Homeland Security’s Council, Involvement in Your Child’s School & Churches Leaning on Tech

The Department of Homeland Security has announced the appointment of a new, 25-member faith-based advisory council to assist Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in finding ways to protect houses of worship.

The council consists of Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh clergy plus some law enforcement and nonprofit faith group leaders.

The safety of religious congregations has been a growing concern for a decade — since the shooting at the Oak Creek, Wis., Sikh temple in 2012. It was followed by the massacre at Emanuel AME in Charleston, S.C., a mostly Black congregation, in 2015; the killing of nearly two dozen worshipers at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas; the killing of 11 Jews at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018.

And those are only the most notable mass killings. Other acts of violence, include the 2017 and 2019 firebombings of mosques in Victoria, Texas, and Escondido, Calif.

The council is expected to help the department evaluate the effectiveness of existing security-related programs and improve coordination and sharing of threat and security-related information.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, an agency of the Department of Homeland Security, has a Nonprofit Security Grant Program that provides federal funds for nonprofits and houses of worship to beef up security on their premises.
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Should parents be able to dictate what schools teach their children? Should schools be able to hide information about a student from their parents? What rights and responsibilities do parents have when it comes to engaging the public schools in their area? These are not new questions for Christian parents, but the frequency with which they are being asked seems to have grown significantly in recent years.

A piece on Baptist Press offers three helpful ways you can get involved at your child’s school. Getting to know the leaders and asking questions are two ways to start.

You can read the full piece at Baptist Press.
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Good News for Today is made possible through our friends at The Voice of the Martyrs, a nonprofit organization that serves persecuted Christians around the world. Founded in 1967 by Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, VOM is dedicated to inspiring believers to deepen their commitment to Christ and to fulfill His Great Commission — no matter the cost. Find out more and sign up for their free monthly magazine at vom.org/goodnews.
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Mount Calvary Baptist in Mansfield, Ohio was like a lot of churches that were forced to lean on technology in the spring of 2020.

Staying connected due to the widespread suspension of in-person gatherings from COVID-19 presented a challenge. In order to bring in as many people as possible, Pastor Derek Williams opted to use a phone system for listeners to call in and hear worship services.

Preaching to an empty room took some adjusting for many pastors during that time, but at least they had a camera on which to focus. During his sermons Williams had everywhere – yet nowhere – to look.

So he prayed for faces he had never seen, much less known.

Williams believes God is answering those prayers now on the other side of the pandemic as the church is experiencing growth and health.

Read the full story about Mount Calvary Church at Baptist Press.