Churches in the District and Maryland will continue to hold special services for peace on the 22nd of each month until the violence ends and a just and lasting peace agreement is reached between Israelis and Palestinians. The services are part of prayer vigils taking place across the country, with each area centering on a specific date. A 1999 survey reported 462 attacks but the British government has said this is greatly understated because many attacks go unreported. Vandalism of churches, including arson and theft, are also increasing, averaging 10 Anglican churches targeted every day. Information from Churchwatch, security specialists, and Ecclesiastical, a church insurance group, point to Britain's growing problem of drug abuse as a major contributor to the rise in crime, with addicts seeing clergy as easy targets to help fund their habit.
Many clergy find the hardest thing is to shut the front door.
Our advice is never give money. But also never just say no. Tolson, a former police officer, travels around the United Kingdom teaching security courses for clergy and church workers that explains ways to prevent encounters before they reach the stage of physical violence. More than 100 people attended his January 11 course in Bournemouth, England after hearing of an attack three months earlier on a Church of England priest. Because of understaffing and an inability to reach some communities, the government was relying on help from aid agencies.