By Rev. George Reynolds
‘It’ll never happen here.’
That’s the response of many people when you bring up the idea that an armed intruder could strike at your church.
But as several church leaders learned during a recent Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Confront, and Evacuate Training event at Linglestown Life, not only is it possible, but failing to prepare your people for how to respond is irresponsible.
When it comes to the safety of our members on a Sunday morning, we’ve prepared procedures to reduce the risks of abuse to children, youth, and vulnerable adults in the ministries of the local churches (SUSUMC Safe Sanctuaries Policy), but we have failed to produce procedures and training to reduce the risk of injury and death associated with an armed intruder.
As Betty Secrest, pastor at Center and Clear Ridge churches said, “The reality is this kind of violence is present in our society. And it doesn’t matter if you are in a rural setting or a larger city. You need to be prepared and you need to prepare your people.”
That’s why 28 people participated in ALICE Training’s Train the Trainer event at Linglestown Life on October 9 and 10. Of those 28, seven people represented five different United Methodist congregations, ranging from small rural congregations to larger suburban congregations. Each one walked away with a sense of gratitude that they had attended and a mission to better prepare their congregations.
Kerry Barefoot from Bedford said, “The world is changing, and we need to be more aware of our surroundings in church and out in the community.”
Jason Fisher of First UMC in Mechanicsburg noted, “The eye-opening scenarios really drove home the course content.”
Michael Harris, Evangelical UMC, Middletown, mentioned, “Getting more people aware, trained, and focused increases your chances of survival.”
Both Harris and Fisher have law enforcement backgrounds, but saw the need for the kind of training offered to churches by ALICE Training.
Linglestown Life has three individuals who have completed the ALICE Training Train the Trainer course. The church is also using an ALICE Training e-learning module to provide computer-based training for church and nursery school staff, Sunday school teachers, and other hospitality volunteers. Eventually everyone in the congregation will have the opportunity to take the e-learning module.
As George Reynolds, lead pastor at Linglestown Life noted, “What you learn in the ALICE Training is applicable to any situation you ever find yourself in. The training just makes you more situationally aware in every setting.”
After completing the e-learning module, all of the individuals at Linglestown Life are receiving training that equips them to understand procedures, and most importantly, participate in actual training scenarios. “We are all used to fire drills,” Reynolds continued, “although the likelihood of a fire is remote. But have you ever thought through the options available to you in the event of an armed intruder?”
That’s the value of ALICE. ALICE teaches participants a proactive, options-based plan for civilian response to a violent critical incident. ALICE authorizes and empowers individuals to utilize human action, building infrastructure, and communication options to increase their chance of survival. Simply put, ALICE’s mission is to save more lives.
As Rev. Howard Woodruff, Wesley UMC, Marysville, stated, “It’s about time we get serious about these threats and how to respond.”
A number of churches believe that having an armed member of the congregation will provide protection for their people, but the reality is that it leaves people with a false sense of security. Training volunteer leaders, and ultimately the entire congregation, is the best way to assure people have the skills necessary to make a decision that can save lives.
While ‘It’ll never happen here’ may be true, being prepared through education and training at least demonstrates that we are aware that the days in which we live are drastically different than our past.
Persons wanting to learn more about the ALICE Training programs can explore their website at www.ALICETraining.com. Churches interested in exploring the way that Linglestown Life is implementing ALICE Training may contact George Reynolds by email at GReynolds@susumc.org.
