The Resident Minister of Burma Camp Worship Centre of The Church of Pentecost and Chaplain of the Ghana Armed Forces, Apostle Major Benjamin Kumi-Woode, has called on church leaders to put in place security systems that will make church premises and services safer.
Apostle Major Kumi-Woode made this call during a presentation on the topic, “Church Security: Securing Church Premises/Making Services Safe” at the first edition of Kaneshie Area’s 2019 Divine Encounter held at the Kaneshie Central Church auditorium.
The programme which was held on Monday, May 27, 2019, was chaired by Apostle Mike K. Etrue.
Apostle Maj. Kumi-Woode also admonished members of the church and the Christian fraternity to be more conscious of their security before, during, and after church services. He noted that God protects His children spiritually but believers have a role to play in their physical security.
According to him, the issue of security and safety at church premises has become an issue of concern in recent times due to both internal and external threats to churches. He identified hate groups, terrorist activities, white colour criminals and common criminals as some of the threats to church security.
He also mentioned that the biggest security threat to the church is the lack of action, awareness, and education of church members which can cause mass casualties in the unfortunate event of any attack or chaotic situations.
The Chaplain of the Ghana Armed Forces noted that handling security at church premises is a bit challenging unlike individual homes, apartments, military installations. He observed that most worship places are open all day, have large number of people in church buildings at the same time, lack proper security plan and the inability of members to identify and report suspicious persons or activities.
In his presentation based on Acts 20:28, Apostle Maj. Kumi-Woode advised church leaders and members to collectively put measures in place to ensure that services and church premises are safer.
He called for a total comprehensive security programme to be put in place in all churches. These, he noted, should include, installation of electromagnetic and automatic door locks, ensuring that church premises are well lit during the night, installation of alarms and motion detection systems, and using scanners and metal detectors at church premises where necessary.
Other measures he further identified include the screening of visitors, regular security audits, educating the church on security issues and training ushers as first line security to detect and report suspicious persons or activities.
He also mentioned that fire safety, burglary or theft prevention, computer security, Sunday school classroom security and parking lot safety are some safety plans that can be put in place to ensure safety during church services.
Elder Emmanuel Dadzie, Presiding Elder of the Kaneshie Pentecost International Worship Centre (PIWC-Kaneshie) also spoke on the topic, “Watch and Pray to Possess the Nations.”
Report by Gideon Osei Ansong.