Local pastor addresses church safety concerns

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COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) – Wednesday night’s shooting inside a house of worship has shattered the peace and sanctity of what is supposed to be a safe and welcoming environment… a church. Now in the wake of the massacre, churches… mosques… and synagogues across the country are reaching out to their congregations before weekend services. ABC Columbia’s Emily Stoll has more. “I think it’s okay to be afraid. I mean if we don’t feel that emotion, are we human?” questioned Pastor Tim Bupp. The doors at Reformation Lutheran Church in Columbia will be open as normal on Sunday, but some folks may not be ready to grab a seat in the pew. “If they feel they need to take that day off, they can. And maybe they need to see a couple Sundays where their church is safe,” says Bupp. But Bupp has a different feeling that he wanted to share. “My own gut response is… is the moment I think I need to stay away from church is the moment I need to be in church.” Bupp plans to include Wednesday’s massacre in Charleston as part of his sermon. He says people can’t sweep the issue under the rug. We have to talk about what the alleged gunman has done. “He cannot become a scapegoat, and say, if we do away with this evil… we’re done with it.” Bupp says there has now been talk nationally about pastors carrying guns, but he believes the best thing to do is be aware. “Aware when someone is acting a certain way. Someone seems out of place and not so much to escort them out, which would be a terrible thing for churches to do. But to have your cell phone ready. Don’t be afraid to be near that person so that you can observe what is going on.” The church has a long history, facing violence. Bupp says it’s part of their DNA, but he sees people coming together in light of this tragedy. “It was martyrs not of burning buildings or killing people. It was martyrs who were willing to say prayers and sing hymns to those who watched them going into the coliseums and that changed hearts. I think that will change hearts more than packing a gun.”