As crazy as it sounds, there are people who want to disrupt worship services - for any number of reasons from simple internal disagreements to outside invasions.
A transgendered man had begun attending our services and our people - true to their form and reputation - welcomed him as a person. Within a few days it became clear that his intention was not to find Christ or to get his life together, but to raise money for a sex change surgery. He began approaching people and asking them for money every weekend. When they would hesitate to give him money, he would accost them, accusing them of being "hateful", "intolerant", and "unChristian". I was forced to approach him and tell him he was welcome to continue attending - but that the requesting of money had to stop.
He immediately became quite angry and warned us that the next weekend he intended to return with "friends" to disrupt our services and to teach us "a lesson about intolerance". Finding ourselves now targeted by a militant transgendered group, we were forced to take action in an attempt to prevent any disruption.
His threats forced me to issue a "no trespass order" to preserve the peace, and I then contacted an attorney about creating a warning sign to protect our services. This sign is the result of that conversation.
Because I don't believe the days are gonna get any easier for those of us in the Church, I wanna share this sign with you so you can have this resources in the eventuality that it is needed in your situation. (I hope you never need it, but it is better to be prepared for something that doesn't happen than to be ill-prepared for something that does.)
The text of the sign reads:
ATTENTION:
NO CASH IS KEPT ON THIS SITE, NOR IS IT DISBURSED FROM THIS SITE.
NO CASH IS KEPT ON THIS SITE, NOR IS IT DISBURSED FROM THIS SITE.
ATTENTION:
WORSHIP SERVICES & CHURCH-SPONSORED EVENTS ON THIS SITE ARE PROTECTED BY FEDERAL LAW FROM DISRUPTION OR INTERFERENCE.TITLE 18, U.S.C., SECTION 247
CHURCH ARSON PREVENTION ACT OF 1969
Prohibits [1] intentional defacement, damage, or destruction of any religious real property, because of the religious, racial, or ethnic characteristics of that property, or [2] intentional obstruction by force or threat of force, or attempts to obstruct any person in the enjoyment of that person's free exercise of religious beliefs. If the intent of the crime is motivated for reasons of religious animosity, it must be proven that the religious real property has sufficient connection with interstate or foreign commerce. However, if the intent of the crime is racially motivated, there is no requirement to satisfy the interstate or foreign commerce clause.
Punishment varies from one year imprisonment and a fine or both, and if bodily injury results to any person, including any public safety officer performing duties as a direct or proximate result of conduct prohibited by this section, and the violation is by means of fire or an explosive, a fine under this title or imprisonment of not more than 40 years or both; or if such acts include the use, attempted use, or accordance with this title and imprisonment for up to 20 years, or both, and if death results or if such acts include kidnapping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse or an attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill, shall be fined in accordance with this title and imprisoned for any term of years or for life, or both, or maybe sentenced to death.
