Unfortunately these stories keep coming into existence.

On 8-29-10, Clay Sannar, 42, a lay bishop with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was doing administrative paperwork on Sunday between church services when a man came into the Visalia church and asked for a leader of the church.  After being directed to Sannar, the attacker shot and killed him.  After the shooting, a caller identified himself to police as the attacker. Police then responded and there was a confrontation with several shots exchanged.  The suspect was hit multiple times. He was taken to nearby Kaweah Delta Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.  No police personnel were injured. The suspect did not seem to know Sannar, and he was not a member of the church, and no one at the church recognized him.

It is not known yet whether or not that particular Mormon Church had a Church Security Ministry Team in place, or some other security awareness training.  My heart goes out to the entire congregation and to the family of Clay Sannar. 

We should learn from this tragedy so that this sort of act of violence will not happen again.  Unfortunately, I think it will only continue due to the fact that we live in a fallen world that is in a state of permanent moral decay.  We all think it will not happen to us, but we couldn’t be more wrong.  We must protect our flock.  I urge all church members of all faiths to ask their church administrators what security plans they have in place should the wolf come knocking on their door for a visit.  If your church has a security ministry team, great, keep it tuned up.  If it does not, implore your church administrators to seek out security consultants and implement a security team.  Learn what options are available.  There is a security plan that can be tailored to any church setting or function.   

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