Dear Fellowship Church,

I am writing to give you more information about an incident that occurred during our worship service on Sunday, February 18th. For those who do not know what I am talking about, during singing, a man briefly walked on and then off the stage and made an obscene gesture toward the congregation. I was out of town with my family and was watching online. After the service, I called and talked with several members of our pastoral staff and volunteer security team. I was so encouraged by how they handled the situation, and I want to give you some more information about the incident and about our overall security.

First, regarding last Sunday’s incident.

What you may not have seen is that members of our security team had their eyes on the man as he walked up the aisle. When it became clear he was not going to take a seat in the front, one member of the security team moved into place and was prepared to disable the man if he tried to harm anyone. As he walked out, the Beaumont Police Department was notified, and members of our security team followed the man until he was taken into custody about a block away.

Several members of our staff met with officers from the Beaumont Police Department this week. The man was not armed, and we do not have reason to believe our people are in danger moving forward. The man will not be allowed on our church campus anymore, and Beaumont Police plans to have a car patrol our campus more often for the next few Sundays.  

Second, I want to give you more information about our overall security on Sundays.
 

Ultimately, we find our security in God and His sovereign care for us. Pastor Bryan’s sermon on Psalm 2 was a timely reminder of this truth. While we trust in God, we also prepare to stop anyone on our campus who might have evil intentions. For many years we have had a security team made up of church members who are current or former law enforcement. They coordinate with the pastors and are trained and prepared to handle any security threats that may occur. While we don’t explain all the details of this ministry, I think it is important that you know of its existence and a few details about it. These are men who are trained to de-escalate situations, whenever possible, but to take decisive action when necessary. In addition to broad coverage in the W building, a member of the security team will be present at the B building while classes are in session on Sunday mornings. In the coming weeks, the pastoral and security teams will be evaluating all our security practices (a periodic evaluation that had already been initiated earlier this month), to learn and improve. Our goal is always to do what we can to provide a hospitable and safe environment for everyone who wants to learn and worship at Fellowship Church.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to me or Pastor Tod, who gives pastoral oversight to the security team.

In Christ,

Pastor Mark