors in every region who will review a site. Find yours through the CISA website, and ask the police department to look at the sketch.

7. Check again the day of the event. Walk the routes before the crowd arrives to make sure nothing moved, nobody parked in the path, and the gap is staffed.

CISA also offers a Vehicle Ramming Action Guide and a Vehicle Ramming Self-Assessment Tool for evaluating a site.

Warning Indicators and Reporting

CISA’s guidance on vehicle ramming includes warning signs aimed mainly at vehicle rental agencies, such as a customer who has difficulty explaining why they need the vehicle. For a church team, the observable behaviors are different: someone photographing barrier positions or approach routes, a vehicle that circles the event area more than once, and a person asking when the barricades come down or when the street reopens. Any of these should reach the police department the same day. Report anything that looks like a threat to a specific church or city to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL-FBI.

Threat Assessment

The overall threat level for church Christmas events is ORANGE (high). The government reporting contains no named church, city or date, and the posters are anonymous users who may never act. Those facts keep the level at high, below critical. One lone offender who reads one of these posts and acts can cause mass casualties, so the level stays above elevated.

Vehicle ramming at outdoor events is the primary concern. It needs no firearm or explosive, a rental or borrowed vehicle will do, and a crowd standing near an open road is a target a driver can reach in seconds. A shooting at a church service or event is the secondary concern. In the Illinois case, a coworker reported the suspect’s messages and police made the arrest before any attack.

The posture is to hold the events. A church that cancels its tree lighting because of anonymous forum posts has given the posters what they wanted, and it has also left its own people without the Christmas gatherings they came to enjoy. The exception is specific targeting. If the police, the FBI or your own reporting names your church or your city, church leadership should meet the same day, talk to the police, and decide whether to change or cancel the event. Until then, the work is barriers, approach routes and a briefed team.

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Biblical Lens

Christmas has always carried a threat. When the angel announced the birth of Christ to the shepherds, the message came with an instruction about fear:

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” (Luke 2:10, ESV)

The shepherds heard the command not to fear and went to see the child. The wise men in Matthew 2:1-12 traveled to Bethlehem while Herod was looking for the child to kill him. They worshiped anyway, and when a dream warned them, they went home by another road. They did both: they worshiped and they listened to the warning. Joseph did the same when he took his family to Egypt in Matthew 2:13.

John 1:5 says the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. Psalm 27:1-3 asks whom the Lord’s people should fear when armies camp against them. Hebrews 10:24-25 tells believers not to neglect meeting together. A congregation that stays home out of fear gives the posters what they wanted.

Closing

Leave a comment if your church has already planned outdoor events this December, and share this brief with your pastor and your team leader. Paid subscribers get the Analyst’s Notes, a Leadership Memo for your pastor and elders, a Tabletop Scenario and an Outdoor Event Planning Packet below.

For Paid Subscribers

This brief includes the following for paid subscribers:

✅ Analyst’s Notes on how much weight to give the forum posts and what would change the assessment ✅ Leadership Memo for your pastor and elders (editable Word document) ✅ Tabletop Scenario for your team (PDF) ✅ Outdoor Event Planning Packet with letters to the city and the police and a pre-event briefing card (editable Word document)

Analyst’s Notes

The two posts are small pieces of evidence. They come from anonymous users in forums, and the government analyst records that one post followed another within hours. That pattern fits supporters repeating each other’s lists, and it does not by itself point to a plan. The Illinois case shows what a real plan looks like by comparison: a rifle, loaded magazines, a gas can, a vest and a written document, found because a coworker reported messages that worried them.

The important word in the vehicle post is “if.” The user told readers to use a vehicle when weapons and explosives are hard to get. In the United States, a pistol or rifle is easier to get than in Europe, and an attacker here might choose a gun first. I do not read the post as a prediction that vehicles will replace guns, and I would plan for both. A barrier plan covers the vehicle and a briefed team covers the gun.

Three things would change my read: a post or message that names a church, city or event in the United States, a report of someone photographing or probing a church’s outdoor setup, and a vehicle attack on a holiday event in the US or Canada before December. Any one of those moves the conversation from general planning to a decision about the specific event, and the pastor needs to hear it the same day from the team leader.

One point for team leaders on the legal side. Team members do not try to stop a vehicle. They report what they saw to the police, open the emergency gap, and move people away.

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Leadership Memo (Download above)

An editable Word document for your pastor and elders is attached. It states the current threat in plain terms and recommends holding events unless a church or city is specifically named. It includes a table of recent attacks on churches, synagogues and holiday events in the United States and Europe, and a table of protective options with who does each one, what it costs and a box to approve it. It also covers city permits and fees for closing a street, and names who calls the police and who calls the team leader if specific targeting appears.

Tabletop Scenario (Download above)

A tabletop scenario for your team is attached as a PDF. It runs 20 to 30 minutes and starts with a vehicle approaching the crowd at an outdoor tree lighting. It has timed injects, discussion questions for the team leader, a facilitator key for each situation and a short debrief checklist.

Outdoor Event Planning Packet (Download above)

An editable Word document with four templates is attached: a request to the city for temporary barricades, a cover letter for a street-closure or special event permit, a notice to the police department with a request for an officer, and a one-page pre-event briefing card to print for each event. The packet explains when to send each one and what information to gather first.

Sources

• Internal restricted government document, weekly open-source reporting digest, October 2026

• CISA, Vehicle Ramming Action Guide and Vehicle Ramming Attack Mitigation resources, cisa.gov

• ABC News, “5 killed, including 9-year-old, in German Christmas market attack; more than 200 injured,” December 2024

• Associated Press, “At least 2 dead and 60 hurt after a car drives into a German Christmas market,” December 2024

• ABC News and ABC7 Chicago reporting on the Illinois arrest, October 2026

Intel Monitor/Report Suspicious Activity

Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF)

At about 11:13 p.m. on Friday, 16 October 2026, a gunman in a white sedan fired on a group leaving a building in the 4000 block of West 26th Street near Pulaski Road, in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood. Four men, ages 19 to 56, were shot in the arms, legs, hand and foot. All four were treated at Mount Sinai Hospital and are in good condition. The sedan fled south on Pulaski Road. National Broadcasting Company (NBC) Chicago reports the building is the New Life Center, a church, and that two of the wounded were church staff and one was a volunteer. The church runs a street outreach program that works with youth in gangs. Police have not released a motive or said who the target was.

What Happened

Chicago Police Department (CPD) officers were called to the 4000 block of West 26th Street at about 11:13 p.m. Friday. According to police, four men were leaving a building when a white sedan pulled up beside them and someone inside opened fire. The car then drove off southbound on Pulaski Road. The shooter never got out of the car.

The wounded were a 56-year-old man shot in the leg, a 26-year-old man shot in the foot, a 25-year-old man shot in the hand, and a 19-year-old man shot in the arm. The 19-year-old drove himself to the hospital. All four were treated at Mount Sinai Hospital, about two miles away, and police list all four in good condition. No arrests have been made, and Area Four detectives are investigating.

NBC Chicago is the only outlet so far that identifies the building as a church. According to NBC, volunteers from New Life Center had taken teenagers to Feed My Starving Children that evening to pack meals for families in other countries. When the group got back to the church, the shooting started. NBC reports that two church staff members and a volunteer were wounded, and that it was unclear whether the fourth man was part of the group or a bystander. Church leaders released a statement calling the violence “heartbreaking and unacceptable,” and said their staff and “Peacekeepers” work every day to mentor youth, interrupt violence and build relationships in the community.

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Who New Life Centers Serves

New Life Centers of Chicagoland is the youth and community ministry of New Life Community Church, a multi-site Chicago church that started in 1986 with 18 members in the Back of the Yards neighborhood. The church founded New Life Centers in 2005, and the church describes it as a ministry that connects young people and their families with Christ and community through restorative justice, safe spaces and life-on-life relationships. The Friday trip was a New Life Centers youth outing, run by church staff and volunteers. The ministry runs youth programs, a food pantry, and a street outreach program in Little Village, Pilsen, Brighton Park, Humboldt Park and Midway, and it is part of the city-funded Communities Partnering 4 Peace (CP4P) network. A 2024 report in La Raza described the Little Village outreach program this way: most of the young people it works with already belong to gangs or have criminal records, and many are on probation. The same report said the organization has informal agreements with local gangs that allow its mentors to work with young people involved in violence, and that its Peacekeepers work Wednesday through Saturday from 4 p.m. into the early morning.

That is ministry work, and it is the kind of work the church is supposed to be doing. It also changes the threat picture for the building, the staff and anyone standing on the sidewalk outside it.

Police have not given a motive. I spent years working gangs in California, including time as a gang sergeant, and this shooting has the look of a gang shooting. A car pulls up at night, someone fires into a group on the sidewalk, and the car leaves on the main road. Little Village has long been split between rival street gangs, and Chicago police have tied past killings in the neighborhood to that conflict. Whether the target was someone in this group or someone standing near it, the people who got hit were church staff and volunteers who had spent the evening serving kids.

Lessons for Church Security Teams

Look Around Before the Kids Get Out

All problems begin in the parking lot, and this one began on the sidewalk outside the church at 11 o’clock at night. The group in Little Village had just come back from an evening trip with teenagers, which churches do every week. The adults already on the trip can cover a night return by keeping their heads up from the time the van turns onto the street.

Start watching before the van stops. As you drive up, the driver and the trip leader should be looking at the street and everything around the building for anything out of the norm. If something does not fit, keep driving and come back around. When you do stop, the trip leader or another adult gets out first and looks around for threats before the children come out. In a city like Chicago, many of those kids will meet their parents on the sidewalk or walk home on their own, so the adults keep watching the street the whole time the kids are outside.

I have been at a location when a drive-by was about to happen, and you can see it coming. Some people call it a sixth sense. I believe it is the Lord telling us that danger is approaching. When you see a slow-moving car with a couple of people in it and that warning comes, grab the kids and get them behind cover until the car is gone.

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Know Where Your Cover Is

The shooter in Little Village never got out of the car. A white sedan pulled up beside the group, someone fired from inside, and it drove away. When you move children behind cover, you need to know ahead of time what will stop a bullet where your vans pull up.

A brick wall, a concrete planter and an engine block will stop handgun rounds. A hedge, a car door and a glass entry will not. Walk the spot where your vans unload with your team and point out the cover. Then teach your people to capture the description. Someone in Chicago gave police a white sedan headed south on Pulaski. Color, make, body style, number of people, any plate letters and the direction of travel go to 911 and to the team leader as soon as it is safe.

Outreach to Gang Members Brings Their Conflicts With Them

A church running gang outreach, reentry ministry or a violence intervention program has a different threat picture than a church that does not. The people you serve have enemies, and their enemies know your schedule. If a young man in a rival gang knows a target comes to your youth center every Friday night, he knows where to find him.

Keep the ministry going, and have your security team and your outreach staff sit down together and plan for it. Have outreach leaders tell the team leader, without giving out private details, when a client has an active conflict or has recently been shot at. Do not let groups gather on the sidewalk before or after programs. Ask your local police district for a briefing on current gang conflicts near your building, and ask what times and blocks are seeing shootings. Schedule program end times and pickups so people are not standing outside at the same hour every week.

Bleeding Control at the Door and in the Van

All four men in Little Village were shot in an arm, a leg, a hand or a foot. Those are extremity wounds, and extremity bleeding can be stopped with a tourniquet and direct pressure before the ambulance arrives. A person can bleed to death from an arm or leg wound in a few minutes, and I spent years as a SWAT medic. Tourniquets go in the kit before anything else.

Put a trauma kit at the main door and another one in every church van and bus. Four people were shot in Little Village, and any one of them could have been hit in more than one limb, so one or two tourniquets will not cover it. Stock each kit with enough tourniquets, chest seals and pressure bandages to treat at least five people. Train everyone who drives a youth trip on how to apply a tourniquet. Know where your nearest trauma center is. In this case Mount Sinai Hospital was about two miles away. One of the wounded drove himself there. In a lot of the country, the nearest trauma center is much farther, and your team will be holding pressure for a long time before help arrives.

Biblical Perspective

“But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” (Jeremiah 29:7, ESV)

Jeremiah wrote this to the exiles in Babylon, people living in a city that was not theirs, surrounded by people who did not share their faith. God told them to build houses, plant gardens, and work for the good of the city they had been sent to. The people of New Life Center were doing the same thing on Friday night. They took teenagers from one of the most violent parts of Chicago to pack meals for children in other countries, and they came home to the neighborhood they have chosen to serve.

“The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it.” (Proverbs 27:12, ESV)

Proverbs puts the other half of the job in front of us. Seeking the welfare of the city does not excuse us from seeing the danger in it. The prudent person in this proverb sees what is coming, takes cover in time, and keeps going. For a church security team, that means doing the ministry and planning for the threat that comes with it. When your church goes into hard places, your team goes with it, watches the street when the kids come home, and carries the trauma kit.

Final Assessment

Four church staff and volunteers were shot outside a church in Chicago on Friday night after spending the evening serving children. All four survived, and the shooter is still out there. Police have not said who the target was.

The danger was on the sidewalk, at night, as a youth group came home to a church whose ministry puts it close to gang conflict. Every church that runs youth trips can start this week by having an adult get out and look around before the kids come out. Every church that ministers to gang members needs a plan for the conflicts its people bring with them. Before your next trip leaves, put a trauma kit in the van with enough tourniquets, chest seals and pressure bandages for at least five people.

Final Thoughts

Does your church run a youth trip, a mission trip or any program that brings people home after dark? Who on your team is standing outside when the van pulls in? Leave a comment and tell us how your team handles it, and share this article with your pastor and your youth leader.

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Sources

• NBC Chicago, “Little Village shooting victims were targeted outside church after packing meals,” 17 October 2026

• FOX 32 Chicago, “4 hurt in Little Village drive-by mass shooting, police say,” 17 October 2026

• ABC7 Chicago, “4 injured in drive-by shooting near West 26th Street and South Pulaski Road, CPD says,” 17 October 2026

• CBS News Chicago, “4 injured in drive-by mass shooting in Little Village,” 17 October 2026

• WGN-TV, “4 injured in overnight drive-by shooting in Little Village,” 17 October 2026

• New Life Centers of Chicagoland, organization website, newlifecenters.org

• New Life Centers of Chicagoland, “Our Story,” newlifecenters.org

• New Life Community Church, “New Life Centers,” newlifecommunity.church

• La Raza, “Peace in the Streets and Options for Youth: The Work of New Life Centers,” 21 March 2024

• Obama Foundation, My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, “New Life Centers of Chicagoland” program profile

• FOX 32 Chicago, “Melissa Ortega murder: Police ‘saturating’ area to target ‘gang conflict that led to her death’”

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Intel Monitor/Report Suspicious Activity

Status as of Friday, October 16, 2026. Information is preliminary. Bend Police scheduled another press conference for this afternoon and said more information about the community member who stopped the suspect would likely be released today.

Cwt Scenario Long Gun Approach Door Breach (1)

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Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF)

On Thursday, October 15, a man sitting in a pickup in the Silver Rail Elementary School parking lot saw the suspect carrying a long gun toward the building and confronted him. The suspect fired multiple rounds into the truck, went over the school fence, and shot through the locked doors of the school’s secure entry vestibule. Witnesses place him in the special education area of the building. He killed three children and a teacher and critically wounded a child and a second teacher. An armed parent, reported to hold a valid concealed handgun license, saw him enter, followed him inside, and shot and killed him. Bend-La Pine Schools bans concealed handgun license holders from carrying on its school grounds, and Oregon law makes carrying there a crime. The only legal way to have a gun on that campus was unloaded and locked in a vehicle, and a parent who went to the car, loaded the gun, and came back inside to stop the suspect would still have broken the law. Bend Police officers arrived about three minutes after the first 911 call and found the suspect already dead. An armed parent carrying his firearm against Oregon law stopped this attack before police arrived.

What Happened

Silver Rail Elementary is a kindergarten through fifth grade school at 61530 SE Stone Creek Lane in southeast Bend with about 450 students and 40 staff. Shortly before 1:00 p.m. Pacific time, a man was sitting in his red Toyota Tacoma idling in the school parking lot when he saw the suspect carrying a long gun toward the building. The man confronted him. The suspect fired multiple rounds into the truck, putting at least five holes in the passenger side door and bed and shattering the rear passenger window. Reporting citing The Oregonian says the suspect then threw the gun over the school fence, climbed over after it, and moved toward the building. The driver called 911 at 12:59 p.m. and reported being shot at multiple times by a person with a long gun.

Bend-La Pine Schools equips its buildings with secure entry vestibules. A visitor enters a locked outer area, signs in with photo identification, and is buzzed through a second electronic door. Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said the suspect forced his way in by shooting at the locked doors, and The Oregonian reports he shot the locks out of the vestibule. Within the next minute, dispatchers received dozens of 911 calls that a shooter was inside, and at 1:00 p.m. dispatch sounded an alert tone to all law enforcement.

A fifth-grade teacher, Kathy Sheil Smith, told KPTV she saw the gunman approaching the grounds with a long gun, called the school’s main office to report it, and moved her students into a corner of the room, where they stayed quiet. The school was directed into lockdown at 1:01 p.m. By that point the suspect was already inside. Witnesses told the Bend Source the gunman went into the special education area of the school, where at least three more shots were heard.

The first Bend Police officers arrived at 1:02 p.m. Moments later an officer reported that the suspect had been shot by a community member who had seen him enter the school, pursued him inside, and engaged him. The initial emergency medical services radio dispatch said the shooter appeared to have been neutralized, possibly by a father at the school. Officers entered, confirmed the suspect was dead, cleared the building for other threats, rendered aid, and evacuated the school room by room.

Three children, ages 5, 8 and 11, and one teacher were killed. A 7-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher were taken to St. Charles Medical Center in Bend with critical injuries. Police said all victim families have been notified. No victim names have been released.

Bend Police sent a public alert at 1:17 p.m. telling people to avoid the area, and about 10 minutes later announced that families should report to Journey Church, 61303 S Highway 97. All students and staff were transported to the church, and reunification ran until about 5:45 p.m. Nearby Caldera High School and Jewell Elementary also went into lockdown. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Portland field office is assisting, agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) were reported en route, and federal officials told NBC News the Oregon State Police may become the lead investigating agency. Chief Krantz said investigators will remain at the school for several days. All Bend-La Pine Schools are closed today.

Suspect Information

Police have identified the suspect only as a 16-year-old male. He was killed at the scene. Police have not released his name, a motive, whether he attended Silver Rail, or whether he knew anyone there. Chief Krantz declined to name the weapon or the number of rounds fired, citing the investigation.

The Associated Press, citing a law enforcement official briefed on the case, reported the weapon was a pump-action shotgun purchased by the suspect’s mother. Multiple law enforcement sources told CBS News the weapon was a shotgun. Bend Police have not confirmed either report.

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Who Stopped the Shooter

A community member stopped the suspect before police arrived. Bend Police describe the person as a community member who saw the suspect enter the school, pursued him into the building, and engaged him. The Spokesman-Review, carrying reporting from The Oregonian, reports the community member is the parent of a student or students at the school, and the first emergency medical services dispatch described the person as possibly a father at the school. Fox News reported he holds a concealed carry permit. Police have not yet released his identity, permit status, weapon, carry method, or the number of rounds fired. Oregon Governor Tina Kotek publicly thanked the community member for intervening and acknowledged the emotional burden that person now carries.

What Oregon Law and the School Policy Say

Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) 166.370(1)(a) makes it a Class C felony to intentionally possess a loaded or unloaded firearm in or on a public building, and Oregon’s definition of a public building includes schools. ORS 166.370(3)(g) gives concealed handgun license holders an affirmative defense to that charge. Senate Bill 554 (2021), now codified at ORS 166.377, lets a district school board adopt a policy that the license holder defense “does not apply to the possession of firearms on the grounds of the schools controlled by the board.” A board that adopts one must post a clearly visible sign at all normal points of entry to its school grounds and list the covered grounds on its website.

When a license holder carries on school grounds covered by such a policy, Oregon law treats it as a Class A misdemeanor instead of a felony. Newsweek reported the penalty as up to one year in jail. The exact maximum for a Class A misdemeanor in Oregon is 364 days in jail under ORS 161.615 and a $6,250 fine under ORS 161.635. ORS 166.370(3)(j) still allows a firearm on school property that is unloaded and locked in a motor vehicle.

Bend-La Pine Schools adopted Board Policy KGBB, “Firearms Prohibited,” in December 2021. It reads in part:

“No person on grounds of the schools controlled by the Board of Directors for Bend-La Pine Schools Board (including in school buildings), will possess any firearm, except when said firearm is possessed by a person who is not otherwise prohibited from possessing the firearm, and is unloaded and locked in a motor vehicle. The exception provided in Oregon Revised Statute (ORS) 166.370(3)(g) for concealed carry licensees (see ORS 166.291 and 166.292) does not apply to the possession of firearms on grounds of the schools controlled by the Board.”

The policy also states that anyone violating it “may be issued a trespass citation, ejected from the premises and referred to law enforcement officials.” Firearms under the control of law enforcement are permitted.

Under that policy and state law, a license holder who carried a loaded handgun onto Silver Rail’s grounds and into the building committed a Class A misdemeanor. Whether a prosecutor would charge a parent who used that gun to stop a school shooting, and whether Oregon’s choice of evils defense under ORS 161.200 would apply, is a separate question that has not been addressed.

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The vehicle exception does not help. The policy allows a gun on school grounds only while it stays unloaded and locked in the car. A licensed parent who obeyed that rule, then went to the car, loaded the gun, and carried it into the building to stop the suspect would have committed the same Class A misdemeanor. Under Oregon law and this policy, no legal way existed for an armed adult on that campus to stop the attack.

Idaho handles this differently. Idaho Code 18-3302D also makes it a misdemeanor to possess a firearm on school property, but subsection (4)(d) exempts a person complying with Idaho Code 19-202A, the state law protecting people who defend themselves or others. A parent in Idaho who stopped an attack like Silver Rail would have an exemption written into the school gun law itself. Oregon’s school gun law contains no exemption of that kind.

The district also runs a school resource officer program with Bend Police and the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, with officers shared across several schools. A 2024 district safety review after a loaded gun was found at Pilot Butte Middle School recommended more dedicated school resource officers and decided against metal detectors and wireless panic alarms. It has not been reported whether a school resource officer was at Silver Rail on Thursday.

Online Radicalization of Children

Police have not released a motive, and nothing has connected this suspect to any group. Organized online networks are radicalizing children right now on the same gaming and chat platforms kids use every day, and some of them openly encourage attacks like this one.

The best known is 764. Federal prosecutors say Bradley Cadenhead created it on Discord when he was 15. The FBI describes 764 as a Nihilistic Violent Extremist (NVE) network, and it targets children through Roblox, Minecraft, Discord, Telegram, Instagram, and X. Members groom and extort children, then coerce them into harming themselves, harming animals, and harming other children, and some push victims toward suicide. The network splinters and renames itself constantly, and the FBI Dallas field office reported this year that the FBI is investigating more than 450 subjects tied to 764 and similar networks. The wider cluster of these groups is often called “the Com.”

Nihilistic Violent Extremism is the FBI’s category for people who want to cause chaos and tear down society without any particular political or religious cause. FBI Director Kash Patel reported a 300 percent increase in NVE cases between September 2024 and September 2025.

The True Crime Community (TCC) is an online subculture on Roblox, Discord, and TikTok that glorifies mass shooters, trades fan art of school shooters, and encourages violence and self-harm. Extremism researchers classify it as a subculture of nihilistic violent extremism. Investigators have looked at possible links between members of these networks and real school attacks, including the January 2025 shooting at Antioch High School in Nashville.

The involuntary celibate (incel) movement is an online subculture of young men who blame women and society for their lack of relationships. Several mass attackers have written incel grievances into their manifestos, including the 2014 Isla Vista attacker in California.

For church teams and youth ministries, the warning signs are concrete. A child carving “764” or a username into their skin, drawings of school shooters, sudden secrecy about a Discord or Roblox account, and talk of admiring past attackers all warrant a conversation with the parents and, where there is a threat, a report to police. Your youth ministry leaders should know these names.

Lessons for Church Security Teams

Always be carrying, on the body

The parent saw the suspect go into the building and followed him in. The gun was on him at the moment he made the decision. Compare that to the In-N-Out shooting in Twin Falls, Idaho, on August 1. A woman running from the restaurant took cover behind the attacker’s car and found the handgun he had dropped there. She picked it up, found it jammed, could not clear it, threw it down, and ran. She normally carries, and that day her own gun was in her car. I break that moment down in my In-N-Out video, and every team member who leaves a gun in a purse or a glove box should watch it.

Idaho allows permitless carry, and at Twin Falls four people acted in the first minutes. An Idaho State Police officer inside the restaurant protected the employees. AJ Scott, a former officer, moved toward the gunfire and was shot. Another armed citizen fired at the attacker and pulled his attention away from the cars in the drive-thru. The woman tried the dropped pistol. In Bend, one armed parent ended the attack. In both cases, ordinary people with guns were the response while police were still minutes away.

A gun in a purse, a glove box, or a console does not get you through a door behind a shooter. Oregon law steered every permit holder at Bend-La Pine schools toward leaving the gun unloaded and locked in the car. Nobody in this attack had three minutes to go get it, and a parent who did go get it would still have broken the law by bringing it inside. Carry in an inside the waistband or outside the waistband holster, worn on your beltline at the 12 to 3 o’clock position or the 9 to 12 o’clock position.

Bend-La Pine Schools does not allow concealed carry permit holders to carry inside its buildings. I carry in denied areas. That includes schools. Idaho law prohibits carrying on school property, and I carry there anyway because a school is exactly where I worry an active shooter will show up. We are not telling anyone to break the law. I often go to high-risk venues where the chance of an active shooter is real, and when I do, I carry concealed in a way that nobody can see I am armed while I can still get to the gun. If you are caught carrying in a place where the law prohibits it, you can be fined or jailed, and you need to understand that risk before you make the choice. I personally accept that risk and will deal with it if it comes up, and I have no doubt this article would be brought up at a trial if it ever came to that. In a denied area you are going to be a hero or a zero: a hero if you save the children, and a zero if you have a negligent discharge because you were doing something stupid while carrying concealed where you were not supposed to be. If you carry in deep concealment, run your draw from that exact setup in dry practice until you can get the gun out cleanly under time pressure.

Respond with what you have, right now

Officers arrived at 1:02 p.m., three minutes after the first call. That is an excellent response time for any agency, and the suspect had still breached the building and killed four people. Your team will be on scene first. The parent moved toward the suspect with what was available, without waiting for police. The first armed response at your church will come from whoever is closest, and that person will be working alone for the first several minutes. Assign each armed team member a sector of the building and parking lot so each one knows they are expected to respond first in that area.

Act on the first sighting of a gun

This attack gave two warnings before the suspect reached the door. A man in the parking lot saw him walking toward the building with a long gun, and a fifth-grade teacher saw the same thing from her classroom and called the office. The lockdown order came at 1:01 p.m., after the suspect was inside. At your church, a report of a person carrying a long gun toward the building starts the response. Train your parking lot team and greeters to put it on the radio immediately in plain language, with location and direction of travel, and give the person at the door authority to lock the doors and call 911 without waiting for anyone’s approval. Shots fired in the parking lot get the same response. A resident near Silver Rail who heard the shots was not sure at first whether it was gunfire or construction noise. Train your team to treat any sound like gunfire as gunfire.

A shotgun will open your door

I have been monitoring active shooter events for decades. I have found very few where an attacker shot his way through a school’s doors, and the ones I have found involved glass. Silver Rail is one of the very few where an attacker used a shotgun to breach locked doors. I have training in shotgun breaching, I have trained others in it, and I have done it on real operations. Breaching a door with a shotgun is simple and easy. A breacher shoots the lock and latch area or the hinges, and a standard commercial door with one latch point gives way in a few rounds.

Our churches are open and welcoming so people can come to Christ, and the sanctuary doors are not going to be locked on Sunday morning. Church schools, preschools, children’s wings, and offices are different, and many of them are locked during the day. Walk your church and your church school this week and look at every locked exterior door the way a breacher would. There are hardware changes that make a shotgun breach slower and harder:

• Multiple locking points. A door held by a mortise lock plus a deadbolt, or by top and bottom rods, takes more rounds and more time than a single latch.

• Lock reinforcement. A steel wrap plate around the lock and a reinforced strike plate fastened with long screws into the framing keep the door in the frame after the lock is damaged.

• Hinge security. Security hinge studs on the hinge side of the door, non-removable hinge pins, or a continuous steel hinge keep the door in place even if the hinges are shot.

• Steel doors and frames. A solid steel door in a steel frame anchored to the wall holds up far longer than a hollow or wood door.

• Glass. Keep locks away from glass panels an attacker can shoot out and reach through. Security film anchored to the frame holds broken glass in place for a time, and ballistic-rated glazing in a church school vestibule stops rounds outright.

• Interior doors. Classroom and nursery doors that lock from the inside give people a second barrier after the exterior door fails. Talk to your fire marshal before installing any barricade device so it meets fire code.

None of this stops a determined attacker. Every one of these changes buys time for your team to respond and for people inside to lock down.

Train for this exact scenario

We have built a downloadable training scenario from this incident, with the scenario briefing you read to your team and the expected outcomes. It starts with a report of a person carrying a long gun across your parking lot, moves to shots fired at a car, then a breach at a locked door into your children’s wing. Before you run it, call your local law enforcement agency and tell them you are running a drill, search everybody for weapons, and use only blue guns or laser trainers. Run it with your parking lot post, your door post, your sanctuary post, and your children’s wing post. Practice moving toward the sound of gunfire, communicating your location by radio, and identifying yourself to arriving police with your hands visible and your gun holstered. A citizen who has just shot a suspect is a person with a gun when police come through the door.

Be ready to serve as a reunification site

Journey Church became the reunification site for Silver Rail. Police announced it about 25 minutes after the first call, every student and staff member was transported there, and it stayed open until about 5:45 p.m.

When I was running complex operations, I liked picking churches. They had the space inside, parking outside, and the amenities inside, including a kitchen and bathrooms. Most importantly, they had welcoming people who loved their community and worshiped Christ. Churches were the best places for any big operation, whether it was a reunification, meeting up before a search warrant, or planning a complex operation where I needed everybody in one place. Your church should be ready for any of that.

Start with an area survey. Map every school within two miles of your church, then call the school district’s safety office and your police department and ask whether your church is named as a reunification site in their plans. If it is, or if your building fits the description, start planning now so you can stand it up on a moment’s notice.

Your plan needs a way to call in your safety team. We are all volunteers, and on a weekday afternoon nobody will be on duty. Build a call list so your team can come in, open the building, clear it, and secure it within 30 minutes. The police are going to be very busy, and your team can help them and help the church carry out the reunification. Police will see your team as trustworthy people they can hand minor tasks to. The plan should also name the staff member who authorizes opening the building and list who holds keys and alarm codes on a weekday. Lay out the parking lot with a lane kept open for buses and emergency vehicles. Designate one controlled entrance where police and district staff check identification before releasing a child to a parent. Assign separate rooms for students, for parents waiting, and for families being notified of a death. Stock water, chairs, and tissues, and keep media and onlookers outside the building.

A reunification site puts hundreds of frightened parents and children in one place. In complex terror attacks, we know terrorists plan to hit the places where survivors and responders gather, including reunification sites. Silver Rail was not a terror attack, and that was clear quickly. Your plan still needs to account for a second attack. Post armed team members at the entrance and in the parking lot, and check in with the police supervisor on scene so officers know who your team members are and what they are wearing. Planning for that is taking care of the body of Christ.

Biblical Perspective

Proverbs 24:11–12 (ESV) Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work?

Solomon gives no exemption for the person who saw the danger and chose not to act. In Bend, the suspect was confronted in the parking lot by a man who took fire for it, and an armed parent followed him through the school door. For a church safety team, this passage removes the option of claiming you did not know. You know the threat exists and you have seen the timelines. God weighs what we did with what we knew.

That obligation does not end if you are unarmed. Be prepared to take on the suspect with your hands. Attackers who are confronted, even by unarmed people, often stop, retreat, or kill themselves. The FBI’s study of 160 active shooter incidents from 2000 to 2013 found that 21 of them ended when unarmed citizens restrained the shooter, and 11 of those were at schools, where principals, teachers, staff, and students did it. You might get shot. Most people who are shot survive, and trauma care keeps getting better. We also all know where we are going if we pass. Our priority is those children.

2 Samuel 23:20 (ESV) And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was a valiant man of Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds. He struck down two ariels of Moab. He also went down and struck down a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen.

Benaiah went down into the pit with the lion, on a bad day, in bad conditions, with what he had. Scripture records it among the deeds of David’s mighty men because he went toward the danger. Remember your ABCs. In this case that means Always Be Carrying. If you have time, also remember the other ABCs: armor, bag, carbine.

Final Assessment

The suspect was seen carrying a long gun toward an elementary school, fired into a truck, went over a fence, shot through a secure vestibule, and killed four people in roughly three minutes. Bend Police arrived fast, and the attack was already over. A parent who saw the suspect, followed him inside, and shot him ended it.

For church teams, the takeaways are to carry on the body and to prepare to respond alone before police arrive. A sighting of a long gun in your parking lot starts your response, and a shotgun will open a locked door in seconds. Churches near schools should also start reunification planning now. The four people killed at Silver Rail were killed before anyone could reach them, and the armed parent likely kept that number from going higher.

Download the scenario and run it with your team. Leave a comment and tell us how your team would handle a breach at a locked door, and share this briefing with your pastor and your team leader.

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Sources: Bend Police Department press conference, October 15, 2026; Bend Police public alerts; Oregon Revised Statutes 161.200, 161.615, 161.635, 166.370, and 166.377; Bend-La Pine Schools Board Policy KGBB, Firearms Prohibited; reporting by ABC News, CBS News, CNN, NBC News, NPR, the Associated Press, The Oregonian as carried by the Spokesman-Review and the Daily Mail, KPTV, KTVZ, KATU, The Bulletin, the Bend Source, Newsweek, OPB, and TIME; FBI public statements on 764 and Nihilistic Violent Extremism; FBI, A Study of Active Shooter Incidents in the United States Between 2000 and 2013.

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GRAPHIC IMAGERY WARNING:

At 5:34 to 5:40, there is a graphic image from Al Naba, ISIS’s weekly news magazine, that shows the execution of a Christian. Each week they put up the kill count of Christians killed in Africa. The execution is their cover photo. As we talk about what ISIS is doing there, we show the magazine so you can know who is trying to kill you. We are not showing it for likes or clicks. You need to know your enemy and take this intelligence to help protect the Body of Christ.

This Week’s Roll Call Contents

An 18-year-old was shot five times in the parking lot of El Faro Assembly of God in LaBelle, Florida on a Monday night with nothing on the church calendar. Two days earlier a man was stabbed in the lot at Swift Creek Baptist in Chesterfield County, Virginia, after an argument carried across the street. In Russell Springs, Kentucky a woman allegedly cut a man’s face with a kitchen knife inside Iglesia Maranatha. A deacon in Albany, Georgia put four children between 9 and 12 off the church bus and left them on the side of the road. Add a robbery shooting at a gun sale next door to a church in Culpeper, a death threat against a pastor in Edina, and seven church-connected sex crime cases in six states, and that is this week. We stay at HIGH, Condition Orange. On the intel side we touch on two men working a Scottsdale synagogue for its door code, the Palatine teenager whose rifle plot was stopped by a co-worker’s phone call, and al-Naba 568 saying the Islamic State’s fight has moved to Africa. The training focus is access control in your own building. Count your keys, find out who knows your codes, and decide who on your team can tell a person to leave. Members, the al-Naba section shows the front page unredacted, and it is graphic.

0:00 This week: a synagogue’s door code

0:31 Christ first

1:22 Alert posture and threat level

2:52 Intelligence brief

7:45 Violence against churches

12:52 Training focus: access control

DOWNLOAD THE BRIEFING AND AL NABA NEWSLETTER HERE 👇

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Foreword

This incident happened at a political protest, and I am asking you to set the politics aside. Whether you support or oppose the No Kings movement has no bearing on what happened in that street. We are reviewing it because the people on that safety team operated a lot like church safety teams do. They were volunteers. Some carried guns and some did not. They worked in pairs, talked on radios, and were responsible for thousands of people who had no idea who they were or what training they had. When one of them fired, he did it in a crowd, on partial information, under the same pressure armed church volunteers train for. We are looking at the mechanics of what happened and what church safety teams can learn from them.

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What Happened

On the evening of June 14, 2025, a No Kings march in downtown Salt Lake City drew between 10,000 and 18,000 people, depending on the report. The organizers fielded a volunteer safety team in yellow vests that, according to charging documents, handled medical care, crowd management and de-escalation. At least two of those volunteers were armed, and one of them was Matthew Scott Alder. Richard Whitney, who organized the team, testified that he paired Alder, who was armed, with Nathan Bergstrom, who was not.

Shortly before 8 p.m., the team’s radio carried a report of a “gun, AR-15” and a person in all black with a Confederate flag. Both descriptions referred to Arturo Gamboa, 24, who was openly carrying an AR-15-style rifle, which is legal in Utah. Bergstrom testified that Gamboa was “fishing in a bag” in an alley and acting “more than suspicious.” He said, “I thought it was somebody that was about to commit a mass shooting.” A second volunteer, Aaron Ferdig, drew his own handgun. The radio then carried “gun, gun, gun,” and Alder fired three rounds. Alder later told investigators he saw a man “ducked down as he was loading his rifle” and believed a mass shooting was about to happen.

One round hit Gamboa and another hit his rifle. Arthur “Afa” Folasa Ah Loo, 39, was walking into the march about 160 feet from Alder, according to prosecutors. A police officer testified that cell phone video shows Ah Loo falling after the third shot, and he died at the hospital. Gamboa never fired his rifle. Police booked him on suspicion of murder and later released him, and Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill declined to charge him, saying Gamboa was lawfully allowed to carry the rifle and broke no law.

Accounts of what Gamboa did with the rifle still conflict. Police first said witnesses saw him raise it and run toward the crowd. Video later published by Fox 13, and a friend who watched a balcony video, show the rifle pointed at the ground until the shots started. At the October 13, 2026 preliminary hearing, Third District Judge Derek Williams found enough evidence that Alder acted recklessly and ordered him to trial. The judge noted that three or four people stood between Alder and the man he was shooting at. Alder has pleaded not guilty. His attorney, Neal Hamilton, argues the third round struck a gate box and ricocheted into Ah Loo, while the prosecution’s firearms expert testified that the recovered bullet was “nearly pristine,” which makes a ricochet less likely. A pretrial conference is set for December 11.

Lessons for Church Security Teams

Reading a Gun in Context

Whether a visible gun signals a threat depends heavily on where you are. In Utah, a man walking down a public street with a rifle on his back is breaking no law, and Gill said exactly that when he declined to charge Gamboa. Texas allows open carry of long guns, and Florida’s open carry rules changed after a 2025 appeals court ruling. In most of California and New York, a man pulling an AR-15 out in public is so far outside the norm that it draws an immediate police response. Your team needs to know your state’s carry laws and what is normal in your community before deciding what a rifle in the parking lot means. Even where open carry is common, deadly force is justified by behavior: the person has the ability to kill, the opportunity to do it, and is acting in a way that shows they are about to. Bergstrom read “fishing in a bag” as the start of a mass shooting. That called for a radio report and closer observation. Train your team members to name the specific act that moved a person from suspicious to an imminent threat before they draw.

Backstop

At the hearing, Deputy Salt Lake County Attorney Josh Graves, who is no relation to me, argued that a backstop is of “vital importance” when shooting into a large crowd and that each shot should be a conscious decision. Every police firearms instructor in the country teaches the same thing. At 160 feet, a change of one degree in muzzle angle moves the point of impact almost three feet. That is my own arithmetic, offered as an illustration and not a figure from the testimony. Most church volunteers qualify with a handgun at seven to fifteen yards on a static range, if they qualify at all (you absolutely need to qualify; my qualification video is on courses.christianwarriortraining.com). In a sanctuary, the area behind an attacker holds pews, families and the hallway to the nursery. Walk your room with your team and identify the angles where a shot has no safe backstop. Then rehearse what each team member does from those spots, whether that means moving for a clean line, closing distance or holding fire.

Radio Reports

Whitney described the radio traffic in order: “gun, AR-15,” a man in all black with a Confederate flag, then “gun, gun, gun,” then gunfire. By the time Alder had eyes on Gamboa, three transmissions had already told him what he was looking at, and two volunteers had drawn their weapons. Once one person calls out a gun, the transmissions that follow tend to repeat and build on it. Teach your team to report what they observe in plain terms and leave the interpretation to the team leader. “Male, black hoodie, rifle on his back, walking east past the north doors” gives the next person facts to act on. “Active shooter” gives them a conclusion before they have seen anything. Have your team practice observation reports on the radio during regular Sunday services and review them in the debrief afterward.

Written Policy for Armed Volunteers

Sarah Parker, a national coordinator for the 50501 Movement, told the Associated Press that organizers asked all attendees, including safety volunteers, not to bring weapons. Police said the event permit did not provide for armed security. The organizer of the safety team still knew Alder was armed and paired him with an unarmed partner. Ah Loo’s widow has since sued the rally organizers, calling Alder an “untrained volunteer.” If your church allows armed team members, put that decision in writing. Have it approved by your elders, checked against your state’s law and your insurance carrier, and tied to a training and qualification standard you can produce on paper. Then make sure your team follows that policy on Sunday morning, because a written policy the team ignores gives no legal protection to the volunteer or the pastor who signed it.

Legal Defense Coverage

Alder is facing a criminal trial, and the organizers are facing a civil lawsuit. Anyone who carries on a church safety team could end up in the same position, whether the charge comes from a genuine mistake or from political pressure on a prosecutor. Keep serving. The church needs you on that post. Understand that a legal defense can be very expensive, and plan for it now. Right To Bear is the legal defense coverage I recommend for church security teams and concealed carriers. If you sign up through the Christian Warrior Training partner link, you get 10 percent off the Security Plan for the life of your membership, and the plan includes the Multi-State add-on covering all 50 states and the Bail Bond add-on. Keep the code CWT at checkout, where it is applied automatically.

Biblical Perspective

Proverbs speaks directly to the difference between weighing what you see and reacting to what you hear.

Proverbs 14:15 (ESV) “The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps.”

Solomon describes two people receiving the same information. The simple one accepts whatever reaches them and acts on it. The prudent one stops long enough to ask whether it is true and what the next step will cost. On June 14, the safety team in Salt Lake City heard “gun, AR-15,” a description of a man in black with a Confederate flag, and “gun, gun, gun.” Some of that was accurate, and some of it pointed toward a conclusion no one had confirmed. The prosecution made the same point at the hearing when it said each shot should be a conscious decision. A church safety volunteer who has been trained to test a radio report against what they can see is practicing what this verse describes.

Proverbs 19:2 (ESV) “Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way.”

The desire to protect people is the reason every one of you volunteers. Solomon warns that desire without knowledge goes wrong and that the person who hurries misses the way. Alder wanted to stop a mass shooting. If the prosecution is right, he acted on partial knowledge and in haste, with three or four people between him and his target and a crowd beyond. One of his rounds struck Ah Loo. Sound judgment under pressure comes from training done ahead of time, from a written policy the team knows, and from prayer before the doors open. Those give a volunteer the time and discipline to confirm what they are looking at before they act.

Final Assessment

A safety volunteer saw a man with a rifle in a crowd of thousands, heard “gun, gun, gun” on the radio and fired three times. One of those rounds killed Afa Ah Loo, who had no part in what was unfolding. The man with the rifle was never charged, and the volunteer will stand trial for manslaughter. A jury will decide whether his conduct was reckless or negligent.

Church safety teams work under many of the same conditions that safety team did: crowds, carry laws that differ from state to state, armed volunteers with uneven training, and radio traffic that can run ahead of the facts. Put in writing who may carry and the qualification standard they must meet. Teach the difference between a suspicious person and an imminent threat as it applies in your state. Walk your sanctuary and mark where no shot is safe. Train your team to report what they see on the radio, and get legal defense coverage in place before you need it.

Join the Conversation

If your team has worked through policy for armed volunteers or drilled backstops in your sanctuary, tell us how you did it in the comments. Share this with your pastor and your safety team leader before your next team meeting.

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Copyright © 2026 Keith Graves. All rights reserved.

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AJ was armed when he came face to face with the active shooter at the Twin Falls In-N-Out. He was shot, his arm was shattered, and when he tried to return fire, his gun went click. There was no round in the chamber.

In this interview, the former police officer walks me through the attack, the actions his wife and friend took to keep him alive, and his ongoing recovery. We examine what went right, what went wrong, and the lessons every concealed carrier and church safety team should hear.

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0:00 Coming Up

0:49 Back at the Twin Falls In-N-Out

1:57 The Interview

7:11 The Day of the Shooting

19:20 The Click: No Round in the Chamber

25:13 Saving AJ: The Tourniquet and the Drive to the Hospital

34:37 Lessons: What Went Right, What Went Wrong

45:48 Remembering Lt. Stephen Williams

53:39 The Road Back

57:00 A Call From In-N-Out

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TERRORISM AND INTELLIGENCE

Two Iranian Men Charged in Chlorine Bomb Plot Against Manchester Jewish Community: Manchester, England

British prosecutors charged Rahman Salehi, 35, and Salam Ahmadyan, 36, both Iranian men, on Friday, October 2, with preparing to commit an act of terrorism on or before September 20. Counter Terrorism Policing arrested the two men in Manchester on September 20, during the Jewish High Holidays. Police allege the men obtained instructions to make a chlorine bomb and acquired liquids and other components for an improvised explosive device. According to a government counterterrorism digest issued October 7, the two men arrived in the United Kingdom by small boat, obtained a bomb-making manual and video, and carried out reconnaissance on Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation, the synagogue where a man killed two people in a vehicle ramming and stabbing attack on Yom Kippur in 2025. London’s Metropolitan Police also allege the men were in contact with a third party overseas, possibly in Iran. The case comes days after British officials said there was a “strong indication” of Iranian involvement in a separate incident near RAF Fairford, a base used by U.S. bombers, where a dual British-Iranian national was among those arrested.

Source Source Source: government counterterrorism digest

🛡️ My thoughts: there are two major things to learn from this incident. Number one: terror attacks are becoming more complex. Instead of stabbings and shootings, we are seeing ramming, fire attacks, bomb, attacks, and now we have to face chemical attacks. This kind of chemical attack is very easy to make happen. The barrier to entry is very low. Number two: we are seeing a recurring theme where people are being recruited online by the IRGC or isis and Al Qaeda. They are being given a few thousand dollars to carry out an attack. These attacks are skyrocketing, and I am shocked. We have not had more in the United States. We have had a few though. Many churches openly support Israel, and that makes you a target of these people. I report on synagogue attacks because I want Christians to understand how the attacks are occurring, so when they decide to come after you, you're ready.

Islamic State Supporter Arrested in FBI Sting While Planning Mass Shooting at the Mall of America: Bloomington, Minnesota

Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud, 18, of Richfield, Minnesota, was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on October 6. He is charged with receiving a firearm and ammunition to commit a federal crime of terrorism. According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), he exchanged hundreds of messages with a confidential source starting in December 2024, discussed buying a gun and recruiting others, and sent a video pledging allegiance to the Islamic State (ISIS). The DOJ says he chose October 24 and a Hmong Arts Celebration at the Mall of America as his target, said the mall was owned by Jews, and wanted to copy the Pulse nightclub, Bondi Beach and New Orleans attacks. On October 6 he paid an undercover FBI employee about $600 cash for an AK-47 rifle the FBI had made inoperable, four 30-round magazines and about 200 rounds, and he was arrested once he took possession. The release does not name a church or other house of worship, and the charges are allegations in a criminal complaint.

Pre-Attack Surveillance Behaviors Listed in This Week’s Government Counterterrorism Digest

Alongside the Manchester case, a government counterterrorism digest issued Wednesday, October 7, listed observable behaviors that can indicate someone is conducting surveillance of a target before an attack. The list includes asking probing questions; deliberately avoiding cameras and other detection systems; trying to get into unauthorized or sensitive areas; wearing smart glasses or other wearable recording devices; taking notes or sketching a location; showing unusual interest in how security responds to an incident, hoax call or drill; loitering and watching; and using ordinary recording devices. The digest notes that this kind of surveillance is often identified only after an attack, during the investigation. The same digest reported that a U.S. Department of Energy employee in Richland, Washington, Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, 51, was charged October 1 with trying to provide material support to the Houthis by buying precursor chemicals and parts for explosive devices and drones, and it described insiders with legitimate access as a recurring vulnerability that screening and recurring vetting are meant to catch.

Source: government counterterrorism digest

🛡️ My thoughts: I have a course on looking for these pre-attack cues. Head over to courses. christianwarriortraining.com and take these classes for free.

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Islamic State Newsletter Claims Beheading of Nine Christians and Raids on Christian Villages in Congo and Mozambique

The Islamic State’s weekly al-Naba newsletter, issue 567, dated Thursday, October 1, claims its Central Africa branch raided the Christian village of Bandisende in Ituri province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, on Monday, September 28, killing a Congolese soldier and a Christian villager and burning 30 homes. The newsletter claims fighters returned near the same village the next day, Tuesday, September 29, captured nine Christians and killed them by cutting their throats. In Cabo Delgado province, Mozambique, the newsletter claims fighters killed three Christians between September 18 and 28 near the villages of Manguma and Mabuto in Mocimboa da Praia, raided the Christian village of Nambido in Nangade on September 20, and burned seven trucks and farm vehicles belonging to a Chinese company near Palma. It also claims four Christians were killed in northeast Nigeria during the same week. These are the group’s own claims and have not been independently confirmed.

Source: Islamic State al-Naba newsletter, issue 567

Arkansas Man Pleads Guilty to Vandalizing a Synagogue on Behalf of an Iranian Agent: Hot Springs, Arkansas

Richard Christopher Hammer, 20, of Hot Springs, pleaded guilty on Wednesday, September 30, in federal court to acting as an agent of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He also pleaded guilty to conspiracy against the right of religious freedom for damage he caused at Congregation House of Israel, a Hot Springs synagogue, in April. The charges also covered a plot to sabotage an Arkansas missile production facility. Each count carries up to 10 years in federal prison. European intelligence reporting this month describes the same method: Iranian handlers recruiting local criminals and teenagers over encrypted apps to carry out attacks that cannot easily be traced back to Tehran. President Trump has said he may resume strikes on Iran after the November 3 midterm elections, and a third U.S. aircraft carrier group is moving to the Middle East with the buildup expected to be complete in late November.

Source Source

🛡️ My thoughts: another example of many of somebody being recruited by the IRGC online. These will become more common. If you outwardly support Israel at your church by hanging an Israeli flag or any other symbol, take preparations for Lone Wolf actor coming to your church. By all means don't stop your support. Continue supporting Israel, but do so with vigilance in mind. Remember Nehemiah 4:9.

Churches Displaying Israeli Memorial Flags Targeted in Three Cities Around the October 7 Anniversary: Anchorage, Alaska; McKinney, Texas; Toronto, Canada

Three churches that set out Israeli flags to mark the third anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack had their displays stolen, vandalized or burned this week. At Mountain City Church in Anchorage, all 1,200 flags placed on Thursday, October 1, were taken at about 1 a.m. on Friday, and surveillance video shows several people moving quickly across the grounds after dark. At Heritage Church in McKinney, Pastor Len McLaughlin arrived Tuesday morning, October 6, to find 200 to 300 of the church’s 1,200 flags pulled up, broken and stomped into the ground; the church had also been receiving threats over the display. In the North York area of Toronto, several Israeli flags were set on fire near a church on Wednesday, October 7, and Toronto police are investigating it as a suspected hate crime. Police reports were filed in all three cases, and no arrests have been announced.

Source Source Source

Pittsburgh-Area Man Indicted for Getting a Gun to Support the Islamic State: Western Pennsylvania

A federal grand jury indicted Jonathan Hunter Kramer, 21, of western Pennsylvania, on a charge of obtaining a gun and ammunition to support the Islamic State. Prosecutors say Kramer used the online name “Hamza Al Rashid,” claimed to be affiliated with the Islamic State and offered to share explosives manuals with others. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, a few days before September 12 he said he intended to prepare for his “mission” and was only missing a weapon. He is jailed pending trial and faces up to 15 years in prison. No target has been named in public filings.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: look how many of these there have been in this newsletter in the past year. The Lord has protected our churches from this evil. We must remain vigilant.

Teenagers Now Present in Most Islamic State Plots in the United States

The majority of Islamic State-inspired plots in the United States since 2024 have involved at least one teenager, according to open-source analysis published this week. CNN reported on September 28 on Daniel Fischer of South Carolina, who went from first contact with Islamic State material to attack planning in about five months at age 16. Recruitment is running through gaming platforms, social media and online “true crime” communities that celebrate mass shooters. Indonesian police warned this month that more than 300 children there had been drawn into those same online communities. The same pattern appears outside the Islamic State: in Mexico, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel recruited a 16-year-old from Oaxaca through a fake TikTok job post and held him in forced servitude in Puerto Vallarta.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: if you've been reading my thoughts on the stories above, you know why this is happening. It's happening because ISIS, Al Qaeda, and the IRGC are doing a wonderful job at recruiting them online. They're being brainwashed into believing that they're going to get easy money for carrying out an attack for the cause.

Islamic State Supporters Discuss Arson and Infiltrating Police

In August, users on an English-language pro-Islamic State discussion group traded ideas for advancing the group’s goals. One user recommended using artificial intelligence (AI) tools for propaganda, hacking and exposing personal information, and named a specific AI platform as having little censorship. The same user recommended joining police departments to gain access to intelligence, weapons and information on officers for future operations, and recommended setting wooded areas on fire with acetone. A separate pro-Islamic State guide circulated in late June and early July called fire “the easiest weapon” and listed buildings, buses and trains as targets.

Source: internal restricted government document

🛡️ My thoughts: some people might say these discussions are rhetoric. and the thoughts of madmen that have no way of carrying it out. You cannot be any more wrong. They are telling you exactly what they are going to do. Pay attention to what they say because they will follow through.

SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY REPORTS

Reader-submitted suspicious activity at U.S. churches. If you see something similar in your area, submit your own report at alert.christianwarriortraining.com.

Fort Wayne, Indiana: Locked Door Tried During Service; Driver Left After Seeing Outside Observer On Sunday, October 4, 2026, at about 10:30 a.m., a security team member at a church in Fort Wayne, Indiana, reported two incidents during the morning service. A young mother and her daughter drove around the building and tried to enter through the office doors, which are kept locked; when met at the door she asked to use the restroom, was shown to it, and afterward drove to a nearby park. About the same time, a young man pulled into the drive, started to get out, saw the outside observer sitting in a truck by the childcare entrance, got back in and drove off to the west. The first vehicle was a white four-door sedan and the second a newer black four-door sedan, and the team notified its county police liaison. CWT case 20261004-E1B3ECF5E814

Florida Panhandle: Same Man Returns After Nine Months, Photographs Restrooms and Says He Is “Scoping Things Out” On Sunday, October 4, 2026, at about 12:30 p.m., the security team at a church in the Florida Panhandle reported a second visit by a man first seen nine months earlier. On the first visit he came to a midweek service with a large fixed-blade knife visible and asked security team members which small group to attend. On the second visit, at the late service, a team member noted something printing in the middle of his back; he photographed the restrooms and several public areas and told someone he was “scoping things out.” He is described as a white male in his late 30s to early 40s wearing a leather vest, sunglasses and a beanie, and he left the property in a black minivan. CWT case 20261004-F0DF3EBD94DC

🛡️ My thoughts: please continue reporting suspicious activity to intel.christianwarriortraining.com. Your tips have led to FBI contacting Christian Warrior for more information. on the tips that you were posting. Please contact the police first and then contact us so everybody else can know.

VIOLENT CRIME

Veteran Arrested for Threatening University of Texas and a Local Church: Austin, Texas

Austin police arrested David Benjamin Coleman-Roush, 35, early Thursday, October 1, at a home on Tapadera Trace Lane in North Austin. He is charged with terroristic threat, a third-degree felony, for overnight threats against the University of Texas at Austin and a local church. Police have not identified the church or described the threats in detail. According to an arrest affidavit, a call to the 988 crisis line led to the arrest, and he had texted his wife about a planned incident at the university. University police said he was reportedly in a mental health crisis and has no connection to the school.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: if your church receives a threat like this, please take it seriously. Get a restraining order and let all of your staff know what is happening. Work with local police on a response plan in case he shows up.

Search Warrant Shows At Least Two Shooters Fired 55 Rounds Beside Catholic Church: Edina, Minnesota

Gunfire broke out at about 7:53 p.m. on Tuesday, September 22, near the basketball courts and parking lot of Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church on Eden Avenue during a pickup basketball game. According to a search warrant made public October 1, surveillance video shows muzzle flashes from at least two or three shooters on the church’s north entrance road. Players ran through the parking lot, and others took cover behind vehicles or ran around the church building. Police recovered 55 spent casings and torn packaging for a Glock 9mm extended magazine, and two SUVs in the lot had bullet-damaged windows; no one was hurt. The shooters left in a vehicle heading east on Eden Avenue, no arrests have been announced, and a city meeting on gun violence scheduled at the church on October 5 was moved off the property over safety concerns.

Source Source

Two Men Shot Behind a Church: Culpeper County, Virginia

Two men were shot at about 6:36 p.m. on Wednesday, October 7, in the 16000 block of Rogers Road in Culpeper County. Initial reporting placed the shooting behind a church. One man was shot in the leg and the other in the back, and one was flown to a hospital while the other was taken by ambulance. Deputies asked the public to stay away from the area while they searched for the suspect. No suspect description has been released.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: it is almost weekly now that we have an incident like this. Many times people fleeing danger will go to a church for sanctuary. It doesn't matter the time or the day. Deep down inside, they are hopeful that a church will save them. Be ready for scenarios like this. They are often outside of worship hours. Ensure your church has a 4K video system to record any crime that occurs on the property and just outside the property on the perimeter. It will help you and police solve any incidents that happened around your church.

Man Arrested After Showing a Gun to a Greek Orthodox Church Employee During Church Festival: Albuquerque, New Mexico

A man was arrested on Saturday, October 3, after police say he flashed a gun at a man who was taking a break from working at the Albuquerque Grecian Festival. The man threatened was an employee of the Greek Orthodox church. The man is in custody. Details on charges and what led up to the confrontation were not available at the time of this issue.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: I saw another news story on this incident where police used less lethal to subdue the man. Festivals are becoming increasingly dangerous. We are reporting on gun crime at these festivals quite frequently. Ensure you have adequate security to protect your people.

Man Fired Shots From a Car Near a Church, Then Shot a State Agent During the Search: Reidsville, North Carolina

On October 3, Rockingham County deputies responded to reports that a man was randomly firing shots from a white Lexus on a roadway near a church, according to arrest warrants. The warrants say Marvin White, 38, of Eden, also threatened a man with a gun and took his phone and car keys. When deputies arrived in the 800 block of Walker Street, White exchanged gunfire with them and ran. During the search, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) agents tracked him to a crawl space under a house, where he allegedly shot a 10-year SBI Special Response Team agent in the leg; the agent returned fire. The agent was in stable condition and scheduled for surgery, and White is held without bond on charges that include attempted first-degree murder. Authorities have not named the church or said whether anyone was there at the time.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: it's just like this can cause stray bullets to hit the church. If an incident like this happens near your church, lock the church down and put your people into the center of the church in an area they can protect them from stray rounds. Armed security should go to the nearest door and ensure that no bad actors try to get into the church when they run from the police.

SEX CRIMES

Youth Pastor Charged With Grooming a 15-Year-Old: McCracken County, Kentucky

The McCracken County Sheriff’s Office arrested Jared Denney, 37, on Friday, October 2, after a month-long investigation that began in late August. Denney was a youth pastor and Sunday school teacher at Bellview Baptist Church. He is charged with felony grooming, felony procuring or promoting the use of a minor by electronic means, and distributing obscene matter to minors. Investigators allege he sent sexually explicit messages to a 15-year-old girl while he was serving as her church’s youth pastor. The church released a statement after the arrest.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: paedophiles will go to where they have an abundance of victims. That would be children's sports teams, organizations like the Boy Scouts of America, and churches. For churches specifically, they will become an employee or of trusted volunteers so they can gain access to the children. They will start grooming them and then have their way with them. Make sure that you take my training below and have all of your staff take the training. Recognize the signs of grooming so that you can stop them.

Man in Church Pastor Training Program Charged With Sexual Assault of a 16-Year-Old: The Woodlands, Texas

The San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office arrested Isaias Escobar, 22, on a charge of sexual assault of a child, and the arrest was announced September 29. Escobar entered a pastor training program at Grace Church in The Woodlands in 2025. The victim’s mother described him as a youth and worship leader at Grace and at his parents’ church, Iglesia de Cristo Ebenezer Emmanuel in Livingston. The assault of a 16-year-old girl allegedly took place on August 13 after a Grace youth event that both attended. Grace Church says Escobar was not an employee, held no position there and was dismissed from the program when leaders learned of the allegation.

Source

Kentucky Pastor Charged With Sodomy and Sexual Abuse of Minors; Second Accuser Comes Forward: Somerset, Kentucky

The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office arrested Scott C. Hughes, 54, at his Somerset home on Thursday night, October 1. Hughes is pastor of Pleasant View Baptist Church in Waynesburg, Lincoln County, and the church placed him on administrative leave. He is charged with first-degree sexual abuse and second- and third-degree sodomy, with the alleged abuse of minors in Pulaski County beginning around 2018. On October 6 the sheriff’s office said an adult had come forward to report that Hughes abused them as a minor in 2012 and 2013 in another county, and that report was referred to the agency with jurisdiction. Hughes is held on a $75,000 bond.

Source Source

Church Music Minister Arrested by FBI on Child Pornography Charge: Borger, Texas

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested Tharon Drake, 53, on Wednesday, September 30, on a federal complaint charging receipt of child pornography. Drake had served since 2020 as minister of worship arts and media at First Baptist Church of Borger. The complaint describes online contact through Kik and Snapchat with people he believed were minors or who were identified as minors. The church suspended him from all ministry duties, removed him from its website and said it is cooperating with law enforcement. Public filings do not describe contact with children through the church.

Source

Church Deacon, Paramedic and Nurse Charged With Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material: Dongola, Illinois

The Illinois Attorney General’s office charged Gregory Brown, 43, of Dongola, with 12 counts of possessing child pornography depicting children under 13. Brown is a deacon at a local church, a paramedic with a local ambulance company and a registered nurse at a local hospital. Investigators from the Attorney General’s office and the Illinois State Police searched his home on Burns Road and arrested him after finding the material on his phone. Each count is a Class 2 felony carrying up to seven years in prison. The charges were announced Friday, October 2, and he was held in the Pulaski County Jail pending a detention hearing.

Source

Former Youth Ministry Leader Jailed on Indecent Sexual Contact Charge: Marion, Texas

Jesse Skaggs, 32, a nurse who ran the youth ministry at The Purpose Church in Marion, is in jail on a charge of indecent sexual contact. The San Antonio Express-News reported his arrest. The full charging details were not available in public reporting at the time of this issue.

Source

Man Charged With Raping a Teenager in a Church Parking Lot: Bedford County, Pennsylvania

Elijah Helmick is charged with rape by forcible compulsion and statutory sexual assault, accused of sexually assaulting a teenager in a church parking lot in Bedford County. The two met through Snapchat before the assault, according to court documents. When confronted about the assault, Helmick said “I don’t really care,” according to those documents. Reporting does not name the church.

Source

Registered Sex Offender Served in Megachurch Ministry Roles for Years: Simpsonville, South Carolina

Members of Brookwood Church in Simpsonville are asking church leaders how Jerry Sidell, a registered sex offender, came to serve in several ministry roles there. Sidell was convicted in Georgia in 1983 of child molestation and enticing a child for indecent purposes after confessing to molesting boys while he was a youth minister. He began attending Brookwood around 1999, served in men’s ministry, played keyboard on the main stage and, according to one member, played music for a Celebrate Recovery group for students in grades 6 through 12; he also founded a separate music ministry that held events where minors appeared. The church says he was a volunteer in an adult worship band and a men’s small group, was never around children, and was removed from serving once leaders learned of his status. Brookwood says it has since added a security team, about 300 cameras, volunteer background checks and a designated entry and escort procedure for registered offenders who attend; he faces no pending charges.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: they implemented everything that we suggest. It makes me wonder if this church has people that follow Christian warrior training. If they had implemented all of this before, they would've caught them earlier. The Lord can forgive this man, but that doesn't mean that you give him any kind of access to children at the church.

ARSON AND SUSPICIOUS FIRES

Fire in Sanctuary of Missionary Baptist Church: Crestview, Florida

The Crestview Fire Department was dispatched on the morning of Monday, October 5, to a structure fire at Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and McDonald Street near downtown Crestview. Firefighters found the fire coming from the church’s main sanctuary. The fire was extinguished. The cause, the extent of the damage and whether anyone was hurt were not available in public reporting at the time of this issue.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts

VEHICLE COLLISIONS

Car Crashes Through Church Sign and Lands Against Church Steps; Driver Fled: Washington, Pennsylvania

A car crashed onto the property of Fairhill Manor Christian Church at about 1:15 a.m. on Saturday, October 3. The car came from Shirls Avenue, went through the church sign, knocked down a light pole and stopped against the concrete stairs. Two people were flown to hospitals. Police identified Avery Alexander Ray as the person who ran from the scene, and two officers were hurt in the struggle to take him into custody; he was held on a probation detainer with charges pending. The associate pastor said building damage was minimal, and the church held its scheduled dinner that day and services the next morning.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts

Two Priests Struck by Cars in Crosswalks, One Killed: Upper Arlington, Ohio, and Prineville, Oregon

Monsignor John Johnson of St. Agatha Church in Upper Arlington was struck by a vehicle driven by a teenager at the intersection of Tremont and Ridgecliff roads on the morning of Tuesday, September 29, and died the next night at Riverside Methodist Hospital. No charges or citations have been reported. In Prineville, Father Joseph Kunnelaya, 71, of St. Joseph Catholic Church was struck at about 8:44 a.m. on Saturday, October 3, while crossing NE 7th Street at North Main Street, by a driver turning onto 7th. He was flown to St. Charles Bend in critical condition, has had surgery on his leg and is expected to recover. Prineville police found no sign of impairment, said sun glare may have reduced the driver’s visibility, and reported no citations.

Source Source

🛡️ My thoughts

INTERNATIONAL

Eighteen Christian Mourners Abducted on the Way to a Burial: Benue and Kogi States, Nigeria

About 20 armed men abducted 18 mourners, 10 men and eight women, at about 10:15 p.m. on Friday, September 25, at Awowo junction on the Adoka-Ankpa Road in Kogi State. The mourners were traveling by bus from Tyomu in Benue State to a burial in Ankpa. Community members say the attackers spoke Fulfulde, and police confirmed the abduction. The kidnappers demanded 30 million naira, about $20,000, and rejected a 3 million naira payment as too small. On Tuesday, September 29, Tyomu residents blocked the Gboko-Makurdi highway for several hours to demand government action, and as of the report none of the 18 had been released.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts

Elderly Woman Assaulted Outside a Church in Unprovoked Attack: Windsor, Ontario, Canada

Shortly after 3:30 p.m. on September 25, Windsor police responded to a report of an assault in the 700 block of Mercer Street. Investigators say a woman the victim did not know walked up to her outside a church, assaulted her and choked her without provocation. The attacker then left on foot. The elderly victim suffered injuries that were not life-threatening. Police said on October 1 that tips from the public helped them identify the suspect, and they have not announced charges or named the church.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts

Priest and Local Official Trade Punches Inside Anglican Church During Service: Abim, Uganda

A fight broke out inside All Saints Church in Abim Town Council, Diocese of North Karamoja, on Sunday, September 27. It began when Rev. Can Richard Ongom refused to give Innocent Oyoo, a local ward chairperson, time to address the congregation about security and the distribution of treated mosquito nets. The argument turned into punches and shoving, churchgoers rushed in, and some people fell to the floor. Police appealed for calm and said inquiries are ongoing. The bishop warned church leaders against confrontation in the church.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts

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Hello Christian Warriors. Here is your weekly Roll Call Briefing. It is meant to be read, or to be delivered verbally as a team, before you start your shift protecting the Body of Christ. Here is what we cover today:

1. 0:00 Intro — on the road: Detroit tonight, Chicago Saturday

2. 0:29 Alert Posture — still at Orange

3. 0:41 Christ First — 1 Timothy 5:22

4. 1:56 Suspicious Activity Reports — Fort Wayne and the Florida Panhandle

5. 3:06 Intelligence Updates — nine items, including an interrupted IRGC plot to use Chlorine gas to attack a house of worship.

6. 9:12 Sex Crime Surge — eight cases in one week

7. 10:02 Violence Against Churches — five incidents including a shootout with police near a church.

8. 13:15 Training — when a registered sex offender attends your church

9. 14:08 Assignments & Close — 1 Corinthians 16:13

   

   DOWNLOAD THE BRIEFING SHEET👇

Thank you for supporting Christian Warrior Training. Because of you, we can offer free training to everyone that is a watchman for the Body of Christ. This roll call briefing is my gift to you.

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Intel Monitor/Report Suspicious Activity

One Year After Grand Blanc, Is Your Church Ready?

On September 28, 2025, four people went to church in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, and never came home. Their names were Craig Hayden, John Bond, Thelma Armstrong, and William “Pat” Howard. A man drove a truck into their meetinghouse, opened fire, and deliberately set the building ablaze.

An armed member confronted him before police arrived. The police chief credited that member with buying time for others to escape. Yet one year later, the LDS Church continues to prohibit ordinary members from carrying firearms on church property.

That deserves direct criticism. Leadership has revised its security guidance, but the weapons restriction remains. Families attending an ordinary Sunday service are still denied an option that leadership recognizes as appropriate for meetings involving an increased threat.

I believe that response is inadequate. When four people have been murdered in your building, every part of your protection model should be examined, including policies leadership would prefer to leave alone.

Whether your church is Baptist, Catholic, or nondenominational, you need to study this incident. You may have different policies, but you have the same responsibility to take the protection of your congregation seriously.

A fast police response still left people dead

Thomas Jacob Sanford attacked the Grand Blanc congregation with a vehicle, gunfire, and fire. The FBI later described the attack as targeted violence believed to be motivated by hatred toward the Mormon religious community. This was a deliberate attack on people gathered for worship.

The police response was fast. According to the timeline released by authorities, the first 911 call came from someone who had been shot in the stomach. Police were notified 16 seconds later. A conservation officer arrived in less than two minutes after dispatch, followed by a township officer. They confronted and killed Sanford.

I spent 29 years in law enforcement. I understand what responding officers can accomplish, and I understand the limits imposed by travel time. Officers cannot protect someone inside your sanctuary while they are still driving toward your church.

Call police immediately when an emergency develops. But your church also needs people prepared to act before officers arrive. Grand Blanc demonstrated how much damage an attacker can inflict during even a fast response.

• Register for the October 8 class in Wayne, Michigan

• Register for the October 10 class in Crystal Lake, Illinois

An armed member bought time

Greg Mikat, a hearings investigator with the Michigan Department of Corrections, was carrying a handgun that morning. After the truck struck the building, he went outside and encountered Sanford approaching with a rifle.

Mikat fired five rounds. According to the police investigation, none struck Sanford. Sanford shot Mikat three times in the chest.

Mikat survived. On the anniversary Sunday, he stood before his congregation and conducted the music. Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William “Bill” Renye described him as a hero and credited him with buying time for most of the congregation to escape through the back. The Deseret News anniversary report documents his actions and the chief’s assessment.

Some people will focus on the misses and conclude that his handgun accomplished nothing. That ignores what the police chief said. Mikat confronted a man who was murdering people, and the chief believes that confrontation gave others time to get away.

His courage deserves recognition. His misses also require an honest discussion about training. We can respect what he did while examining what every armed church security volunteer should learn from it.

A carry permit does not establish your ability to stop an attacker. Neither does owning a good handgun or being the person everyone at church considers knowledgeable about firearms. You need to measure your performance.

If you carry, train honestly

I have recommended the Bill Drill for years because it gives you a measurable way to work on your draw, recoil control, and accuracy at speed.

From the holster, draw and fire six rounds into the A zone, the center scoring area of a standard practical shooting target, at seven yards. The performance goal I recommend working toward is under two seconds, with all six rounds in that scoring area.

All six hits count. A fast time with misses does not meet the standard. Build toward that goal at a pace you can safely control, and record both your times and your hits.

The drill does not recreate Grand Blanc or establish that someone is prepared for every emergency. You still need judgment, communication, medical training, and practice with the people who will respond beside you.

But if you carry a handgun to protect a congregation, avoiding meaningful evaluation of your shooting ability is unacceptable. People are depending on you. They deserve demonstrated competence and continued training.

Be honest about what you can do today. Then put in the work to improve it.

The policy needs to be challenged

After Grand Blanc, the church security department sent a letter to leaders of more than 31,000 congregations, asking them to review security and emergency preparations.

The church’s security guidelines updated March 16, 2026 include two greeters at entrances, paired patrols inside and outside, and emergency training that includes Run, Hide, Fight. Those measures have value.

The same guidance calls for four to six current law enforcement officers at high profile meetings or during an increased threat environment. Meanwhile, General Handbook section 35.5.7.2 continues to prohibit firearms and other lethal weapons on church property, including concealed weapons, with an exception for current law enforcement officers.

Leadership recognizes a role for armed protection. It recommends officers under certain circumstances while prohibiting ordinary members from carrying.

Grand Blanc was a Sunday worship meeting. The attacker did not wait for a prominent visitor or a special event. He attacked families gathered for worship.

Leadership should explain why those families cannot have trained, organized armed protection provided by qualified members where applicable law allows it. An ordinary Sunday deserves a serious protection plan.

Hiring police can be part of that plan, but officers are not always available. Leadership still needs an answer for a service when none are present. Who is prepared to protect the congregation during the minutes before responding officers arrive?

My recommendation is to change the policy to permit lawful armed protection by qualified members and establish trained, supported teams at the local level. Set standards, appoint accountable leaders, and provide the resources those teams need.

After Grand Blanc, a letter and revised procedures should not end the discussion. The weapons restriction deserves direct examination.

More fatal shootings followed

On January 7, 2026, a shooting outside a funeral at an LDS meetinghouse in Salt Lake City killed two people and injured six others. Police described a dispute among people attending the funeral. Federal prosecutors later charged two alleged Tongan Crip gang members with firearms offenses related to the investigation. The initial reporting and Justice Department announcement describe those circumstances.

On August 17, a funeral at an LDS meetinghouse in Kearns, Utah, ended with one man dead and two others critically injured. Attendees had warned police that trouble might develop. According to KSL’s reporting, officers were already at the location when they heard gunfire.

Those two shootings and Grand Blanc left seven people dead in less than 11 months. The circumstances differed. The funeral shootings should not be presented as the same kind of targeted religious attack as Grand Blanc, but they demonstrate other threats that can reach church property.

Your team needs to prepare for conflicts brought into funerals, threats against the congregation, and an attacker arriving during worship. Known disputes or gang connections belong in the security assessment before the service begins.

Informal arrangements leave unanswered questions

I have heard from LDS members who tell me they carry despite the policy. Others say they have formed informal teams. That tells me members are concerned enough to act without institutional support, and it raises questions leadership should resolve.

Who knows who is armed? Who has been trained? Who is coordinating the response? Have those people ever trained together?

A church should answer those questions through an organized program. Leaving members to private arrangements creates uncertainty during the emergency when clear responsibilities are essential.

Give the team defined leadership and train together at least monthly. Brief other lawful carriers on expectations so they understand how to avoid interfering with the team or confusing responding officers.

The church’s guidance includes fighting as a last resort. Leadership should examine what its weapons restriction leaves a member facing someone with a rifle. A folding chair may be what is available, but telling someone to improvise does not settle the question of whether qualified armed protection should have been permitted.

Preparation starts outside

Grand Blanc began with a vehicle reaching an occupied building. Every church should examine where a vehicle could drive directly into its sanctuary, classrooms, or gathering areas. Bring those vulnerabilities to leadership and discuss appropriate barriers with qualified professionals.

I teach threat recognition through atmospherics. Know what normal looks like on your property so you can identify behavior that needs attention.

Reckless driving, repeated circling, unusual parking, or an approach that does not fit normal activity should prompt observation and communication. Those behaviors do not automatically establish that someone is an attacker, but your team cannot assess what nobody is watching.

Put a team member outside during services with a radio and a defined responsibility. Make sure that person can communicate a concern to someone with the authority to act.

A vehicle striking a building may be an accident. It may also be the beginning of an attack. Your team needs to assess the situation, move people away from the impact area, and watch for additional danger.

Your congregation needs a plan too

Eyewitness reporting from Grand Blanc describes members helping people evacuate after the crash and facing gunfire as they escaped. The attacker also used gasoline to set the building ablaze.

Your congregation should understand emergency procedures before something happens. Decide who can order an evacuation from the pulpit. Teach classroom leaders their exits and alternatives. Establish a rally point and a system for accounting for children.

Work with your fire department on fire and smoke emergencies. A room used to shelter from gunfire can become dangerous when smoke enters or fire cuts off the exit. Your plan has to account for changing conditions.

A security team cannot personally guide every family and every classroom at once. Members need enough preparation to make informed decisions when they are separated from the team.

Review what your church publishes online as well. Post assignments, patrol schedules, camera locations, and detailed response procedures can expose information useful to someone planning violence. Teach members how to report concerns and respond to emergencies while keeping sensitive deployment details controlled.

Faith does not excuse inaction

In 2 Chronicles 32, Hezekiah learned that an enemy was approaching. He consulted his leaders, repaired defenses, prepared weapons and shields, and appointed commanders. He also encouraged the people to trust the Lord.

Trusting God did not relieve him of the responsibility to repair a broken wall. He took practical steps to prepare the people under his care.

Jeremiah 6:14 rebukes leaders who offered assurances of peace while treating a serious wound lightly. Jeremiah was addressing Judah in a particular historical setting, but that warning should cause us to examine our own leadership.

Are we addressing demonstrated vulnerabilities? Are we taking responsibility for correcting them, or reassuring people while the same weaknesses remain?

Four people were murdered at Grand Blanc. An armed member confronted the attacker, members helped one another escape, and responding officers stopped the killer. One year later, the weapons restriction remains.

I believe leadership should reconsider it and establish trained, supported protection at the congregation level. The families attending an ordinary Sunday service deserve a plan that takes the demonstrated threats seriously.

If you lead a church, bring this discussion to your leadership. If you lead a security team, examine your preparation. If you carry, be honest about your ability to deliver accurate hits and your willingness to train.

Tell me in the comments whether your church has an organized team and whether leadership supports it. Keep operational details private, but share how your church is addressing these responsibilities.

Pray for the families of Craig Hayden, John Bond, Thelma Armstrong, and William Howard. Pray for Greg Mikat and everyone still recovering from that morning. Pray also that people harboring hatred will turn to Christ before they hurt anyone.

Remember the instruction in 1 Corinthians 16:13, ESV: “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” And remember your ABCs. Always Be Carrying.

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Coming up in this week’s briefing:

• Terrorism and intelligence: An alleged chemical weapon plot in Canada, target surveillance in Poland, and attacks on Jewish institutions in Belgium.

• October dates to watch: Religious observances and attack anniversaries for your safety team’s calendar.

• Reports from church safety teams: Threats during Bible study, unusual behavior during worship, and a man watching women after service.

• Violence involving churches and clergy: A church shooting from an electric scooter, a worship minister killed, and attempted entry at a synagogue preschool.

• Child protection: Five sex crime cases involving Christian schools, youth ministries, mission trips, and a church volunteer.

• Fire and vehicle hazards: A crucifix set on fire inside a Wisconsin church, an adjacent arson fire damaging another church, and three vehicle collisions at church properties.

• International threats: A priest killed inside a Polish abbey, more Christians killed in Nigeria, and church leaders detained in China.

  

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BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT

A Ukrainian man killed a priest with a kitchen knife he found inside a Benedictine abbey in Poland, a man photographed a Philadelphia synagogue and then pulled on the preschool doors while children were inside, and a man walked into a Wisconsin church on a Friday morning and set the crucifix on fire while the organist watched him do it. A suspected gang member is charged with shooting up a church in Oakley, California from an electric scooter, and a 66-year-old rabbi was beaten on the steps of his own home in Brooklyn. Three vehicles hit church buildings in three states in six days, five more ministry and Christian school sex crime cases moved through court, counter-terror services in Poland, Canada and Belgium all worked congregation-related cases, and the Islamic State spent its weekly newsletter claiming it burned seventy Christian homes in Congo and executed seven Christians in Mozambique. Three safety teams filed reports on people who walked into their buildings and behaved like they were working a problem. The October dates are below the terror update, and the high holidays run through this weekend.

TERRORISM AND INTELLIGENCE

Teenager Charged Over Neo-Nazi Plot Against a Mosque and a School, Including Target Surveillance — Katowice Area, Poland

Poland’s Internal Security Agency detained a 17-year-old Polish citizen identified as Paweł G. on Friday, September 18, and prosecutors charged him on Tuesday, September 22. He faces three counts: preparing a terrorist attack intended to kill many people, membership in a criminal group promoting Nazi ideology and inciting religious and ethnic hatred, and publicly inciting hatred online. Investigators say device analysis showed correspondence planning large-scale attacks on a mosque and a school, reconnaissance of both targets, and efforts to obtain firearms, grenades, and Molotov cocktails. He was allegedly tied to a group calling itself Atomwaffen Polska and operated on Telegram and Discord. Two 16-year-olds, named as Kacper K. and Wiktor Ś., were referred to juvenile courts after investigators found Nazi materials, and a court ordered three months of pre-trial detention for Paweł G.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: this is yet another example of a lone wolf actor being stopped. This is still a church's greatest threat.

• Register for the October 8 class in Wayne, Michigan

• Register for the October 10 class in Crystal Lake, Illinois

Man Charged Over ISIS-Inspired Plot to Build a Chemical Weapon — Quebec City, Canada

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police announced on Thursday, September 24, that Louay Angoud, 24, of Quebec City had been charged with four terrorism-related offenses. Police allege he communicated online with members of the Islamic State and gathered information to build a chemical weapon capable of poisoning Canadians, and that he intended to carry out at least one attack on the group’s behalf. The counts are using or possessing property for terrorist purposes, commission of an offense for a terrorist group, participating in the activity of a terrorist group, and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. The investigation opened in April 2026 and was run by the RCMP’s Integrated National Security Enforcement Team for the Eastern Region. The Crown opposed release and he was held pending a bail hearing the following week.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: These attacks are getting more complex. You need to think beyond just an active shooter and start thinking about complex attacks involving multiple methods of killing, including chemical attacks.

Belgian Threat Analysis Chief Says Iran Directed a Synagogue Bombing and an Arson — Liège and Antwerp, Belgium

Gert Vercauteren, who heads Belgium’s Coordination Unit for Threat Analysis, told the public broadcaster RTBF on Thursday, September 24, that the people behind two attacks on Jewish targets in Belgium in March “certainly followed Iran’s call to strike Jewish and Israeli interests everywhere in the world.” An explosive device detonated outside the Grande Synagogue de Liège on Rue Léon Frédéricq shortly before 4 a.m. on Monday, March 9, shattering windows and damaging the main door, and a car was set on fire in Antwerp’s Jewish quarter the same week. Neither attack caused casualties. Several people were detained over the Liège bombing and two teenagers were arrested over the Antwerp arson. Vercauteren said the attacks were a coordinated campaign and not isolated incidents, and that Belgian services recorded no further attacks after a main suspect in the network was arrested in Turkey.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: The IRGC has been stepping up attacks against Jews across Europe. One has been stopped here in the US. If you are a congregation that supports Israel openly, expect that you can be a target. Please take this threat seriously. The writing is on the wall and attempts have already been made here in the homeland.

Drone and Rifle Attack on Police Station Caught Churchgoers Leaving Mass — El Carmen, Colombia

Attackers dropped nine grenades from multiple drones onto the police station in El Carmen, Norte de Santander, and fired rifles at it at roughly 8 p.m. on Sunday, September 20. One police officer was wounded by shrapnel and there were no deaths. The attack began as the community was leaving Catholic Mass at a church about two blocks away, which forced people to take cover; no reporting indicates the church or the parishioners were targets. Interior Minister Rodrigo Lara attributed the attack to the National Liberation Army and framed it as retaliation for state operations in the region. A police substation in nearby Guamalito was destroyed in a separate attack on September 10.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: I included this so that you can see the drone threat is real. I will be filming an interview on Monday with a drone expert to talk about what it will look like to attack a church with a drone. It is very easy to weaponize a domestically available drone. All you need is a 3D printer, a drone, gun powder and ball bearings. It is a low level of entry.

Islamic State Devotes Its Weekly Newsletter to Claimed Killings of Christians in Congo and Mozambique

Issue 566 of the Islamic State’s weekly al-Naba newsletter, dated Thursday, September 24, claims a week of attacks on Christians in two African theaters. In Ituri province in eastern Congo the group claims it burned roughly 70 homes it calls “homes of the warring Christians” along with commercial shops, looted property, and killed nine Congolese soldiers across attacks near the villages of Bomzika and Makotanio on September 16 and 19. In Cabo Delgado, Mozambique the group claims it seized and then executed seven Christians between September 14 and 21, four shot and three beheaded, and raided two villages it names as Christian, Chai in Macomia district and Minguelewa in Muidumbe district, simultaneously on the evening of Monday, September 21. The group’s West Africa claims in the same issue, covering Borno State in Nigeria and the Diffa region of Niger, are framed entirely as attacks on soldiers and militias with no religious language. No church, chapel, or worship service is named anywhere in the issue, no Western target appears, and the editorial contains no call to attack Christians outside the group’s existing theaters. All figures are the group’s own and this group routinely inflates its casualty claims.

🛡️ My thoughts: Watch your enemy. They telegraph each week what they do. We should take that information and go on the offensive and kill this satan worshipers.

DATES OF SIGNIFICANCE: OCTOBER 2026

Religious observances and attack anniversaries worth putting on the safety team calendar. Historical entries are open-source and are listed because hostile actors have used anniversaries as timing cues, most recently when a man was arrested in Alabama in 2025 over threats to synagogues on the anniversary of the Tree of Life attack.

This weekend and the coming week:

• Through October 2: Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles. October 1 and 2 is Hoshanah Rabbah.

• October 2 to 4: Shemini Atzeret. October 3 and 4: Simchat Torah. Jewish institutions in your area are in their highest-attendance stretch of the year right now, and it ends this weekend.

• October 2: First anniversary of the 2025 vehicle ramming and stabbing attack outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester, England, on Yom Kippur, in which two people were killed and three were injured. Also the anniversary of the 2006 hostage taking and shooting at the Amish schoolhouse in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, in which six people were killed.

• October 4: Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, observed at many Catholic and Episcopal parishes with a Blessing of the Animals. Outdoor, high-foot-traffic, animals on site.

• October 7: Third anniversary of the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. Expect elevated tension and protest activity near Jewish institutions.

Rest of the month:

• October 9: Anniversary of the 2019 attack on the synagogue in Halle, Germany, in which a gunman attempted to breach a door with roughly 70 people inside observing Yom Kippur, then killed two people nearby and livestreamed it. The door held. Also Karwa Chauth and Guru Ram Das Birthday.

• October 11: Anniversary of the 2025 arrests of two people over a plot to attack the Chabad of South Orlando in Florida, in which the pair conducted advance surveillance of the location. Also National Coming Out Day.

• October 11 to 19: Navaratri. October 20: Dussehra.

• October 18: Feast of Saint Luke.

• October 24: Anniversary of the 2018 Kroger shooting in Jeffersontown, Kentucky, in which a man killed two people after first failing to get into a predominantly Black church.

• October 27: Anniversary of the 2018 Tree of Life Synagogue attack in Pittsburgh, in which 11 people were killed and six were wounded. This is the single most referenced date on this list in extremist messaging.

• October 31: Halloween, which is also Reformation Day and is observed by some occult groups. Anniversary of the 2021 attempt to set fire to the front doors of Congregation Beth Israel in Austin, Texas.

🛡️ My thoughts: October 7th is the date to watch this month. Why? Because the enemy Is constantly telling us that they want to attack us and some have said it should be this date. Does that mean it will happen? You never know and should be ready regardless.

SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY REPORTS

Reader-submitted suspicious activity at U.S. churches, from reports approved this week.

Exmore, Virginia — Woman Filmed Bible Study on Facebook Live, Then Threatened the Security Team A woman arrived late to a Bible study at a church in Exmore around 10 a.m. on Wednesday, September 23, was let in by a security team member, seated herself at the rear of the hall, and began streaming the study on Facebook Live. A team member approached when she appeared agitated and she told him to give her space; as her behavior escalated two members approached and she began cursing and threatening them. She was escorted out, served a no trespass order, and arrested by responding police on a probation violation, and the team confirmed the sequence against both her own Facebook reel and internal security footage. CWT case [Report ID needed]

Murfreesboro, Tennessee — Safety Team Surrounded a Subject, Then a Deacon Sat Down Next to Him A man entered the auditorium of a church in Murfreesboro around 10 a.m. on Sunday, September 27, and began behaving in a way the congregation found unusual. The safety team positioned itself discreetly in the pews around him and a police officer came into the auditorium; once the team was in place, a deacon sat down beside the man, welcomed him, and helped him find a cited passage in his Bible. A team member photographed him discreetly, and he is described as about 5 feet 10 inches, Caucasian, bald, in clean jeans and a clean white shirt. CWT case [Report ID needed]

Iowa — Man Stayed After Service to Watch a Group of Women A man remained seated at the rear of the sanctuary of a church in Iowa around 11 a.m. on Sunday, September 27, well after the service ended, watching a group of women who were talking. When members of the church safety team entered he turned his back toward them to obscure his face and left the building almost immediately. He is described as a thin male in his early 30s with a Hispanic or Mediterranean appearance, glasses, and dark hair worn a little long on top. CWT case [Report ID needed]

Report what happened at your church this week. Every report above came from a reader who took a couple of minutes to file one, and that is the only reason the rest of us get to see it. File yours at alert.christianwarriortraining.com, where you can also read these reports in full and the ones that did not make this issue.

🛡️ My thoughts: Please continue to log your Suspicious activity at intel.christianwarriortraining.com. We have stopped bad actors from the information you have given us.

VIOLENT CRIME

Suspected Gang Member Charged With Shooting a Church From an Electric Scooter — Oakley, California

Pablo Adin, 18, of Oakley is charged with one count of attempted murder and two counts of shooting at an occupied dwelling after a round struck St. Anthony’s Church with roughly 300 people inside. Police say Adin, a suspected member of a local Norteño gang subset, encountered the man he was targeting near O’Hara Avenue and West Cypress Road around noon on Sunday, August 30, fired at him, missed, and fled on an electric scooter. At least one bullet hit the church and nobody inside was injured. Investigators raided Adin’s Oakley home the following day and report recovering a similar electric scooter, gang indicia, and suspected gang graffiti sprayed in the backyard, and they say he has a suspected gang tattoo on his face. He is being held in lieu of $950,000 bail, has pleaded not guilty, and his preliminary hearing is set for October 15.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: I lived 2 miles from the scene. I have been to this church and I have friends that attend here. This happened because of CA’s pro criminal policies and the DA’s refusal to hold hard core criminals accountable. I was a gang sergeant near here that dealt with these criminals. It makes me sad that I had to leave my home state so I could live in the United States again. If you are in CA, OR, or WA, you are more at risk to crime like this because of your state law makers.

Minister of Worship Shot and Killed in Mistaken-Identity Shooting — West Palm Beach, Florida

Akeem Moore, 31, minister of worship at Mount Calvary Baptist Church of West Palm Beach, was shot just after midnight on Sunday, September 27, in the 500 block of Ontario Place. West Palm Beach police responded to a ShotSpotter alert and later arrested Hugh Earp Milner Jr., 38, who police describe as homeless, with help from the Broward County Sheriff’s Office and Flock license plate readers. Milner is charged with first-degree murder with a firearm, attempted first-degree murder with a firearm, and shooting into an occupied vehicle. Police Chief Tony Araujo said the passenger in Moore’s vehicle recognized Milner and believed Milner had mistaken them for someone else. Moore, already shot, drove his passenger to a nearby fire station before being transported to a hospital, where he died; the passenger was not injured and the shooting happened on a residential street away from church property.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: If you are shot, leave the scene immediately and then stop the bleed. Carry a tourniquet in your driver’s area (center counsel is best or map pocket) and be prepared to tourniquet yourself. Make sure you have a IFAK that has a chest seal and Israeli bandage as well.

Man Photographed Synagogue, Then Pulled on School and Sanctuary Doors — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Angel Viera, 34, of Philadelphia was arrested around 10 a.m. on Thursday, September 24, at the Germantown Jewish Centre in the West Mount Airy neighborhood. Police say he stood across the street photographing the property, then crossed onto the lawn and pulled on doors in an attempt to enter both the synagogue and the school building while children were attending the preschool. He is alleged to have said “F*** the Jews” and to have challenged the on-site security guard over working at a Jewish institution. He then sat down on the curb of the property driveway and refused to leave until Philadelphia police arrived. Viera is charged with ethnic intimidation, defiant trespass, and disorderly conduct, with bail set Friday at $25,000 unsecured, and the Centre has previously received two bomb threats.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: This could be nothing, or he could have been planning an attack. Treat it accordingly like this place did.

Man Shot Elsewhere Walked Into a Church Looking for Help — St. Louis, Missouri

A man with several gunshot wounds went to a church in the North City neighborhood of St. Louis on Sunday, September 27, seeking help, according to police. The shooting itself happened elsewhere and the church was where he turned up afterward. Police have not released the man’s name or identified a suspect, and no charges were announced in the initial reporting. The church’s role was as the place a wounded man chose to go.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: It’s almost once a week now where someone is shot and runs to a church, or is fleeing a murderer and is killed at a church. People that are fleeing danger will go to a church for sanctuary. Plan accordingly.

Federal Defendant Filmed Memorial Candles Inside a Church and Sent the Video to Debtors as a Threat — Schererville, Indiana

Federal prosecutors say James Gerodemos, 63, of Schererville, the alleged ringleader of an illegal sports betting operation, filmed lit memorial candles inside a church and sent the footage to people who owed him money. A voice on the video says he lit candles for the recipient’s family and that he wants them to die. Gerodemos is charged in the Northern District of Indiana with running an illegal sports betting operation, money laundering, extortion, and witness intimidation, as part of a federal case charging 22 people; his daughter is among the co-defendants. Prosecutors cite threats in March 2025 and October 2025 and describe an indictment period running from January 2021 to April 2026. The church is not named in the charging documents, was not a target, and suffered no damage.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: Are you keeping an eye on your congregation? We have all sorts of sinners attending church, including drug dealers, mobsters and other criminals. Keep and eye on their behavior and look for anything that is out of line with normal. If it’s out of line with what is normal, go have a chat and find out what is going on.

Rabbi, 66, Beaten on the Steps of His Own Home in Unprovoked Attack — Brooklyn, New York

Eric Avrutov, 31, of Brighton Beach is accused of beating a 66-year-old rabbi outside 375 Dahill Road on the Borough Park and Kensington border at about 9:20 p.m. on Wednesday, September 23. Police say Avrutov put the rabbi in a headlock and beat him on the steps of his home, leaving him with a bloodied face, a fractured shoulder, and back pain; he was treated at Maimonides Medical Center and released, and his family asked that his name be withheld. About five minutes earlier Avrutov allegedly punched a 60-year-old man in the face at a Shell station on Cortelyou Road, and he faces assault and harassment charges in that incident as well. In the attack on the rabbi he is charged with two counts of assault, criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation, and harassment. Police have characterized the attack as random and no hate crime charges have been filed; the two men were strangers and Avrutov was given supervised release over a prosecution request for bail. The attack happened on a residential street and not at or near a synagogue.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: All Jews and those that openly support Israel should never lose their situational awareness. People are actively trying to kill you. Act accordingly.

SEX CRIMES

Christian School Teacher and Athletic Director Charged With 13 Felonies — St. Paul Park, Minnesota

Derrick Lee Pfeffer, 42, of Baldwin, Wisconsin was arrested Thursday, September 24, and charged the following day in Washington County District Court. Pfeffer was a teacher and the athletic director at Hope Christian Academy in St. Paul Park from the fall of 2022 through December 2024, and the charges name two minor students from that school. He faces one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct by a person in a position of authority, one count of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct, one count of soliciting a child to engage in sexual conduct, and nine counts of possessing child sexual abuse material. Investigators allege contact with the first student began in January 2024 when she was 14 and continued to January 2026, and that contact with the second student began in August 2026, with explicit images exchanged over Instagram. The Cottage Grove Police Department investigated, and some of the alleged contact occurred on school grounds.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: Look how many sexual assaults follow, vs how many shootings we’ve had this week. You are far more likely to have a child sexually assaulted by staff than you are to have an active shooter. Train and deploy your people accordingly.

Youth Minister Charged Over Contact With a 17-Year-Old From His Own Ministry — Burnsville and Shakopee, Minnesota

David Boamah Danso, 35, of Shakopee was charged in Scott County in late September with one count of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a 16- or 17-year-old by a person in a position of authority. Danso served as a youth minister at Pentecost Fire Assembly of God in Burnsville, and the complaint says he repeatedly pressured a 17-year-old girl from his youth ministry to send nude photographs beginning in May 2024. Investigators allege that on February 7, 2026, Danso picked the girl up at her Shakopee home and touched her thigh and breast in his vehicle while driving to a barbershop in Savage. The Shakopee and Burnsville police departments both worked the case and it was transferred to Shakopee on jurisdiction. A first court appearance is scheduled for November 20, and the offenses are not alleged to have occurred inside the church.

Source

Federal Charges Over Abuse of Minors During Haiti Mission Trips — Mansfield, Louisiana

Maylon Foshee, 23, of Mansfield was charged by federal criminal complaint on Tuesday, September 22, with engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place with minors. Prosecutors say Foshee traveled repeatedly to Gonaïves, Haiti between 2023 and 2026 while working with a ministry organization there, which the charging documents do not name. The complaint alleges he abused several minor victims who were under his care, including children who lived with him and children who received financial support from him. FBI agents interviewed three minor victims in August 2026, and the case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana. The charge carries a maximum of 30 years in federal prison.

Source

Former Youth Minister Pleads Not Guilty to Seven Federal Counts, FBI Seeking More Victims — Falls Church, Virginia and Milford, Ohio

Jeffrey Turner Taylor, 66, who now lives in Milford, Ohio, pleaded not guilty on Thursday, September 24, in the Eastern District of Virginia. A federal grand jury indicted Taylor on September 10 and he was arrested on Monday, September 14. Taylor was Director of Youth Ministries at The Falls Church in Falls Church, Virginia from May 1990 to August 1999 and Director of Adult Discipleship there until February 2002, and he later served at two Atlanta churches. The indictment charges three counts of coercion and enticement of a minor and four counts of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, covering conduct alleged between 1990 and 2008, with a maximum exposure of 105 years. Prosecutors allege Taylor used spiritual guidance as the pretext for grooming boys in his ministry and transported them across state lines and internationally on ministry trips, and FBI Cincinnati is publicly asking additional victims to come forward.

Source

Church Volunteer Accused of Giving a Girl Alcohol, Then Sexually Assaulting Her — Pea Ridge, Arkansas

A church volunteer in Pea Ridge, in Benton County, is accused of sexually assaulting a girl after giving her alcohol, according to reporting published Tuesday, September 29. Multiple northwest Arkansas outlets carried the case, and the furnishing of alcohol before the alleged assault appears in the charging allegations. Keith: every Arkansas outlet carrying this is blocked to automated reading, so the suspect’s name, his age, the church, his volunteer role, the arrest date, the itemized charges, the bond, and the victim’s age are all unconfirmed. I am deliberately running it without a name. There are at least two other similar Pea Ridge cases from the same period, so name confusion is a live risk; pull the Benton County arrest record or open one of the articles before this publishes.

Source

ARSON AND SUSPICIOUS FIRES

Man Set Fire to Crucifix Inside the Church With an Organist in the Room — West Bend, Wisconsin

West Bend police responded to Pilgrim Lutheran Church at 462 Meadowbrook Drive at 10:20 a.m. on Friday, September 25, after a report of a man inside the church trying to set an object on fire. The organist, Ben Grosskreuz, was practicing in the building and watched the man try to light the crucifix several times with a lighter before church staff confronted him. The man left before police arrived and officers located and detained him nearby without incident, taking him to the Washington County Jail; Washington County Insider identifies him as Heng F. Lin, 50, of West Bend, and is the only outlet that has named him. He was booked on arson and recklessly endangering safety, and the charges actually filed on Monday, September 28, are arson to property other than a building, criminal damage to property, and disorderly conduct, on a $25,000 signature bond, with the next hearing set for October 20. Fire damage was limited to blackening on the base of the crucifix, nobody was hurt, and the pastor told WISN this was “the fourth or fifth time that we’ve had issues” at the church.

Source · Charges and suspect name

🛡️ My thoughts: This is your weekly reminder that you need a fire alarm, a burglar alarm and a 4k video system.

House Fire Set Next Door Causes More Than $10,000 Damage to a Church — Charleston, West Virginia

Dakota Harper, 21, and Felicity Eatmon, 22, are charged with first-degree arson and conspiracy after a fire at an abandoned home in the 400 block of Maryland Avenue on Charleston’s West Side at 11:15 p.m. on Sunday, September 27. The house had no active utilities, and the fire spread to the adjacent Canaan United Methodist Church, which sustained more than $10,000 in estimated damage. According to the criminal complaint, surveillance video shows Eatmon handing Harper a piece of paper, Harper lighting it and placing it inside the home, and both partially entering the structure as the flames grew before leaving. The pair were arraigned on Tuesday in Kanawha County with bond set at $10,000 each. The church was not the target of the fire.

Source

VEHICLE COLLISIONS

Three Vehicles Struck Church Buildings in Six Days — Tennessee, Michigan, and Connecticut

A vehicle crashed through a brick wall and a window beside the front sanctuary door at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 1020 N. Rutherford Blvd. in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, shortly after 2 p.m. on Saturday, September 26, and the driver was taken to a hospital with injuries described as non-life-threatening while Murfreesboro Police and Fire-Rescue worked the scene; no cause has been released, nobody else was hurt, and WGNS described the vehicle as an SUV while a church member who filed a report on the CWT Intelligence Platform described it as a black four-door sedan. Four days earlier, around 9 p.m. on Wednesday, September 23, a 96-year-old woman driving a black Mercedes SUV struck a storage area attached to Bethlehem Lutheran Church near the base of Old Mission Peninsula in Grand Traverse County, Michigan, damaging that section inside and out and leaving the sanctuary untouched. Traverse City Police said she was not injured and that drugs, alcohol, and speed were not factors, officers submitted a signed request for a driver evaluation, and the pastor held weekend services as scheduled. Then at about 4:40 a.m. on Monday, September 28, a tractor-trailer left Route 34 at Main Street in Derby, Connecticut and struck the wall at the front of St. Michael’s Church, and crews from Derby, Ansonia, and Shelton spent roughly 45 minutes extricating the driver, identified by the Valley Independent Sentinel as Hensel A. Fogo, 36, of New Britain, who was taken to Yale New Haven Hospital with serious injuries and listed in good condition by Tuesday. Derby Police Chief Brian Grogan said the driver may have fallen asleep and Fogo was ticketed for failure to stay in the proper lane; the church building itself was not reported damaged, and Route 34 west and the Route 8 ramps were closed for hours, delaying Derby school buses.

Murfreesboro · Grand Traverse County · Derby

🛡️ My thoughts: Vehicle collisions into churches, both deliberate and accidental, are increasing. What have you done to protect pedestrians at your church? You should have bollards at appropriate locations and you need to have marked lanes for your people to walk in.

INTERNATIONAL

Priest Killed and Four Wounded in Knife Attack at Benedictine Abbey — Jarosław, Poland

A 31-year-old Ukrainian man identified by Polish authorities as Ihor M. attacked five people at the 17th-century Benedictine Sisters’ abbey in Jarosław at about 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, September 24. He arrived unarmed, took a knife from the abbey kitchen, and stabbed Father Stanisław Zbójniewicz, 67, who died. Father Marek Pieńkowski left the confessional where he had been hearing confessions and tried to intervene; he was stabbed and hospitalized in serious but stable condition, and Father Adrian Mantykiewicz and two laypeople were also wounded. The attacker was detained at the scene and charged with murder, attempted murder, and causing grievous bodily harm, and prosecutors ordered him held three months in a secure hospital ward after psychiatric experts found acute psychotic symptoms; a second assessment was ordered on September 30. Mantykiewicz returned to the altar on Saturday, September 26, and told his congregation, “As a disciple of Jesus Christ, in my own name, in Father Marek’s name and in Father Stanisław’s name, I want to say very clearly that we forgive.”

Source · Follow-up

🛡️ My thoughts: This one slipped by me this week. I will follow up on this and do a debrief. this is serious and something that has happened in the US in the past. I am sure there are some great teaching points in here.

At Least Fifteen More Christians Killed in Follow-On Attacks — Barkin Ladi, Plateau State, Nigeria

Morning Star News reports at least fifteen more Christians killed between Monday, September 21 and Friday, September 25 in Barkin Ladi County, Plateau State, in the same area struck by the September 20 attacks this newsletter covered last week. Henry Elisha, 22, of Rakwok village was killed on September 21 and buried the following day. One Christian was killed near Bethany Christian Academy on Wednesday, September 23, two were killed in Barkin Ladi town, three were killed in the Gassa community on Friday, September 25, and five commuters were killed in a vehicle ambush near Rakwok. The villages of Chit, Gassa, Bet, Rakwok, Razat, and Rakung were all hit during the week. Solomon Mwantiri, a lawyer and community leader in Barkin Ladi, attributes the attacks to Fulani terrorists, and no arrests have been reported.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: Please keep track of what is happening in Nigeria. We need to do everything we can to support them.

Pastor and Orphanage Evacuated at Midnight Over Kidnapping Threat, Still Displaced — Idofian, Kwara State, Nigeria

Rev. Isaac Omolehin, founder and general overseer of Word Assembly Ministries, told Punch in late September that he and more than 100 residents of his church camp at Idofian remain displaced four months after police ordered them out. Police arrived at the camp just before midnight on May 30 and told everyone to run because kidnappers were coming to attack him. The evacuation emptied an orphanage on the property, some of whose children had been placed there by the government. Three days later Omolehin’s home town in Kogi State was attacked, with deaths reported. He told the paper, “I have a house I can’t enter. I have a car I can’t ride,” and police, the DSS, and the Kwara State Ministry of Social Welfare have not confirmed that it is safe to return.

Source

More Than 100 Police Surround Church Anniversary Setup, Pastor Detained — Beijing, China

About 50 members of Jiaquan Church were setting up a hotel conference room for the church’s 20th anniversary in Beijing on Friday, September 4, when more than 100 police, some in plain clothes, surrounded the venue. Officers collected identification information from every person present before releasing them. Pastor Zhou Zixun and seven church members were detained, and the charge being used is fraud, tied to the church’s unregistered status and its financial practices. As of late September, eight people remain in criminal detention after two were released and two additional leaders were taken; families say detainees are being held at undisclosed locations and that some have gone without medication for chronic conditions. Zhou’s wife and the church’s co-founder, Cui Jinyoung, is a South Korean national.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: China has been stepping up their persecution of Christians lately. This is something to keep your eye on.

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Intel Monitor/Report Suspicious Activity

BLUF

The third anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel falls on Wednesday, October 7. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its proxies have spent the past two years paying local recruits to attack Jewish targets in Europe, Australia, and Canada, and Jews remain their primary target. Churches that show outward support for Israel, through flags and memorials on the property or through a pastor or prominent congregant who speaks publicly for Israel, should run increased security from October 4 through October 8.

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Key Judgments

• Highly Likely: The IRGC and its proxies will continue using paid local recruits and online contacts to attack Jewish targets in Europe and North America.

• Highly Likely: Churches displaying Israeli flags or October 7 memorials will see more theft, vandalism, and harassment through October 8 than in an ordinary week.

• Likely: Foreign terrorist organizations and Iranian-aligned networks will use the anniversary in online messaging calling for lone attackers in the United States.

• Likely: Pro-Palestinian demonstrations will take place in most major U.S. cities on or around October 7.

• Possible: A lone attacker will target a Jewish or pro-Israel site in the United States during the anniversary window, including a church or a pastor known for supporting Israel.

• Possible: Protesters will show up at a church that has publicly advertised an October 7 vigil or Israel-themed service.

• Unlikely: Iran or one of its proxies will task an attack against a U.S. church during the anniversary window. Their tasking to date has gone after Jewish and Israeli targets.

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The Anchorage Flag Theft

Members of Mountain City Church in Anchorage, Alaska, placed 1,200 small Israeli flags on the church lawn by about 11 a.m. on Thursday, October 1. Each flag represented one person killed in the October 7, 2023, attack. At about 1 a.m. Friday, October 2, every flag was taken. Security video provided to The Alaska Story and Alaska’s News Source shows a truck drop off four people in front of the church, drive into a nearby neighborhood while they pulled flags, and come back to load them. The group was gone in about fifteen minutes.

Church staff told Alaska’s News Source the people on the video appeared to be about high school age and hid behind trees and rocks when cars passed. Staff called it vandalism and theft by younger people and reported it to police. The flags had been placed ahead of a Sunday sermon on what the church believes the Bible says about Israel, and staff planned to replace them before that service. Police have not identified the people or the truck.

Whatever their age, they planned it. They used a driver who dropped them off and returned, they hid from passing traffic, and they worked the lawn for fifteen minutes at 1 a.m. with nobody interrupting them. Someone with worse intentions would have had the same access for the same fifteen minutes.

Anchorage is at least the second church in two years to lose a full set of 1,200 memorial flags. In October 2025, Church International in Warrior, Alabama, had more than 1,200 Israeli flags honoring October 7 victims taken overnight on a Friday and thrown into two dumpsters. The garbage service emptied one dumpster before the church found it, and the church recovered about 300 flags. Christian Fellowship Church Sandy Cross in Nash County, North Carolina, has had its Israeli flag cut up in one incident and pulled down in another since October 2023.

Iran’s Campaign Against Jewish Targets Abroad

The IRGC has attacked Jewish targets outside the Middle East through hired locals and proxy militias for at least two years. In August 2025, Australia expelled Iran’s ambassador after the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation concluded the IRGC directed the October 2024 firebombing of a kosher deli in Sydney and the December 2024 arson that destroyed much of the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne. The agency’s director-general, Mike Burgess, said the IRGC passed the tasking through overseas facilitators and coordinators until it reached Australians who carried out the attacks. In October 2025, Israel’s foreign intelligence service, the Mossad, said an IRGC Quds Force network was behind plots and attacks on Jewish and Israeli sites in Greece, Germany, and Australia, including arson and surveillance.

The campaign expanded after the United States and Israel went to war with Iran on February 28, 2026. A federal criminal complaint unsealed in Manhattan on May 15 charges Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, a commander in the Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah, with organizing at least 18 attacks in Europe and two in Canada since late February. Kataib Hezbollah operates as a proxy for the IRGC, and prosecutors say it claimed the European attacks under a front name, Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI). The attacks named in the complaint include synagogues in Liège, Belgium, and Rotterdam, Netherlands, an explosive attack on a Jewish school in Amsterdam, and the stabbing of two Jews in London. In March alone, The Times of Israel counted at least 14 attacks, incidents, or alleged plots against Jewish institutions in Europe, Canada, and the United States, and London has had a series of arson attacks on synagogues and Jewish buildings since late March.

The same complaint shows how this reaches into the United States. Prosecutors say Al-Saadi offered online contacts $10,000 to bomb a prominent New York City synagogue, required that the attack be recorded on video, and named Jewish centers in Los Angeles and Scottsdale, Arizona, as additional targets. He sent a $3,000 cryptocurrency down payment to a person who turned out to be an undercover agent and told him the European attacks were working and he wanted more help in the United States and Canada. The people carrying out attacks under this model often have no training and no direct contact with Iran. They are local people recruited online and paid per attack, and they look like lone actors until investigators trace the money and messages back. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) called the March 12 vehicle and gun attack on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan, a Hezbollah-inspired act of terrorism purposely targeting the Jewish community.

The flydubai Flight 1073 Attack

On September 30, flydubai Flight 1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv was carrying about 174 people, most of them Israelis. The Omani copilot attacked the captain in the cockpit and put the aircraft into a steep dive before off-duty flydubai pilots and passengers on board subdued him, and the plane landed in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Israel’s prime minister said the copilot had undergone Islamist radical indoctrination, and Arabic-language media report that Oman Air had removed him from flying in 2024 or 2025 for visiting extremist websites. The day before the flight, the prime minister said publicly he had received indications of a planned attack on Israel ahead of its October 27 election, and it has not been reported whether that warning related to the flight. The United Arab Emirates opened a formal investigation on October 1, including whether the attack is linked to terrorism, and investigators have not said whether anyone directed him.

The flight number has drawn attention online because 1073 can be read as October 7, three years later. FZ1073 is flydubai’s standing daily flight number for its morning Dubai to Tel Aviv route and flew under that number for months before the attack, so the copilot did not choose it. He did choose the day. Attacking a plane full of Israelis one week before the anniversary fits the pattern of attackers timing violence to the October 7 date, whether he acted on his own or someone tasked him. If investigators find outside direction, it would match the IRGC model described above, with an insider reached through a chain of contacts and pointed at a target.

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What Governments Have Said About the Anniversary

For the first anniversary in 2024, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a joint public warning that the date could motivate violent extremists and hate crime perpetrators. A bulletin from the FBI, DHS, and the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) sent to local police listed “memorials, vigils, or other demonstrations” as attractive targets, alongside synagogues, mosques, and community centers. The agencies warned that online messaging about the anniversary could push individuals to act alone with little or no warning. A church lawn covered in October 7 memorial flags falls in the memorial category that bulletin named.

On September 6, 2026, Israel’s National Security Council (NSC) issued its holiday-season warning for Israelis and Jews abroad. The NSC said October 7 could be a focus of protests, possibly violent, and of increased efforts to carry out attacks. It named Iran and its proxies as the primary source of the threat and reported that 25 Israelis and Jews have been killed in terror attacks abroad since the war began. The council also reported a marked increase in lone attackers going after soft targets such as places of worship and community centers.

The 2026 Threat Environment in the United States and Britain

On January 10, an arsonist set fire to Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson, Mississippi, in the early morning hours of the Sabbath. On July 23, a man shouting “Allahu Akbar” stabbed two people in Manhattan’s Upper West Side, one of them leaving synagogue services. In the last week of September, British police arrested a United Kingdom and Iranian dual national in London over a suspected plot against a U.S.-run air base, and the British prime minister said there are strong indications of Iranian involvement. On October 2, 2025, five days before the second anniversary, an attacker rammed a car into the gates of Heaton Park synagogue in Manchester, England, during Yom Kippur prayers and killed two people.

Jewish congregations also mark the anniversary on the Hebrew calendar at Simchat Torah, the holiday on which Hamas attacked in 2023. Simchat Torah falls on October 3 and 4 this year, so the anniversary period runs from that weekend through Wednesday, October 7.

Why Churches That Support Israel Are in the Target Set

Most government reporting on the anniversary focuses on synagogues, Jewish schools, and Israeli diplomatic sites, and Jews remain the primary target of this campaign. Christian churches that show outward support for Israel belong on the watch list as well. That support is visible on the property through Israeli flags, October 7 memorials, banners, and announced vigils or Israel-themed services. It also comes through people, such as a pastor who preaches on Israel and posts the sermons online, a pastor or congregant who speaks for Israel in the media or on social media, or a church that hosts Israeli speakers or leads trips to Israel.

An attacker looking for a pro-Israel target can find these churches as easily as a synagogue, and they usually have less security. Many synagogues in major cities will have police at the door this week, while most churches with a lawn display have nobody on the property overnight. A pastor known for public support of Israel can be identified and located from what is posted online. Theft and vandalism of displays remain the most common result, and the Anchorage, Warrior, and Nash County incidents all happened with no one from the church on the grounds. The concern for this week is the smaller number of people who notice a display or a sermon and come back during a service.

Actions for Your Team, October 4 Through October 8

• Photograph the display. Walk the display before the first service on Sunday and photograph it so you have a record if anything is taken or damaged.

• Cover the display at night. Point an existing exterior camera at the display, confirm it records in the dark, and confirm someone on the team can pull the footage the next morning. If you have no camera coverage of that area, ask your pastor about bringing the display inside after dark for the week.

• Cover the pastor. If your pastor or a congregant has spoken publicly in support of Israel, assign one team member to that person from arrival to departure at every service and event through October 8, including the walk to the car.

• Call your police non-emergency line before Sunday. Tell them the church has an Israel display, an October 7 event, or a pastor who speaks publicly on Israel, give them your service times, and ask for extra patrol passes overnight and on Wednesday evening.

• Staff Wednesday night. October 7 falls on a Wednesday. If your church holds a midweek service or Bible study, schedule your full team for it with one person at each open entrance and one person in the parking lot.

• Brief greeters and ushers on protesters. Tell them not to engage protesters on the sidewalk, to send any contact to the team leader, and to call 911 if anyone blocks an entrance or comes onto the property to confront people.

• Check online comments daily. Have one team member read the comments on the church’s social media posts and posted sermons about Israel each day through October 8, screenshot any threat, and give it to police with the link to the post.

• Limit what gets posted. Ask the pastor whether an October 7 vigil or Israel-themed event needs its exact time and location on the public website, or whether the details can go to members by email or text.

• Report incidents. If your display is vandalized or stolen, file a police report the same day and submit a Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) through the Christian Warrior Training (CWT) Intelligence Platform at intel.christianwarriortraining.com. Include the time, any vehicle description, and video if you have it.

Threat Assessment

The overall threat level for churches that show outward support for Israel during the October 4 through October 8 window is HIGH (ORANGE). This matches the current Church Security Threat Level System (CSTLS) setting, which has held at HIGH (ORANGE) since June 2026 because of the war with Iran, Iranian proxy operations, and Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) messaging targeting Christians. The anniversary does not move the level to RED (CRITICAL), because no reporting I have seen points to a specific, credible plot against a U.S. church.

The primary concern is theft and vandalism of Israel displays. It is highly likely those incidents continue through the week, carried out overnight by people who arrive by vehicle, work fast, and leave before anyone responds. The secondary concern is a lone attacker, either self-motivated by anniversary messaging online or recruited and paid through an Iranian proxy network. Iran’s tasking has gone after Jewish targets so far, and it is unlikely a proxy tasks an attack on a U.S. church this week. It is possible a self-motivated attacker selects a church or pastor with visible support for Israel, and if so, it is likely he comes during a service or advertised event when people are present.

Teams at churches with Israel displays, October 7 events, or a pastor who speaks publicly on Israel should staff Sunday and Wednesday the way they staff a high-attendance holiday service. Document and report any person photographing, filming, or loitering near the display or the pastor. Churches with no outward Israel connection should hold their normal HIGH (ORANGE) posture.

Biblical Lens

“But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you.” (Romans 11:17-18, ESV)

Paul tells Gentile believers they were grafted into Israel’s olive tree and draw their life from its root, and he warns them against arrogance toward the natural branches. A church that flies Israel’s flag or prays for the Jewish people on October 7 is acting on that teaching, and it should expect some of the hostility aimed at Israel to come its way. Stand with Israel this week, and put a guard on your doors while you do it.

If your church has an Israel display up or has had one targeted, leave a comment below with the date, the time, and what was taken or damaged. We track these reports to see the pattern across the country. Share this bulletin with your pastor and your team leader before Sunday.

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Hello Christian Warriors. Here is your weekly Roll Call Briefing. It is meant to be read, or to be delivered verbally as a team, before you start your shift protecting the Body of Christ. Here is what we cover today:

1. 0:00 Intro

2. 0:52 Alert Posture — did the threat level change?

3. 1:26 Intelligence Updates — five cases overseas, including an ISIS plot

4. 5:55 Violence Against Churches — six incidents in one week

5. 9:48 Ministry Access Surge — the risk more likely than an active shooter

6. 10:27 Training — welcome them or remove them?

7. 12:14 Christ First — John 15:13

8. 12:46 Assignments & Close

FREE, LIVE TRAINING IN ILLINOIS AND MICHIGAN: ACTIVE SHOOTER INSTRUCTOR SCHOOL

Don’t forget to sign up for either the Michigan or Illinois classes. I’m giving these classes for free. It is in person only.

We are accepting applications for our upcoming active shooter instructor school. Click here to get more information.

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Seats Open for Our Free Michigan and Illinois Classes, and Applications Open for Active Shooter Instructor

We still have seats in both of our free in-person church safety classes next month. The first is Thursday, October 8, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time at CrossPointe Community Church, 36125 Glenwood Road, Wayne, Michigan. The second is Saturday, October 10, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Central Time at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 300 Pathway Court, Crystal Lake, Illinois.

Both classes run the same material: recognizing warning signs before a situation escalates, de-escalation, building a team, access control, legal considerations, emergency action plans, working with local police, and keeping a church welcoming while it stays secure. Pastors, church leaders, safety team members, ushers, greeters and volunteers are all welcome, and so are the police officers who work with your church. There is no livestream or online option. Registration is through Eventbrite. Enter the promo code CWT at checkout and the class is free.

• Register for the October 8 class in Wayne, Michigan

• Register for the October 10 class in Crystal Lake, Illinois

The Church Active Shooter Instructor Course (CASIC)

CASIC is a three-day train-the-trainer certification course for church security team members. This is the first time we are running it. You spend three days learning to plan, teach and run active shooter response training, and you go home qualified to train your own team. Students write operations orders and lesson plans during the course, and the scenario days use blank-firing weapons.

Dates: Wednesday, October 28, through Friday, October 30, 2026

Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Mountain Time each day

Location: Eagle, Idaho

Tuition: $249 for all three days. The normal price of this course is $1,000. We set it at $249 because the mission of Christian Warrior Training is to keep training free or close to free for church security teams.

Class size: 15 students

This first class is aimed at churches in our region. Applicants from Idaho, eastern Oregon and eastern Washington get priority for the open seats. If seats remain after that, we will open them to applicants from anywhere. We plan to run CASIC in other parts of the country in 2027, so if you are farther away and do not get a seat this time, there will be more chances next year.

NO REGISTRATIONS AT THE DOOR. DO NOT COME UNLESS YOU HAVE BEEN AUTHORIZED TO ATTEND.

CASIC prerequisites

CASIC is an instructor course for people who already know active shooter response, basic church security and safe firearms handling. Over three days it teaches you how to train your own team in that material. Every student has to meet the requirements below. A student who cannot document them is not admitted.

We also recommend, but do not require, the following. They are not disqualifying if you do not have them.

• Experience as an instructor in any setting: military, law enforcement, coaching or anything else

• A Stop the Bleed, Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) or equivalent trauma care course

• Defensive handgun training beyond a basic safety class

• Knowing your state’s use-of-force law as it applies to armed church security

What to send with your application

Email the following to casic@christianwarriortraining.com:

1. Your church letter. Anyone in your chain of command can sign it, including your pastor, an elder, your safety director or your team leader. It needs to state that your church supports you attending CASIC, that you hold an active role on the security team or have authority to start one, and that you have passed a background check through your church.

2. Your training certificate from a church security or active shooter response course.

3. A copy of your concealed carry permit, or your law enforcement or military credential.

4. Your answer to this question, at least two paragraphs long: Describe your current active shooter training background, your role on your church security team, and what you intend to do with this certification at your church.

   

Include your full name, your church, and your city and state in the email. The signed statement on felony and domestic violence convictions and the enrollment application are completed before the first day of class. If your training background falls short, we will tell you which course to take first so you can apply for a later CASIC class.What to bring

• A laptop. You will write operations orders and lesson plans during the course.

• A full-face mask for the blank-firing scenarios.

• Your church load-out, including your radio, if you want to train in the gear you wear on Sunday.

• A blue gun or a laser trainer such as a TitanX or SIRT pistol, if you have one.

Do not bring firearms, ammunition, knives, pepper spray or any other weapon. None are allowed on site at any point during the course. The blue gun or laser trainer takes the place of your carry gun for every drill.

If your church sits in Idaho, eastern Oregon or eastern Washington, get your letter written this week and send it to casic@christianwarriortraining.com.

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10 Ways to Protect Your Church, in the Right Order

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If I walked into your church this Sunday, I might find three men carrying concealed firearms. If I walked around the building, I might also find a back door propped open, a children’s wing anybody can enter, and an alarm nobody has tested.

Those men may be committed, trained, and willing to protect the congregation. But they cannot cover every unsecured entrance, screen every volunteer, or replace a medical response plan. There are other things your church needs to get working, and the order deserves some attention.

Here are ten things you can do to protect your church. This is a way to set priorities, not a complete security plan for every building. Take it to your pastor and safety team, look honestly at what you have, and start with the first item that is unfinished.

Paid subscribers help us keep church safety training available to churches that cannot afford it. If Christian Warrior Training has helped your team and you are in a position to support the work, please consider a paid subscription.

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1. A Working Burglar and Fire Alarm

Your building probably sits empty more hours than it is occupied. You need a monitored alarm that covers intrusion and fire, and somebody needs to know that it actually works. Test it regularly and keep the contact list current.

Think about who gets called at two in the morning. I do not want the pastor walking into a building to find out whether a burglar is still inside. Have an appropriate response procedure, and put people on the list who will actually answer the phone. An alarm nobody acts on gives you very little protection.

2. A Useful Video System

I want footage somebody can use after an incident. A well placed camera with a clear view of an entrance is more useful than a pile of cameras that show a blurry figure walking away. Resolution, placement, lighting, and distance all affect whether you can identify a person.

Cover your entrances, children’s areas, offices, sanctuary, and parking lot. Aim for at least 30 days of storage if your system and budget allow it. Then have somebody on your team find a recording and export it. You do not want to discover after an incident that nobody knows how to retrieve the video.

3. Volunteer Screening and Written Safety Policies

Some of the people who can harm a church are people the congregation already knows. That is why child protection and financial safeguards belong near the top of this list. Use appropriate background checks for each position, repeat them on a schedule, and use references, supervision, and a waiting period before a new attender serves with children. A background check will not catch everything.

Put your rules in writing. Who can work with a child? Can someone be alone with a child? Who counts the money? Who receives a report when somebody raises a concern? If your staff and volunteers give different answers, you have work to do. We have free policy examples available at Christian Warrior Training to help you get started.

4. Control Your Doors

Walk your building during a Sunday service and count the doors that are propped open, unlocked, or out of sight. Know which entrances people are supposed to use, and assign somebody to pay attention to them. That side door by the fellowship hall should not let somebody walk through the building unnoticed.

Keep track of keys and access codes, and update access when somebody leaves a position. Every required exit still needs to work immediately from the inside. Have your fire marshal or the appropriate local authority review proposed door changes so controlling entry does not interfere with people getting out.

5. Exterior Lighting

Go to your property after dark. Look at the parking lot, entrances, walkways, and corners around the building. Can someone leaving Wednesday night Bible study see where they are going? Can your cameras record a face, or do you get a black screen with two headlights in it?

Good lighting helps people move safely and helps your team see what is happening. You can spot many of the first problems by taking a walk at night. Write them down and give somebody responsibility for getting them corrected.

6. Children’s Check In and Check Out

Have a clear process for who drops a child off and who is authorized to pick that child up. Use matching tags or another reliable system. Decide ahead of time what happens when a tag is lost, adults dispute a pickup, or a custody restriction applies.

Do not create an exception because the adult is well known and everybody feels uncomfortable saying no. Control access to the children’s area and assign someone to watch it while keeping emergency exits usable. Practice those awkward conversations before you have a parent standing at the door. The free scenario resources under the Training tab at Christian Warrior Training can help your team prepare.

7. A Trained Unarmed Safety Team

Most church safety work happens long before anybody reaches for a weapon. Somebody greets people, watches the parking lot, and notices the person entering the children’s hallway who does not belong there. Somebody needs to speak calmly with a person in crisis and recognize when help is needed.

Train your people to observe behavior, communicate, deescalate, and get the right help. Give each person a clear assignment. A safety team shirt does not tell a volunteer what to do, and good intentions do not replace training.

8. Medical Response

People fall, have trouble breathing, and suffer medical emergencies during services. Your team needs to be ready to help. Put an AED where someone can get to it quickly, train people in CPR and AED use, and make trauma supplies accessible to trained responders. Send your team to Stop the Bleed training.

Assign the jobs before the call happens. Who calls 911? Who brings the equipment? Who meets the ambulance and guides responders to the patient? Practice those assignments so your team can get moving when someone needs help.

9. Team Communications

If a team member sees a problem in the parking lot, how does the person in the children’s wing find out? If the answer is that somebody will try to make a phone call, you need to test whether that is a dependable plan. Give your team radios or another reliable way to communicate throughout the property.

Test communications in the rooms and hallways where signals tend to fail. Use plain language and practice the calls your team may actually make: a missing child, a medical emergency, a concerning person, or an entrance that needs attention. Having radios and knowing how to use them are two separate things.

10. Armed Team Members

I believe armed response can be an important part of church safety. I have made that clear over the years. It is number ten because a firearm cannot secure an open door, screen a children’s volunteer, perform CPR, or tell the rest of the team what is happening.

If your church authorizes armed team members, take that responsibility seriously. Establish written standards for selection, qualification, and ongoing training. Address use of force, communications, identification, insurance, and legal review. Make sure your pastor understands the program he is approving. A concealed carry permit by itself does not prepare someone for every responsibility of serving on a church safety team.

Preparation and Humility

Second Chronicles 26 describes Uzziah fortifying Jerusalem, building towers, securing water, and organizing his men. It also describes the weapons and equipment he provided. There is a lesson there about preparing several parts of a defense and getting people organized.

But keep reading. Verse 16 tells us that when Uzziah became strong, he grew proud, and that pride led to his downfall. He stepped into a role God had not given him. That warning applies to me and to every person serving on a church safety team.

If we begin enjoying the authority or the gear more than we care about the congregation, we need to examine ourselves. We serve the church under its leadership. The people God has placed in front of us are the reason we do this work.

What to Do at Your Next Meeting

Bring these ten items to your next safety team meeting. Mark which ones are actually working, then identify the first unfinished item. Maybe it is the alarm. Maybe it is the children’s checkout procedure. Maybe everybody has a radio, but nobody has tested it in the back hallway.

Make that your next project and keep moving down the list. Tell me in the comments which number your church needs to work on and what is making it difficult. Your answers help me develop training that is useful to your team.

Keep praying for the people who might threaten our churches. Pray that they turn away from violence and come to know Jesus Christ. Keep caring for the congregation, and remember your ABCs: Always Be Carrying.

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Christian creators should not have to fight a faceless system simply to warn churches about crime, but that is exactly what Christian Warrior Training is dealing with right now.

Do social media companies discriminate against Christian creators and Christian channels?

I will let you decide. I can only tell you what Christian Warrior Training is dealing with right now and show you the example Facebook gave me when I finally reached a real person.

This is not a complaint about one post failing to perform well. It is about a platform restricting our ability to reach people, refusing to explain the original violation, and then labeling a basic church security warning as politically divisive.

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Register for the October 8 class in Wayne, Michigan

How Facebook Helped Us Reach Thousands

Facebook and Instagram have never produced much direct income for Christian Warrior Training. Together, they might bring in a couple hundred dollars in a month. Their real value was distribution.

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When Facebook shared our content with people who did not already follow us, those people could watch it, decide whether it was useful, and follow the page if they wanted more. That allowed us to reach Christians, church safety volunteers, pastors, Jewish followers, and others who wanted practical information about protecting their churches and families.

When my daughter Caitlyn took over our Facebook work, the page grew from roughly 1,000 followers to 60,000 in about three months. The growth happened because Facebook was recommending our content. People saw the information, found value in it, and chose to follow us.

Then, in April, everything changed.

Restricted Without an Explanation

Facebook demonetized the page and stopped recommending our content. The notice said we had violated community standards, but it did not tell me what we had posted that supposedly violated those standards.

That leaves a creator trying to correct a problem that Facebook will not identify. You cannot remove the offending post, change your approach, or even make a meaningful appeal when no one will tell you what you allegedly did wrong.

More recently, I received another notice telling me that I had 30 days to appeal or Facebook might take further action against the account. The notice did not clearly explain what that action would be. It could have meant another restriction, or it could have placed the entire Facebook and Instagram presence at risk.

I clicked the appeal button. Nothing happened.

That is a common problem for creators dealing with large social media companies. There is often no obvious phone number, no accessible customer service department, and no person who can explain why an account has been restricted.

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Paying for Access to Customer Service

I belong to a Signal group with some of the largest firearms creators online. Several of them told me that purchasing Meta Verified could provide access to customer service. I paid $12.95, worked through the support process, and finally reached someone.

The support representative called to confirm my identity. Communication was difficult at times, but we worked through it. I asked him to open the Christian Warrior Training page and show me the type of post Facebook considered a problem.

The example he selected was a warning about thieves stripping copper, scrap metal, and air conditioning equipment from more than 30 churches in St. Louis.

The post explained that police were seeing a renewed crime wave rather than a few isolated incidents. It warned church leaders about the repeated thefts and offered practical steps they could take to protect buildings that may sit empty for much of the week.

Facebook classified that church crime warning as politically divisive.

Read that again. A post warning churches about theft and helping them protect their property was presented as an example of politically divisive content.

There was no political candidate in the post. There was no political party. There was no election argument. It was a church security warning based on reported criminal activity.

I asked the representative a simple question: If someone is warning people about crime and giving them ways to protect themselves, should that not be the kind of useful information a social media company wants on its platform?

He agreed.

The Appeal Was Rejected While Support Was Helping Me

Facebook then required me to upload identification. I provided a government issued ID while the representative was still helping me by phone.

The system rejected it almost immediately.

The representative was there with me, walking through the process, and the automated system still refused the identification. I spent about an hour on the phone trying to resolve a problem that should never have required this much effort.

As I write this, I am still waiting to learn whether Facebook will accept my identification and restore the page’s ability to reach people.

Why I Am Telling You This

I am sharing this because most viewers never see what happens behind the screen. You may follow a page and assume you will continue to see its posts. That is no longer a safe assumption.

A social media company can stop recommending a creator overnight. It can reduce the audience without clearly identifying the reason. It can threaten further action while providing an appeal button that does not work. The creator may have no meaningful way to reach a person unless he pays for a verification service.

Firearms creators have dealt with these restrictions for years. Content related to the Second Amendment is routinely limited, demonetized, or removed. Christian creators face many of the same problems when they discuss faith, evil, crime, self defense, and the responsibility to protect innocent people.

In this case, Facebook’s own example was not inflammatory or partisan. It was a factual warning intended to help churches prevent theft.

I believe this is censorship. Whatever label Facebook places on it, the practical result is the same: fewer people receive information that can help them protect their church and family, and fewer people hear the message of Jesus Christ.

Do Not Let an Algorithm Decide Whether We Stay Connected

If you follow Christian Warrior Training on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or another platform, please like the page, subscribe, and turn on alerts. Those actions may help, but none of them guarantees that the platform will continue showing you our work.

The best way to stay connected is to subscribe at ChristianWarriorTraining.com.

I send only a few emails each week. I do not spam you, and I do not share your information. If a social media company removes Christian Warrior Training, the email list gives us a way to reconnect somewhere else with as little interruption as possible.

If you can afford a paid subscription, it directly supports this work and helps us continue providing church security information, training, and intelligence. If you cannot afford one, stay on the free list. Take care of your family and tithe to your church first. The people who can support this ministry help keep the information available for those who cannot.

Please pray for Christian Warrior Training. Pray that we can continue reaching the people who need this information. Pray also for the people making these decisions, that they will come to know Christ and understand the effect these restrictions have on others.

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