Greetings Friends and Family of RRUMC,
Boy, is the world changing. You need only turn on the news each night to know that the world sure looks a lot different than it did years ago. We are also seeing that places that used to be off limits to evil and violence are now easy targets for those who want to cause harm. I am referring to schools, daycares, and yes, even churches. It is with that in mind that I am writing this Circuit Rider article.
In the very recent past, the Administrative Council of RRUMC voted to form a Safety and Security Committee. That committee now has about 10-12 committed members who are working diligently to make sure that every Sunday morning worship experience is as safe and secure as possible. It has started with observers at all the services. They are our own church members who have been tasked with keeping an eye out each Sunday for suspicious people or activities that might be taking place during a worship service. They will then inform pastors and other staff leaders who will then make the decisions as to how to proceed. We have also purchased two way radios so that all those in leadership on a Sunday morning can be in constant communication in case of an emergency of any kind. The radios help everyone to know immediately of an emergency and to act accordingly. There are also other things in place to enable Paul and I to be able to immediately contact authorities and have them here in minutes should a situation arise. The entire staff has also undergone several training sessions from Security Education Consultants. That company has worked with our entire staff to be ready to react to most, if not all, emergency situations that could occur on a Sunday morning and/or throughout the week.
The main reason for this article is to hopefully instill in all of you that your church and its leadership are doing everything possible to create a safe and secure worship experience each and every Sunday morning. In order to do that, the change that you will see that will most affect all of you is the new schedule for the locking of the exterior church doors. In the next couple of weeks, there will be a church wide email outlining what doors will be open for each of the services and for how long. Our ultimate goal is to get everyone to come through door #1, which is the main (rotunda) door off of the main parking lot behind the church building. We want to limit the number of exterior doors that get unlocked on Sunday so we can better see who is coming or going for the safety of everyone here on a Sunday morning.
I know this will be inconvenient for the first few weeks and maybe even months. However, if you keep in mind that we are doing it to create the most safe and secure worship experience possible, then I hope you will be able to understand and adjust your coming and going accordingly.
I want to thank all of you in advance for your patience and understanding as we work to implement these changes and protocols. Your safety and security is paramount.
Peace and Blessings,
Rev. Dan