$69,000 Grant Awarded to Chapel Hill for Safety and Security Upgrades

Occasionally, someone will ask me why we have an off-duty police officer on Sunday morning and other special services throughout the year. Sometimes, people will ask why the doors are always locked and you need access through the front desk, and sometimes, people will share frustration with me because they perceive our efforts with safety and security as rooted in fear rather than trusting God. Hopefully, you know me well enough to know I value different perspectives and opinions because that is part and parcel of living in a community authentically. However, as some of you have heard me say, it is not an either/or; it is a both/and. We trust God, and we do our part. We do everything we can within our power, to treasure the treasures (people), as Dr J says in his book, “The Good and Beautiful Community.” God is always at work in our efforts!

Through consultation with experts in the safety/security realm, we know that we have particular vulnerabilities when protecting and treasuring our treasures. Marilyn Small, the head of our safety/security team at Chapel Hill, has done a fantastic job leading and helping us do our part to protect the people God has entrusted to us. Thank you, Marilyn, and thank you to the team! Recently, we received notice that Homeland Security has awarded Chapel Hill a grant for $69,000 to improve our safety/security based on the recommendations of the agent who visited our facility and our known vulnerabilities.

The $69,000 grant which will be used to enhance the church’s security by replacing locksets on exterior doors with card key readers, installing vehicle ramming barriers, installing an automatic intrusion detection system, and funding additional security training for our staff and congregation.   We are so fortunate to have these grant funds to further ensure the safety and security of all our members, guests, staff and the children who attend Preschool and KDIC during the week.

We need your help!  We need to expand the number of persons who can drive the golf cart, monitor cameras, and be able to serve at the door when we have special events, etc. We need to beef up our perimeter presence. If you would be willing to help us with these particular needs, please contact Marilyn delaneysgram@yahoo.com or me at jgannon@chwichita.org. Your help is greatly appreciated! If you have questions, please do not hesitate to reach out. Thank you, again, for your consideration of this important and timely request.