В Пенсильвании религиозные организации получили гранты на модернизацию систем безопасности после роста преступлений

A black Toyota 4Runner covered in scratchy white chalk paint was parked outside Living Word Community Church in Red Lion, Pennsylvania, last year. The paint spelled out apocalyptic predictions: “On the 23rd and 24th of September, I will come to take my church —Jesus”; “More lockdowns Sept. 19”; and “10/10 BIG EVENT.” The driver, a man in a robe and head covering, entered the sanctuary and warned staff about the impending Second Coming. Soon after spreading the news, he left, off to visit other churches. Christ didn’t come back in September 2025, though the incident was a wake-up call for Living Word. The revelation had to do not with Jesus’ return but with the church’s security vulnerabilities. Security cameras, radio networks, door lock systems, and more are newly affordable for churches, synagogues, mosques, and nonprofit organizations across Pennsylvania. The state has issued grants for these purchases to combat rising hate crimes against religious communities and social minorities. After the 2018 Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh left 11 people dead and six wounded, the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) initiated the Nonprofit Security Grant Fund Program. Eligible groups pitch their plans to the state and pledge to chip in a portion of the costs in the hopes of being selected. In March, Pennsylvania issued the award’s sixth round, the largest yet, at $10.8 million to 190 organizations. Protestant and Catholic groups received $1.75 million. Living Word, which has more than 2,500 congregants, will use its $56,838 for new radio and surveillance systems. Salem United Church of Christ in Bucks County is installing new security cameras with $45,500 after experiencing a series of protests when the church released a statement in favor of immigrants during February’s ICE raids. Pennsylvania also issued just over $6 million in this round of awards to synagogues and Jewish organizations like camps and community centers, as well as $1.27 million to Muslim groups. Hate crime reports compiled by the FBI show antisemitic attacks have gone up nationwide since 2018, hitting a record high in 2023, while hate crimes against US Muslims have remained constant over the past decade. A May mass shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego left three people dead. Anti-Christian violence is much less prominent in the United States. But it’s increasing too. Comparing 2013–2019 with 2020–mid-2026, the FBI identified a 71 percent increase in offenses against Protestant Christians. In 2024, a 15-year-old opened fire at Abundant Life Christian School in Wisconsin, killing two and injuring six. Seven people, including three children, died in a 2023 shooting at Covenant School in Nashville. (A police investigation found that a desire for notoriety, not hatred of Christians, motivated the Covenant shooter.) In 2017, Devin Kelly committed the deadliest mass shooting in Texas since 1850 at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs. In the wake of these and other high-profile tragedies, churches and Christian nonprofits are using their grant funds to ensure the safety of their congregations and staff. They’re also balancing security with hospitality, making sure newcomers feel welcome while taking necessary precautions. Philly House epitomizes the need for that balance. Philadelphia’s largest and oldest homeless shelter has been boarding men, cooking dinners, and sharing the gospel across the city for 148 years. Guests sometimes bring in weapons or contraband, but not generally out of malice. They simply have nowhere else to store their knives, director of development Mike Johnson told CT. Who would want to sleep under a city bridge without something for self-defense? On an afternoon in June, men clustered around the day shelter entrance with a lone security guard behind a front desk with plexiglass taking information and tagging bags that piled up in a corner. Other staff seemed to keep the peace as visitors chatted, watched television on a large projector, or slept, heads resting in their arms. Johnson said the shelter will serve 2,000 different people over the course of this year, offering three meals a day and safety from the street. As he stood by the men lining up for lunch, one guest, Barry Dawkins, approached with a complaint: Someone had broken into his locker. Dawkins came to the shelter at the end of May and had just found a more permanent place to move. But when he went to grab his items, they were gone. Johnson stayed calm, asking for information about the missing belongings and explaining how the locker might have been opened, likely due to a combination error or internal malfunction. He told Dawkins which staffer to ask for more help, and he prayed with him. People who’ve suffered homelessness need a sense of security to be able to thrive, Johnson said. Many carry childhood wounds that make them slow to trust people and institutions. Philly House’s PCCD grant will provide $150,000 of a $3 million security upgrade at the front of the building, including a new security checkpoint, upgraded lockers, and metal detectors. The money will also help fund a new common space and offices for case workers. Philly House is often passed over for state funding because of its explicitly Christian mission and methods, Johnson said. That makes this grant an unusual boon, allowing the shelter to complete construction by the fall. Living Word Community Church had implemented other safety measures in the years before the PCCD grant, including a buzz-in process at the front door. Chief people and operations officer Andy Seebold said visitors should be able to focus on worship and spiritual growth, not security. “As a church, we are called to be both welcoming and wise,” he added. “Creating a safe environment is an important part of our stewardship responsibility.” Johnson would agree. But he also knows that while security upgrades can help mitigate risk, they don’t eliminate it. “We’re accepting God’s calling into a space that cannot be made fully safe for us,” he said. “But darn it, we need to make it as safe as we can for our folks.” Jack Panyard is a senior news writer at Christianity Today.