On June 17, a young man opened fire at a prayer service at Emanuel A.M.E. Zion Church in Charleston. Nine people were killed in what shooter Dylann Roof claimed was an effort to start a race war.

Across the nation, the massacre shook people of faith to the core and left faith leaders wondering, “What if it happened here?” according to Harvest Church pastor Tad Tankard. Now church leaders and law enforcement are coming together to discuss security and what to do in case of emergency.

“It was a shock for a sanctuary for peace, love, to be violated like that,” Tankard said about the Charleston shooting. “We had a lot of questions in our own minds (about) what we should be doing to make ourselves more secure. … We stood back and said, ‘Are we secure? What steps are we taking? Do we have a protocol in place?’ This is a pretty relevant subject in this day and age.”

Harvest Church will be the site of the meeting on Aug. 24. Tankard has extended an invitation to all local church leaders who would like to take part in the discussion about building their own emergency plan, which will be led by Washington Police and Fire Services Director Stacy Drakeford.

“It’s about developing an emergency action plan, not only (for situations) involving active shooters, but how to deal with fire emergencies, medical emergencies and natural and manmade disasters,” Drakeford said. “It’s important that everybody has some type of emergency plan for any event that occurs.”

“It’s all about having a plan,” Drakeford said. “You have to practice the plan; the members of the congregation have to know the plan.”

Tankard pointed out that larger churches often pay for security, while others have law enforcement officers within their congregation who can be relied upon in case of emergency. For those churches without either, having an emergency protocol in place is the best option.

“I think every church should have a plan with volunteers or staff so that everyone knows what to do,” Tankard said.

But the first step involves everyone, no matter where they are, in simply paying attention, Drakeford said.

“The first line of defense is situational awareness — knowing what’s going on around you and noticing behaviors that are not usual,” Drakeford said.

The discussion about establishing security protocols will take place at 7 p.m. Aug. 24 at Harvest Church, 2020 W. 15^th St., Washington. It is open to all area churches. For more information, call Washington Police and Fire Services Community Outreach Coordinator Kimberly Grimes at 252-943-1715.