SAN ANTONIO — When the wind started kicking up Friday night, one of the doors at McCauley Baptist Church in south San Antonio blew open, tripping an intrusion alarm with the building's extensive security system, Pastor Scott Quidley said.
As church members went to investigate what tripped the alarm, a scary situation prompted a response from the SAPD SWAT team.
Quidley said as several people were checking the large building, one person opened a closet and saw what they thought was a person with a gun.
"I have it on video. I watched her go to the door, her eyes are big. They exited the building and they called the police," Quidley said.
"Even the SWAT commander that was here said you don't ever think 'I'm just seeing something.' You better call the police," Quidley said of the incident, which turned out to be nothing more than a shiny metal object at an odd angle in a broom closet.
With large crowds expected to show up for Holy Week, security is top of mind for many churches across the region, especially at McCauley, where they have been adding new opportunities for worship for several years.
"You never used to think, 'Well am I going to be safe when I go to church?' Unfortunately we live in that kind of society, that kind of evil that abounds everywhere, even in the church," Quidley said.
Quidley said his congregation is a strong one that continues to get better.
"We have a great congregation, about 400 people. We have a Christian school with 110 students. It's a wonderful place to come to worship because we are a family here at McCauley," Quidley said, adding they have a team of people focused on keeping everyone safe.
Quidley said, "When people come on our property we make sure that they are going to be safe. They feel safe. And we've done everything we can to keep them safe as they worship here at our church."
The pastor said the effort began about seven years ago when they recruited a team of men to take part in specialty training so that they would be allowed to carry weapons to secure the congregation.
Quidley said the church began a partnership with the police department to provide training to volunteers. The group even takes a refresher training four times a year, Quidley said.
"We want them to know what they're doing and to be trained and so they go through pretty rigorous training to be part of that safety team," Quidley said. He added, "As a pastor I know I can trust these guys to take care of our congregation."
Quidley said the safety plan also includes controlled access to doors and lots of surveillance cameras, inside and out, adding "They don't need to worry about their safety. We have people that are taking care of that from the moment they arrive on property until the time that they leave."
"We want people to come worship the Lord but we don't want them to come being afraid, thinking something is going to happen," Quidley said.
Of the congregations long, peaceful history, that includes only one other burglary in 79 years. Quidley said, "I am very thankful and I praise God there wasn't anyone in the building."
Quidley said he hopes everyone will feel safe moving forward. "I know we have a team of men that have trained and they love this church and they know what to do if something were to happen. When people come here to church we have done everything we can to protect them," he said.
More information about the congregation can be found on their website HERE.