On the morning Sunday, March 8th, Pastor Fred Winters of the First Baptist Church in Maryville, Illinois stood in the pulpit for the last time. At 8:15am, a man walked down the isle of the church and exchanged a few words with Pastor Winters before pulling out a .45-caliber handgun and fatally shooting him in the chest. The man then pulled out a knife and stabbed himself. Two church members were wounded while attempting to subdue the attacker.

The police have not released the gunman’s identity or given a motive for the attack but he is reported to be in serious condition at a St. Louis hospital.

The following statement was issued today by Jeffrey Hawkins, executive director of the Christian Security Network, a national organization that provides security planning, training and emergency preparedness and response resources for Christian churches, ministries, schools and missionaries:

"The shooting this morning is a tragic situation, but unfortunately, one that has been witnessed many times over the years. This most recent violent incident against a Christian church in a small town in downstate Illinois is another reminder that these incidents are not going to stop and can occur anywhere, at any time. The only recourse that churches have to is to acknowledge that it can happen to them and to be prepared.”

"In the first two months alone, the Christian Security Network has tracked 139 incidents in 31 states against Christian churches, schools and ministries."

The shooting came just over a week after a controversial bill in Arkansas that would have allowed concealed firearms in churches was struck down in the state senate. Arkansas bans concealed weapons in only two public places: churches and bars. Of the 47 other states that allow concealed weapons, 42 let churches make their own decision whether to allow weapons.

Coincidentally, the state of Illinois also does not allow concealed weapons to be carried.

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