Churches in South Africa had a shock awakening with the St. James Church massacre in 1993. My sister narrowly missed the massacre -- she was late for Church that morning. Ever since, Churches in South Africa have been more conscious of security. My father put large bolts on doors inside his Church after that, which was shortly before my arrival as the new minister -- and for some time, armed guards kept watch outside as a favour to the Church. Throughout my nearly 20 years of ministry, we watched all entrances and exits, and the Church had a panic button fitted to my pulpit. As the years went by, our safety procedures became far less formal, but they were always still there. OBSERVATION: The minister who was on duty at the massacre was in my graduation class.
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