Church is not always safe for the wife of the pastor.

The October 2011 issue of Church Executive carried an article on “Pastors’ wives under pressure in husbands’ ministries.” One response to the article came from Mary Henry, a pastor’s wife from Lamoine, ME, who describes herself as a mother, spiritual director, mentor and writer. From the latter perspective, Henry is researching a book about pastors’ wives and welcomes comments to krmds@roadrunner.com.

Here she shares her own experiences as a pastor’s wife, which weren’t always friendly — or Christian.
Church life. I’m sure many people think of it as being a nurturing environment, safe, transparent and honest. There may be some churches out there that are this way. However, it seems to me many churches present themselves this way, and act quite another way behind closed doors. Ask any pastor’s wife.

First, there is the pressure applied by other pastors’ wives who feel they are co-pastoring the church with their husband, for free of course. Shortly after I got engaged to my husband, a pastor, we attended an association-of-churches meeting. I was taken by surprise when one after the other the pastors’ wives asked me if I was nervous about becoming a pastor’s wife. They all offered me advice.

One woman said she kept a file for each type of note she needed to write; thank you notes, sympathy, holiday, birthday, births, baptisms; you name it, she had a file for it. Another told me it would be good if I taught Sunday school. And, the one I remember the most vividly, told me all I had to do to be a good pastor’s wife was to memorize the Bible, back to front, front to back.

Left feeling inadequate
By the time we left the gathering, I felt totally inadequate, even though I had a great business background, had a great job, was active in my community, and had a jail ministry I absolutely loved. I wanted to scream and run the other way.

My husband was a 47-year-old bachelor in a small town church. When we started dating, one of the women in church who thought she would be his wife, treated me like dirt. For the 12 years I was a member of this church, this woman never talked to me, ignored me when I tried to talk to her, and went out of her way to alienate me. Did I mention she was married?

Another woman at church told me I was the worse minister’s wife she had ever known. She told me I should be on every committee, involved with all aspects of Christian Ed, and should be providing child care every Sunday. She tried to get my husband fired, and when that didn’t work, she and her husband left the church.

Another member of our church yelled and screamed at every annual business meeting. Every year it was the same thing, “Why should you get a 3 percent raise when I only got a 2 percent raise? And you only work one day a week.” My husband has a Ph.D. in systematic theology, this man had a high school diploma. Congregants sat in silence and let him rage. I was appalled to have 20 to 25 people talk over whether or not my husband should get a raise.

Church takes toll on family
Life in a church can take a tremendous toll on the pastor and his family. The young woman who told me I just needed to memorize the Bible to be a good pastor’s wife, admitted to her church, several years later, she had an eating disorder. She had hoped the church would support and pray for her.

Instead church members wouldn’t let their children go to her house to play with her children, nor would church members invite the wife, her husband (the pastor) or their children, to their homes anymore. This pastor’s wife had nowhere to turn, no one to talk to, not even God, who she felt had betrayed her in her own church.

I visited her in a psychiatric hospital where I found her devastated by the church’s treatment of her. The church asked the husband to resign. While he was waiting to decide how to handle this, his wife committed suicide, leaving her five children and her husband behind.

Churches are families, and every family has its secrets, its dysfunction. When these secrets are kept in the dark, they grow powerful, they breed discontent, jealousy, anger and resentment — and they destroy. The secrets and dysfunction hold us hostage in an environment we thought was safe.

Pastors’ wives struggle with alienation, loneliness, betrayal, judgment, fear and the demands of church and pastor. To whom do we turn to tell our secrets without getting our spouses fired? Who in our community is a safe person? Who can save us from the self-destructing thoughts that come when we are being abused in a church?

Women heal in community with each other. Confessing what we are feeling and thinking takes the power out of it, and brings into the light the darkness that builds as we try to be what others want us to be, or, as we try to desperately hold onto to our authentic lives within a church.

I am encouraged by Trudy Johnson’s Colorado retreats (www.anesisretreats.com), the websites that allow pastors’ wives to share their stories with other pastors’ wives all over the country, and Vision New England’s new Pastors’ Spouses’ mentoring ministry (www.VisionNewEngland.org).

It is good to know secrets are being exposed to the light.

Coppell, TX Baptist church uses environmental projection to tell visual stories during services.

Between Dallas and Ft. Worth, TX sits First Baptist Church of Coppell, where a long-time standing building and congregation wanted to modernize the inside of their sanctuary to stay in tune with the local community.

After seeing a demo and realizing the cost-benefits, the church implemented an environmental projection system, originally developed by local company Visual Worshiper, in order to transform the look and feel of their entire sanctuary with a simple click of a button.

Environmental projection uses video projectors to project images and video onto the walls and architecture of an existing sanctuary, taking its roots from ancient cathedrals and churches where stained glass was used to tell stories. Now it is done digitally, right from a computer. This allows the church to tell visual stories during worship, the message and any other time they want to transform the worship space into something other than four white walls.

Three projectors cast a seamless image around the front of the room, controlled from one computer by a volunteer, with an additional two projectors filling in the extreme side walls for special events which creates a 180-degree visual canvas. This setup allows the church to project not only still imagery, but also seamless motion video to tell a story or enhance the worship.

The church did not have to modify its existing walls or textures. It utilized the existing architecture in the room and mapped the environmental projection to key areas on the walls and ceiling, and at the same time, kept the light out of unwanted areas, such as the eyes of the people on stage and the congregation.

The visual media content is key in a system like this. Most standard images and videos won’t look correct being stretched around a room, but First Baptist received a sample library of content so they were able to use the system right away, with the ability to add more.

The church uses the environmental projection system as a way to foster a mood for worship; projecting images of crosses, stained glass, creation scenes, and anything else that is an enhancement to the worship and message. Motion videos are used as well, but very sparingly as they can be very quick to distract. A favorite among the congregation is a subtle video of snowfall around the room during a Christmas service, or white names of God slowly fading in around the congregation can serve as a powerful reminder.

Using the system First Baptist of Coppell is able to completely transform their worship space for a fraction of the cost and effort than with lighting or with anything physical, such as stained glass.

Camron Ware is founder of Visual Worshipper, Coppell, TX, which produces powerful atmospheres in churches. www.visualworshipper.com

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Project:

• Gear involved:  Five Hitachi Pro-grade projectors, Apple computers, ProPresenter Presentation Software
• Project cost: $25,000
• Project designer: Visual Worshiper

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Salem, OR, has become the first church and the third institution in the United States to purchase the acclaimed Yamaha CFX Concert Grand Piano. The church last fall took delivery of the 9-foot state-of-the-art instrument.

Dr. Paul Klemme, director of Music Ministries, says “We had an overflow crowd at both services. The instrument was extremely well-received.”

The purchase culminated Klemme’s quest to replace a smaller, aging grand piano in the church’s nave. Parishioners Lester and Marylou Green offered to buy a fine piano in recognition of the church’s rich musical heritage, which includes concerts by visiting artists from all over the world, including Chanticleer, Canadian Brass, Worcester Cathedral Men and Boys Choir and the St. Thomas Episcopal Church Men and Boys Choir.

Looking to the significance of the piano in the future, Klemme believes that the Yamaha will allow the church to attract major recitalists. “We did not have an adequate concert piano to bring major artists to play recitals,” Klemme said, but “now we do. Introduced in January 2010 in the United States, the nine-foot CFX concert grand is Yamaha’s flagship concert grand model.

Church Executive, in this age of praise music and keyboards, asked Dr. Klemme about the significance of the new piano:

What makes the Yamaha CFX Concert Grand Piano so grand, state of the art?

The thing that separates the CFX from other Yamaha and other concert grands is its true perfection and even scale of sound from bottom to top. It has a rich bass but a mellower top and middle.

The overall sound for the listener is quite a bit louder and fuller than any other grand piano.  It was the goal of the company to build a piano that can play above a symphony orchestra.

Finally the touch is fantastic, very comfortable and even.

What is the extent of the church’s music ministries, especially in a church of 400 people)?

The music ministry at St. Paul’s include two grand pianos, two tracker organs, seven singing choirs, two bell choirs, two guitar ensembles, brass ensemble and a concert series that bring artists from local, regional, national and international locations. We have one full time music minister, plus six part-time.

Is there an organ in the church too?

The piano will be used mostly for special concerts and worship services along with four hand piano music. The church blends many different styles of music into the four services held on Sundays including “contemporary Christian.” The organ is used every Sunday. It is a Gabriel Kney — neo baroque tracker action instrument of 22 stops from 1975.

For people who know pianos, what is it that they listen for when comparing them?

I listened for richness of sound and an even spectrum from top to bottom. It is certainly a taste issue but in my research I found almost every piano I tried to have some inconsistency in this arena. The CFX, however, did not.

This piano has the strength and carrying power to lead a full congregation in singing without the aid of microphone.

What was the purchase price of the piano?

I prefer not to reveal the purchase price, but the suggested MSRP is $150,000.

When “Old Blue” broke down with students for the fourth time in a year, it was time to make a decision.

The call came on a Monday night in July, it was Mark, our student pastor. “Well, it happened again! The bus broke down on the highway, in the middle of rush hour, and I’m not happy. I’m sorry but I will never use this bus for a ministry trip again.” The students were on their way to ministry camp on “Old Blue,” our 1997 Ford diesel school bus.

This was about the fourth time the bus had stranded a group in the past 12 months. After each occurrence we invested a few thousand dollars, thinking we fixed the issue only to be surprised again. The frustration was compounded by the fact that our 2001 15-passenger Dodge van had broken down on the last two of three trips out of town that same year.

So, after this incident with our students, involving two hours of calling parents and arranging for alternative transportation to camp, towing the bus and thousands of dollars later, it was clear that it was time to evaluate the useful life of our four aging church vehicles.

After 14 years of owning vehicles, our church has made the decision to sell off our small church fleet and rent as needed for our ministry travel needs. What brought us to this decision was a combination of factors. Some of these factors are unique to our situation, but the process by which we came to this decision is really a pathway that every church has to walk in deciding on how travel will be managed for ministry needs.

Assess costs of owning vs. leasing
To lease or to buy? That is the age-old question. Is it cheaper to buy or lease? Well the answer really hasn’t changed. It continues to be less expensive to buy a good used vehicle and keep it for at least 10 years. The repair costs are low early on and then increase over the life of the vehicle. If you have any kind of history of ownership these are easy costs to measure. For us the purchase of gently used vehicles broke down like this:

Years 1 to 5 the cost was all in the purchase price and routine maintenance. Years 6 to 14 the cost was all repair and maintenance. The cost was almost equal in those periods. The cost in the first five years equaled the cost of maintenance in years 6 to 14.

The trick? You want to keep a vehicle as long as you can before it starts having problems and requiring cash to repair. It’s harder than it sounds because as you near the 10-year mark or so, you’re saving the most money at this point because it’s paid for and not costing any money. But keeping it too long can catch you with big repair costs and then you’re out the cash to fix it before you can sell it.

It’s a gamble. It’s a game we lost. We kept our bus for 14 years. The last five years cost us $30,000. We could have purchased another bus for that amount. Truth is, it’s hard to sell a perfectly good “paid for” vehicle. But selling a perfectly good paid for vehicle is exactly what you must do to win this game.

Remember to measure what I call Leadership Relationship Capital. This is a strange consideration, but an important one nonetheless. I learned it the hard way. After the last bus break down, I spent two weeks fielding conversations from parents about their concern, and some their disgust, with the failure of the bus. Ultimately it led to a perspective that this was a result of church leadership’s poor management.

Stranding kids on a bus may become a fun fond memory for kids to carry into high school, but for parents it’s incredibly distressing. They trust us with their kids and we must be careful to show as much concern for their safety and comfort as their parents do. If we blow it, we may not get another chance to minister to their kids. So, depending on the church’s leadership status, this may or may not be a major consideration in your decision.

Expectations and culture
Business culture. Because we have some leadership who work in the business culture, our church is pretty comfortable with business loans and leasing in the church. We do have some members who I would call our “No Debt Christians” who resist both church debt and paying the new vehicle price tag.

Neither is right or wrong as such, but you need to know your church culture and how that will influence the vehicle decision. In our setting we have a pretty good balance between those who are comfortable with leasing and outsourcing and those who believe the church should invest and own its own equipment.

Vehicle debt. I normally would not consider debt on a vehicle for a church, but we are in exceptional times where a 2 percent interest rate on a vehicle is cheap money. This makes a vehicle loan for a church quite affordable and something to consider for the cash-strapped church.

Probably the bigger issue here is the church’s philosophy on debt. Most churches see debt as negative and will resist debt on vehicles. (Our church would fit this category.) Another part of the culture we often don’t consider is what kind of vehicles the church body drives. Many will expect to put their kids in a vehicle that is in the condition and age like they drive.

Lease options. Our city culture has some great competitive lease options near our church. For us this makes great sense. The availability of this option made it sensible for us. Other churches don’t have access to good lease options so it’s not really part of the equation. We are benefiting from San Antonio’s great corporate vehicle lease market.

We are in a unique season in the history of our church. We are rolling into a capital campaign to pay down facility debt. We grew by 30 percent last year and continue to feel the stretch of needing more cash for a growing ministry, yet less cash flow to make it happen. These are just two factors in our church situation that make outlaying large chunks of cash to buy vehicles unattractive. We would prefer to pay as we go for flexibility and keep our cash in the bank.

We have sold all but one of our vehicles with one pending sale at auction. So far our staff and volunteers are excited about the plan to rent newer vehicles that someone else will worry about maintaining. We have already earned some credit for this decision. While it appears that selling the church fleet is the best decision for us at this time, it’s an experiment and we are willing to learn a new and better way to do this.

Brad Sullard is on the ministry team as executive pastor at Northeast Bible Church, Garden Ridge, TX.  www.nebible.net

Church attendance has increased and there’s a waiting list for preschool.

First came the newly designed children’s wing at Hazel Dell Christian Church in Carmel, IN. Then came children’s minister Tony Johnson’s desire to design his own method to kindly, yet subtly, nudge people out the doors after services.

It turns out the new addition is so popular that well after services have ended, parents linger as their kids romp on the indoor play area. His solution? Much as he hates to admit it, he often sees no other choice than to turn out the lights.

“I really don’t want to rush them out of church. It’s so exciting to see the enthusiasm people have for children’s ministry,” Johnson says. “And that enthusiasm is extending to the church as a whole.”

Since opening the 23,000-square-foot children’s wing, attendance is up nearly 20 percent, and there’s a waiting list for preschool. Even finicky middle-schoolers are eager to participate. Yes, it’s important to have strong programs, but Johnson and other church leaders say it’s the design of the facility in combination with creative teaching that’s helped them reach its ultimate goal of educating more children and increasing the church’s membership.

Working in the culture
It all began when Hazel Dell Christian started working with Indianapolis-based arcDESIGN and Pepper Construction to create an expanded children’s ministry for the 1,200-member church in Carmel, just north of Indianapolis. The design needed to reflect the culture of this family-friendly city, where about 30 percent of the 65,000 residents are under the age of 18. Among the most affluent communities in the Midwest, its residents are highly educated and value the education their children receive.

Hazel Dell knows that a strong children’s program often is among the most important elements that help turn visitors into members.

This addition was designed to meet the growing needs of the congregation.

The addition blends seamlessly with the contemporary design of the worship center. But there’s no question that behind the curved, colored glass wall is the children’s area. The congregation understands that impressions are made from the moment someone pulls into the parking lot. While aesthetics were important, the space has plenty of security and safety features as well.

Those features – for both children and teachers – were factors considered throughout the design. All classrooms have half-doors that are high enough that children can’t see out and get distracted, yet low enough that parents can observe. Plus, the openness makes it easy for teachers to summon help if needed.

Then there were the basics, such as a security system, which was designed to give parents peace-of-mind, but is far from looking like an airport security checkpoint.

Security prime concern
“There was no question we had to have a security system, but we wanted to make sure it was easy and quick to use. At the same time, newcomers needed more hands-on attention,” explains Russ Love, chairman of the building committee. “We needed all of that without making it look like a military post.”

To accomplish that, there are two distinct areas at the entrance: A welcome desk for newcomers, who can ask questions and get information. And a computer kiosk for self check-in.

Beyond safety came practicality. Teachers’ input was sought early on, which was the impetus for the resource room where all the supplies are stored in clearly marked containers. The design also led to some changes in teaching style. Instead of smaller, individualized classrooms, older children have one large room. It was designed to accommodate large group instruction and performances, but also is flexible enough for small group discussions or teamwork. Custom-designed, fabricated partitions covered with brightly colored patterns look like artwork when they are flush against the walls, but they easily swing open and serve as room dividers.

The children’s area definitely has big “wow” moments. There are the two-story steel columns made to look like a huge tree in the library and a diner-themed fifth and sixth grade area complete with retro-looking booths and a counter with swivel stools. But it’s some of the smallest details that have made the greatest impact. There are alcoves with cushioned-bench seats, water features, glass mirrors that look like bubbles over the bathroom sinks and a custom-designed play set shaped to look like mountains

The key to the success was the careful planning, understanding needs of parents, children and teachers, and a church leadership team that was willing to take some risks. Add to that an eye-catching, functional design, and it’s already paying off. As more people discover Hazel Dell Christian, the building committee already is talking about the next expansion.

Mike Engledow,  AIA –LEED AP, BD+C, is an architect in the design of religious architecture. He is a principal with arcDESIGN, in Indianapolis, IN. www.arcdesign.us

A Georgia church responds to the needs of its congregation by providing spaces designed for youth.

Several years ago a trend began in church design, which grew from the desire to be intentional and creative in addressing the needs of young families with children. The proactive approach was to design spaces uniquely suited to the ministries of the children and youth. Since that time the bar continues to be raised to make these spaces the “third place” for children and students.

Just as the coffee/cafe has become the third place for adults, these unique spaces provide an alternative place within the church facilities for our children and youth ministries. This setting is well suited for current church leaders to nurture the next generation of leaders with surroundings that are comfortable for the children, the students and the adults. To reach a generation that is technologically savvy – one that has grown up with i-pods, Wi-Fi, streaming video and smart phones – these spaces need to be technology-rich environments.

With greater frequency we see that it is a priority for churches planning to build for their growing ministries to address the needs of children and students early in the development of their campus. When Prince Avenue Baptist Church in Athens, GA, relocated to the growing suburban environment of Bogart, GA, they elected to adopt just such a strategy.

Starting out new
The relocation gave the church an opportunity to start fresh on a new site adjacent to the church’s school facilities. The initial phase of construction included a multi-purpose space which seats 1,400 for worship. A later phase of the master plan will include a new worship center to accommodate 2,500 worshipers. The study of the church’s demographics indicated its surrounding community had a large population of young families with children. This led to the decision that the church should focus on spaces for the children and students in its first phase of the construction.

Prince Avenue saw the need to adapt these spaces for children and students to suit them personally as the end-users. The multipurpose worship space on the ground level and is closest to the preschool and nursery children ministries. “Genesis Junction” is a themed space replicating a train depot.

The check-in station is designed as a ticket counter with security doors for limited access and video cameras to monitor entry. A large mural of an old steam locomotive extends down the hall with blinking red lights on the railroad crossing signals near the check in desk. A small theater just inside the preschooler’s space allows for the children to be engaged with a puppet show or other programs while learning.

Teaching environment
On the upper level is “Kidzopolis,” a space designated for kindergarteners to fifth graders. It includes “The Clubhouse” theater, a themed age-appropriate ministry space. Large trees and marquee style posters depicting the theme for the current lesson flank the clubhouse entry. A stage with props suitable for the lesson is all a part of the teaching environment. Carpeting was selected for the space that was sensitive to the black lights provides for another part of the sensory rich experience. Exits from the Clubhouse lead to secure corridors and provide access to the children’s ministry classrooms.

Also on the upper level are two unique ministry spaces for the high school students and for the middle school students. Providing easy access for group circulation to these spaces are large glass overhead garage doors that open on to the second floor corridor. Inside are large gathering areas that provide ample space for students to meet in small groups before entering their theater space for assembly. For these ministries the church chose to develop the spaces similar to converted warehouse lofts that use stained concrete floors and painted exposed structures overhead.

Within the gathering areas the students can relax on large comfortable furnishings or gather around small tables. Students may wish to use one of the iMac computers for access to the internet, or challenge their friends to a video game on one of the flat panel televisions that are dedicated to gaming. Within the high school ministry space the students can enter a basketball cage for relaxed games like they would have in their driveways at home.

David Strickland serves as a principal of the Religious Studio at CDH Partners, a design firm in Marietta, GA.

Everyone knew that a big hurricane was brewing just off the coast, but no one knew how nasty this fellow would prove to be. This was to be the big one that old timers had predicted was someday coming. On Friday, September 13, 2008, the big one finally hit Galveston. Its name was Ike. Hurricane Ike.

The I-45 North causeway linking Galveston Island to the mainland was nearly empty. Well over half of the Galveston population had already fled the island by Friday afternoon, but those who stayed would have Hurricane Ike stories to last a lifetime.

The hurricane aftermath was worse than could have been imagined. The Rev. David Green, pastor of Galveston’s First Presbyterian Church, and several church members, braved fallen trees and debris to check the church after the storm. The church was a water-logged mess.

Restored sanctuary
Flash forward nearly three years. First Presbyterian held its first Sunday service in its beautifully restored church sanctuary May 22, 2011. Through the power of faith and a will to fight long odds, the church had been restored.

“Galveston’s historic church shines now as never before. The journey from Ike to restoration has been a long one,” Green said in the first sermon in the newly restored building. “Many of our talented members volunteered countless hours to supervise the work of architectural specialists.”

In the year after the storm, members of First Presbyterian worshipped at a local Methodist church. Once the fellowship hall was repaired, the Presbyterians held worship there until the rest of the church was reopened.

First Presbyterian of Galveston was established in January 1840. It is the island’s first church and one of the oldest Presbyterian churches in Texas. The sanctuary was completed in 1890 and is home to three Tiffany stained glass windows. The church has been described as an architectural gem of Galveston, a city filled with lovely buildings. Many Galvestonians call the church Galveston’s historic church.

Thus, the church’s restoration task force — five committed members strong — faced many challenges. Caring craftsmen had to be selected to make sure that the original beauty and design would shine again, even after unspeakable damage.

Giant jigsaw puzzle
As work began, century-old wood paneling was removed piece by piece, individually numbered, cleaned or restored and reinstalled like a giant jigsaw puzzle.

“Through hard work and diligent scholarship, an interior color and stenciling plan was crafted to make the colors of the stained glass windows and the pipe organ pipes make design sense,” said Bruce Frasier, a task force member.

The breathtaking ceiling had lost nearly all detail and was hand-painted and stenciled by specialists. The original black and white marble floors in the church narthex — long ago replaced with red-painted concrete — were restored based on old photos. Old vinyl tile beneath church pews was replaced with oak hardwood flooring. Custom woven carpeting was selected to compliment the original design scheme.

“Our goal was to return our sanctuary to the original glory and we feel that we have met that goal. We again have a historic church that all of Galveston can be proud of,” Green says.

— Joe Trum is an elder at First Presbyterian Church in Galveston. Special to Presbyterian News Service.

For some churches, folding tables and chairs are as much of a regular feature as the choir. From Sunday School classes to ice cream socials and Christmas pageants to Scout meetings, church members certainly know how to put folding tables and chairs to the test. To pick the tables and chairs that will withstand your church’s diverse needs, look for these key features.

1. Durability
Look for folding tables and chairs that meet or exceed BIFMA furniture test standards to ensure they are commercial quality products.

2. Portability
Purchase lightweight tables to make moving and storing them easier. Blow-molded polyethylene tables are the lightest weight folding tables available with one person easily able to carry an eight-foot table. But don’t be fooled by the light weight — blow-molded tables that are constructed of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), like those made by Lifetime Products, are actually stronger and more durable than wood and other laminate tabletops.

3. Stain and weather resistance
Look for HDPE products that are both stain resistant and easy to clean to keep them looking new. Since some events may be outside, also look for weather-resistant features that protect against harsh elements and water damage.

4. Comfort
Don’t just buy a chair that looks comfortable. Take time to sit and test several different chairs to see which one really is more comfortable. Larger contoured blow-molded chairs can actually be more comfortable and offer more support than a smaller padded chair.

5. Value
Avoid trendy colors and fabrics to ensure you will easily be able to purchase more matching pieces in the future. Affordable bulk sale solutions are often available directly through manufacturers. Warehouse clubs are also ideal to purchase large quantities and are a great place to see the products in person. Look for the right combination of quality and value: A quality product will save you money in the long run when you don’t have to buy replacement products as often.

William Mahoney is a product manager for Lifetime Products, Inc., the world’s largest manufacturer of polyethylene folding tables and chairs and inventor of the first blow-molded polyethylene tabletop. www.lifetime.com

It was a warm Saturday afternoon, and we were heading to a beautiful outdoor wedding to celebrate the joy of two people joining their lives together.  We were about ready to leave when the phone rang; the number on the caller ID was that of our facility team. I knew that something had taken a turn from the normal activity of the day.

The voice on the other end of the line began to tell me of a carjacking that had taken place in our parking lot resulting in a shooting on the church property; the man who had been shot had made his way inside the main building, where a memorial service had just concluded. The family was still gathered for a meal and would not be permitted to leave for some time.

Emergency personnel wanted to set up a command center in our facility and planned to be on campus well into the evening.  I began asking what seemed to be a litany of questions to get myself focused.

The police and emergency personnel were on scene, the entire facility and a four-block area around our campus were completely shut down; no access to our campus was going to be given for the rest of the day. As I hung up the phone, my mind ran through the scheduled campus activity, including a Saturday night worship service that was scheduled to begin in just a few hours.
Scenarios such as these fortunately do not happen every day, but that day we were reminded of the need for a security and communications plan.

Security plan needed
Out of this situation, we later stepped back and began to review our security plan. What if this had happened on a Sunday morning with several hundred people on campus?

Would we have a clear plan of action. Would our teams know what to do? We looked at service interruptions, emergency medical response, and communication with parents in an emergency, lock down procedures, child safety issues, including our check–in and pick up procedure for children’s ministry.

Through the review process, we took the time to look at each of these areas, knowing that we had some plans in place. The question then became whether we needed a security team? Yes, we understand that events like this don’t happen every day and we cannot simply react to one event, but we need to be prepared for emergencies. People expect us to take reasonable steps to insure their safety.

We learned only 22 percent of churches in the United States have active security and emergency plans in place.  Clearly many churches still believe it’s never going to happen to them.

Few churches prepared
In our research, we found there are many resources available to assist in creating a security plan. Our insurance carrier had many resources available to assist us in developing a plan.

The first step for us was addressing communication issues on a campus with multiple buildings, which for us means we needed a team of trained eyes and ears moving throughout the campus. Having a way to communicate was critical — eyes and ears are not enough, we needed to know that we could respond to each situation.

The use of radios is very inexpensive, and immediately allow a team to take necessary action quickly and effectively. These “eyes and ears” are trained; they understand our campus usage; the team knows our campus layout and identification. To be part of this team each person must complete an application process with includes background check and references. This team is identified with photo ID that itself presents a measure of safety.

Safety and security of our campuses is vital, and no longer can we assume that the church is a safe place. Bad things really are happening in churches across the country. Violent acts are senseless and unpredictable. Not all are preventable, but we can take steps to prepare for the possibility of dangerous situations, and strive to protect all who are on our campus.

Larry Knight is pastor of Church Operations at Medford First Church of the Nazarene, Medford, OR. www.mednaz.com

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When we had a lock-down on campus

Many churches operate a day care or preschool and will need to address other safety procedures. The responsibility and privilege of having children on campus every day presents situations in the facility unique to day-to-day operations. One area we considered with our local law enforcement is the need for a “lock-down” procedure.

Being only blocks from one of the high schools in our community, we once received a call from emergency services that a bomb threat had been called in the school and officers were pursuing a suspect. We were advised of the situation and instructed to secure our facility.

That incident caused us to review the safety of our campus, and a “lock-down” procedure was established. This procedure has two levels.

Precautionary: A threat is near the campus/outside the campus. All doors will be locked.  Lights and activity will remain normal. Blinds will be closed. No outside activity is allowed. Individuals who need to enter the building are screened.

Direct Threat Lockdown: A threat is in the building or on the campus. All doors will be locked. Lights will be turned off. Blinds will be closed. Staff and children outside or in the hallway will quickly enter the nearest classroom for lockdown.Green/Red sign will be placed in the door window. Green meaning we are safe. Red meaning we are missing a child, have an intruder, or there’s an injury in our classroom. Staff and children will move to a safe location in their classroom out of the line of sight of a window. Once locked down, no one will be allowed to enter the classroom. No one should open any door until the lockdown has been lifted.

In a lock-down situation, the staff role is to notify (by radio or intercom system) the primary contact of any missing people or injuries. A coding system is used for wording. The primary contact will notify the staff when the campus is safe by using a code word over the radio/intercom system.

Our lock-down ended without incident. Our parents were informed when they picked up their children; many had heard news reports and had called the Child Care Center to check on the status. Everyone was safe and thankful for the prompt communication and action of our leadership.  –LK

When it comes to church group transportation, bigger might be better. Today’s commercial buses are attracting more and more interest, thanks to advancements in design and technology.

Churches have long benefitted from a wide range of vehicle size choices, with their purchase decisions primarily impacted by passenger capacity and driver certification. Under U.S.

Department of Transportation regulations, any vehicle designed to carry more than 15 people, including the driver, requires the operator to have a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL).

That restriction, along with factors like fuel costs, comfort and maneuverability, often steered churches toward smaller vehicles. But buyers and sellers alike say that’s changing.

CDLs are required
Because commercial buses have more to offer than ever before, church customers are more willing to obtain the CDLs required to operate them. Jeff Madura, sales manager at Colonial Equipment in Washington, D.C., says he has seen interest from church customers trending away from smaller vehicles as they discover the benefits of vehicles built on commercial bus chassis.

“We’re seeing a lot of churches looking into buses that have the capacity for 25 passengers or more,” Madura says. “In the past, we fielded more inquiries about 14-passenger buses. And customers are doing their homework and have an idea of what they’re looking for before they come in.”

Often, some preconceived notions have been reshaped as church executives discover the advantages of commercial buses.

Hybrid-electric engines
Today’s commercial bus chassis offerings include options such as hybrid-electric engines. In the short term, a hybrid engine may be eligible for a substantial federal tax credit, while the fuel savings will pay off in the long run. For example, Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation’s MB-HEV commercial bus chassis has been shown to reduce fuel consumption by more than 40 percent with no compromise of operating efficiency.

In terms of drivability, newer technologies for commercial bus chassis are significantly more maneuverable than those of the past. Several commercial bus chassis boast a 60-degree wheel cut, which allows for easier navigation through busy city streets.

Manufacturers have evolved their approaches to driver and passenger comfort, as well.

Tony Sippel, RV product manager at Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation. www.freightliner.com

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Is your church taking precautions with drivers of its vans?

What church fleets need to know about passenger van safety and negligent entrustment.  |  By Rachel Bragg

Did you know 15-passenger vans, widely perceived as the most “unstable, dangerous vehicles on the road,” do not require that a driver carry a commercial driver’s license? Buses designed to carry 16 passengers or more do.

While this may be an unfortunate characterization of the 15-passenger van, it is important that a group which employs vehicles of either capacity be aware of the facts. Churches who manage fleets, or hire fleet drivers independently, should take the necessary and appropriate actions to ensure the safety of their congregations, while protecting their own financial health.

Human error is the absolute leading cause of any car, truck, van or bus crash. That’s why in 1997 the U.S. Department of Transportation issued a press release stating that a crash is not an accident. To use the term “accident” falsely implies that the crash was out of human control.

Take, for example, the 2010 fatal church van collision in Highland Mills, NY, involving driver Bernard Lattibeaudiere. His license, it was later discovered, had been suspended 25 times.

It is entirely possible that the church could be held liable in the case of a negligent entrustment lawsuit by the surviving victims of this crash.

The first step that could have been taken to prevent this tragedy was to properly screen Lattibeaudiere. A driver – whether volunteer, hired through a personal acquaintance or contracted by a third-party service provider – should be thoroughly checked out with the state for any infractions on his or her license and trained according to the standards and satisfaction of the church.

A second safeguard would be to establish a company driver policy that must be read, understood and signed by all of its employees and volunteers — whether they plan to get behind the wheel or not. For more information on 15-passenger safety or negligent entrustment, visit www.brightfleet.com/whitepapers.

Rachel Bragg is vice president of Business Development, BrightFleet, Sanford, FL. www.BrightFleet.com