HOKE COUNTY, N.C. (WTVD) — The tragedy in Charleston raises the question of how we can protect our own places of worship.
Now, Hoke County Sheriff Hubert Peterkin wants to help bring a sense of security to churches that generally welcome anyone with open arms.
“I remember as a child, you could go in the church anytime day or night,” said Pastor Toby Neal, of the Hillcrest Baptist Church. “It didn’t matter. The doors were never locked.”
For Neal and other church ministers, the horror of the Charleston shootings is a revelation.
“We don’t want to push anybody out of the church, and we are not,” said Neal. “Anybody that comes in is welcomed, but at the same time someone we don’t know, never seen before we’re definitely going to keep an eye on them.”
