Churches Celebrate the Season and Prepare for Possible Attacks

Churches all over the country are gearing up for one of the biggest days of the year.  

While the choirs are singing and the lights are twinkling in anticipation of the Christmas holiday, some church members will have their eyes on the safety of the service.

In congregations from coast to coast, church leaders are fortifying their sanctuaries to prepare worshippers for a possible attack.

Prestonwood Baptist is leading the way in the effort to equip churches by holding a church safety event on its Plano, Texas, campus.  

Local law enforcement spoke to a packed room about the need for safety measures, including how to spot suspicious behavior. 

One officer pointed out that convicted white supremacist Dylan Roof, the shooter who murdered nine church members in Charleston, South Carolina, was wearing heavy clothing to conceal body armor. 

According to TruNews, leaders from diverse church affiliations and racial backgrounds converged at Prestonwood Baptist to learn how to build a safer environment for their congregants.  

A growing number of churches have a security model composed of both volunteers and contracted security.

Recent calls for attacks on houses of worship from ISIS as well as the horrific church massacre in Sutherland Springs, Texas, last month, have some revelers wary of the Christmas season.

There were reports that the lone gunman who murdered 26 men, women and children during Sunday morning services was a member of Antifa; however, other reports refute this notion that the violent, anti-fascist group is calling for an attack on churches.  

Either way, church leaders are taking notice and taking action.

Earlier this month ISIS released a flyer depicting the National Cathedral erupting in flames.  

The anti-Christian propaganda went out to followers through their social media outlets with the tag line "We meet at Christmas in New York soon,"

Terror watchers may remember threats were made last Christmas by the Islamic State who disseminated a list of thousands of churches as potential targets.