Email this article
Printable version
Pastor asks members to bring guns to church
Associated Press Writer
New Bethel Church welcomed "responsible handgun owners" to wear their firearms inside the church Saturday. An ad says there was a handgun raffle, patriotic music and information about gun safety.
"We're just going to celebrate the upcoming theme of the birth of our nation," said pastor Ken Pagano on June 3. "And we're not ashamed to say that there was a strong belief in God and firearms - without that, this country wouldn't be here."
The guns must be unloaded, and private security will check visitors at the door, Pagano said.
He said recent church shootings, including the killing Sunday of a late-term abortion provider in Kansas, which he condemned, highlight the need to promote safe gun ownership.
The New Bethel Church event was planned months before Dr. George Tiller was shot to death in a Wichita church.
Kentucky allows residents to openly carry guns in public with some restrictions. Gun owners carrying concealed weapons must have state-issued permits and can't take them to schools, jails or bars, among other exceptions.
Pagano's Protestant church, which attracts as many as 150 people to Sunday services, is a member of the Assemblies of God. The former Marine and handgun instructor said he expected some backlash, but has heard only a "little bit" of criticism of the gun event.
John Phillips, an Arkansas pastor who was shot twice while leading a service at his former church in 1986, said a house of worship is no place for firearms.
"A church is designated as a safe haven, it's a place of worship," said Phillips, who was shot by a church member's relative for an unknown reason and still has a bullet lodged in his spine. "It is unconscionable to me to think that a church would be a place that you would even want to bring a weapon."
Phillips spoke out against a bill before the Arkansas General Assembly that would have permitted the carrying of guns in that state's churches. The bill failed in February.
Pagano, 50, said some members of his church were concerned that President Obama's administration could restrict gun ownership, and they supported the plan for the event when Pagano asked their opinion.
Marian McClure Taylor, executive director of the Kentucky Council of Churches, an umbrella organization for 11 Christian denominations in Kentucky, said Christian churches are promoters of peace, but "most of them allow for arms to be taken up under certain conditions."
Taylor said Pagano assured her the event would focus on promoting responsible gun ownership, and any proceeds would go to charity.
"Those two commitments are consistent with the high value the Assemblies of God churches place on human life," she said in an e-mail message.
Pagano said the point was not to mix worship with guns, though he may reference some passages from the Bible.
"Firearms can be evil and they can be useful," he said. "We're just trying to promote responsible gun ownership and gun safety."
advertisement
LIVE/WORK capability! Wake-up, grab your coffee and head downstairs to your office. This unique "Commercial Condo" is an End-Unit, and one of six units located in the Durango Tech Center. A perfect set-up for a professional looking to work and live in one location. Only a few minutes from downtown, there are two private offices, a conference room, and a one-bedroom fully equipped condo. Buyer to receive a seasons pass to Durango Mountain Resort at closing. MAIN LEVEL: The 607 square foot main level includes 2 private offices each with their own outdoor patio space, a conference room, a large handicap accessible half-bath, ample storage and closet space. UPPER LEVEL: The 705 square foot upper level has one bedroom (or third office), 3/4 bath, a fully equipped kitchen, living room (or second conference room) and a covered outdoor patio space. The stainless steel kitchen appliances include a side-by-side refrigerator, gas range/oven, dishwasher and microwave. The stackable washer and dryer are conveniently located off of the kitchen and near the bedroom. There is plenty of natural light provided by the skylight and the large south facing windows looking out towards Smelter Mountain. UTILITIES: Pre-wired for ethernet and satellite TV and the surround sound system is included. Air Conditioning and Gas Forced Heating. $350,000
Durango Herald Calendar of Events
