Armed Citizens- Church Related
Courtesy of the National Rifle Association's "Armed Citizen" archives.
Note that these represent only a sample of  incidents.  These are drawn from cases printed in the American Rifleman, limited by space to about a dozen cases each month from all over the country.
You can search for any state or key word at the NRA-ILA "Armed Citizen" file

 
 The Tribune, Mesa, AZ, 3/19/97  
Deacon Bob McMillan grew suspicious of the man who had asked him to pray with him following services at a church in Apache Junction, Arizona. During a break in prayer, McMillan retrieved the .32-cal. pistol he kept in his car. Upon returning, his suspicions were confirmed as he found the stranger waving a handgun at his wife's head and at his two best friends and demanding the weekly offerings. McMillan pushed his wife out of the way and quickly shot the man, wounding him. He then called police. McMillan said later, "I felt I only had a split second to live."
 
 The Herald- Leader, Lexington, KY, 6/17/96  
With her husband and son away at church, Brenda Hibbitts was alone in her London, Kentucky, home when three men broke in through her front door. At the commotion, Hibbitts grabbed a 9 mm and confronted the housebreakers, one of whom charged the woman with a hammer. Hibbitts fired, wounding the brute and forcing all of the intruders from the premises. Four suspects were arrested in the incident.
 
 The Times Daily, Florence, AL, 7/19/96
Pastor Frank McClung of First Southern Baptist Church in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, shudders at the thought of what might have happened had a shotgun-wielding bandit been allowed to make his way into the church during choir practice. Thanks to an armed citizen, he never got that far. Police said the suspect approached one of two parishioners waiting outside the church for their wives and demanded they come with him. The men refused, one going for his car, the other for the church. After the assailant fired into the one man's car, the parishioner retrieved his own gun and returned two fatal shots. "I'm very glad that the church member defended himself and his fellow church members, but I'm sorry that the man with the shotgun died," McClung said.
 
 The News- Sentinel, Knoxville, TN, 11/30/95
"Even the Lord's house isn't holy anymore for these people. If they're crazy enough to do something like this to a holy place, there's no telling what they'd do," said Knoxville, Tennessee, pastor Ted Padgett after using a handgun to capture a man burglarizing the church office. Alerted by a church custodian, Rev. Padgett retrieved his .22 from the trunk of his car and entered the church where he came face to face with the stunned intruder, a parolee. He then stood the criminal against a wall and patted him down as the two waited for police.
 
 The Mountain Press, Prather, CA, 12/13/95
When a young Prather, California, woman ran to a local church for protection after being threatened by a violent family member, the pastor unhesitatingly offered her sanctuary. When the woman's tormentor arrived with a firearm at the pastor's door, he exchanged words with the minister and shot him in the hand. Wounded, the pastor slammed the door shut. His assailant managed to kick it open, but not before the pastor was able to retrieve his own firearm. Forced to defend himself, the pastor fired a single point-blank shot, killing his attacker.
 
 The Herald, Boston, MA, 9/14/95
With police already on the lookout, Scott Fitzgerald decided to join in the search for a would-be housebreaker who had attempted to break into his East Bridgewater, Massachusetts, home where his wife and seven-week- old daughter had been. Fitzgerald spotted the thug in a church yard, gathering his loot from a previous burglary, and confronted him with his 9 mm semi-auto. Despite being told to "Freeze," the criminal dashed into some nearby woods. Fitzgerald alerted the police, who arrested the crook after he was sniffed out by a police dog.
 
 The News, Buffalo, NY, 4/30/94
When pistol-packing preacher Rev. Ronald Kirk went to investigate the motion alarm going off in his church, he came face to face with a burglar. Kirk pulled his pistol and, fearing the criminal might also have a gun, ordered him to disrobe. When Kirk went to call police, the burglar made a break for it. Police say it wasn't hard to track the bare bandit through the residential neighborhood on Buffalo's east side. They found him minutes later in a house, hiding under a bed.
 
 The Tribune, Tampa, FL, 4/2/91
Wyley Johnson of Thonotosassa, Fla., and three relatives skipped Easter Sunday services to nab a burglar who had a habit of visiting the home while the family attended Sunday church services. Alerted to the man's approach by a neighbor who was acting as a lookout, Johnson captured the suspect, a former family handyman, and held him at gunpoint until police arrived.

The Chronicle, Houston, TX
Inez McGrew, a 72-year-old Houston, Tex., Sunday school teacher, put her new .38 revolver to good use when she stopped a state prison parolee who had broken into her brother's home. McGrew, staying at the home after several earlier burglaries, pulled the gun from under the couch when the man woke her up and screamed to alert her brother's roommate. When the burglar lunged, both she and the roommate fired their guns, fatally wounding the intruder. "I encourage all my friends to go to a shooting range," McGrew said. "Take courses and learn how to protect yourself."
 
 The County Record, Riverside, CA, 10/4/90
Rev. Dan Mettler, an NRA member, entered his Riverside, Calif., church shortly before midnight, and a burglar stepped out of a back room and made a threatening gesture. Mettler, chaplain and reserve deputy with the county sheriff's department, held the man at gunpoint while a neighbor summoned police.

 The Pocono Record, Stroudsburg, PA, 5/25/90
Hiker Edward Driggers was staying in a church-run hostel on the Appalachian Trail when he and fellow hikers were confronted by a belligerent drunk. After threatening them with a knife, the man assaulted Driggers with a shovel. Driggers drew a revolver from his pack and shot his attacker. Police charged the assailant with aggravated assault, simple assault and terroristic threats.
 
 The Daily News-Miner, Fairbanks, AK, 4/19/90 
The Rev. Richard McCaffrey was awakened by the sound of breaking glass in his Bethel, Alaska, church. Upon opening his bedroom door in the rectory, the Jesuit priest was struck on the head with a pipe wrench and knocked to the floor. McCaffrey managed to fire a shot from his revolver, hitting the culprit and causing him to flee. Responding police followed a blood trail from the church to the wounded man and arrested him.
 
 The Times, Seattle, WA, 8/19/89
Three youths who may have thought the Grace Baptist Church in Port Angeles, Wash., was easy pickings thought wrong when they broke into the house of worship. The Rev. Steve Ragland awoke when he heard noises, told his wife to call police and took his shotgun along to investigate. Two escaped, but the pastor held the gun on the third teenager until authorities arrived.
 
 The Bee, Sacramento, CA, 10/3/87
After four burglaries had stripped his Stockton, Calif., church of most of its valuables, the Rev. John Folmer decided to stand guard nights with his shotgun. When a burglar tripped over some chairs, the 69-year-old minister confronted the intruder and ordered him to lie on the floor while he telephoned police. Authorities said the suspect would be charged with attempted burglary.
 
 The Tribune-Review, Greensburg, PA, 5/30/82
Rev. Charles White was offering counseling at his Philadelphia church, but a man who entered wanted cash instead. He drew a gun and tried to rob the minister, who drew his own .25 automatic and opened fire, killing the would-be robber.
 
 The Herald, Miami, Fl
Rev. Martin Jarreau was asleep in the rectory of St. Ann's Catholic Church in Miami when he heard strange noises. He grabbed a .38 cal. revolver and went to investigate. He found a would-be burglar trying to exit via a bathroom window. Fr. Jarreau held the man, who had a long criminal record, for police.
 
 Friday, Oklahoma City, OK, 4/10/81
Donna Stotts, a janitor at an Oklahoma City church, arrived at 3 a.m. to clean floors when she was attacked by a rapist, who slashed her with a switchblade knife. Wiping the blood from her eyes, she pulled a .32 cal. automatic and put the attacker to flight. "If he had've come any closer I probably would have shot him," she said. "But I hated to kill anybody in a church."
 
 The Arkansas Gazette, Little Rock, AR
When he saw three robbers speeding away from a grocery store near his El Paso, Ark., service station, Jim Smith grabbed a .44 Mag. revolver and a 12-ga. shotgun and gave chase. He pursued the trio for several miles, eventually catching one stickup man and holding him for police. "I'm a Christian and I go to church," Smith said, "but I don't want people running over us."

 The News-Sentinel, Knoxville, TN
While Willis McClain was at church on Sunday night, his Knoxville, Tenn., house was being burglarized. So rather than go out on Wednesday night, he stayed home on the hunch that the robbers would return. They did, and as they broke through the front door, they were greeted by a blast from McClain's 12-ga. shotgun.
 
 The Evening Bulletin, Philadelphia, PA
Two armed thugs who forced their way into the rectory of a Philadelphia, Pa., Catholic Church got an unexpected reception. After first terrorizing one of the priests in residence, the gun-waving pair tried to break into the apartment of Msgr. Frederick Moors. Instead of yielding, Msgr. Moors slammed the door in their faces and called, "Jack, get your gun," to his assistant, Fr. John Farry. At the threat of armed resistance, the two crooks beat a hasty retreat.
 
 The News, Detroit, MI
James Pharpe and a friend were waiting to pick up their wives from church when a pair of young hoodlums began shooting at them. A bullet hit the 75-year-old Pharpe in the stomach, but he managed to pull his own gun and opened fire, killing one robber and driving his companion away.
 
 The Tribune, Tampa, FL
Richard West spotted two thieves breaking into a car at a church parking lot near his Bartlow, Fla., home. He grabbed a rifle, ran to the lot and apprehended the pair, later turning them over to the police.
 
 The Detroit News, Detroit, MI
It was a rough weekend for Clarence Bennett, a Detroit, Mich., real estate broker for nearly half his 72 years. On Friday night while walking, teenage hoodlums hit him in the back with a chunk of concrete and sprayed paint in his face. They fled without robbing him. But two nights later as he was getting into his car after leaving evening church services, two armed men held him up. Bennett reached dowm, grabbed his .38 from the floor and fired once. Both bandits fled, one apparently wounded.
 
 The Tulsa Tribune, Tulsa, OK
Bill White, custodian and security guard at a Tulsa, Okla., church, was awakened one night by noises coming over the sound monitoring system connecting his living quarters with the rest of the church. White, who is also a part-time gunsmith, picked up a revolver, cornered a burglar inside the church and held him at gunpoint while phoning the police.
 
 The Independent, Anderson, SC
When a church secretary screamed as an intruder advanced toward her, Rev. Walter Hudson got his pistol and rushed into the office of his Anderson, S.C., church. The intruder "Looked into the gun and kinda melted away," the pastor said. He kept the man covered until the sheriff arrived.
 
 Greensboro Daily News, Greensboro, NC  
Addie Whitesides, a church cleaning woman in Charlotte, N.C., was at work before dawn when she came face to face with a prowler. Screaming, Mrs. Whitesides ran for the door, followed by the man. Once outside she drew a pistol and held it on the intruder until police arrived. She has carried the gun since the church was broken into recently.
 
 Yankee Magazine, Dublin, NH
Rev. John D.B. Williams had gotten up at 3 a.m. to tend his baby when he heard strange noises coming from his Riverton, R.I., church next door. Two men on the church roof were sawing off the brass weathervane. Rev. Williams called the police, then held the men at gunpoint.
 
 The Wichita Eagle, Wichita, KS
Tony Charvat and his family returned from church one Sunday to find a car with its engine running parked in the driveway of their home near Wichita, Kans. Their front door had been forced, so Charvat got a shotgun and made a search. He caught a burglar in one bedroom and held the man for the police.

 Courier-Post, Camden, NJ
Two men trying to open an empty poor box in St. Mary's Church, Medford, N.J., were foiled by Rev. William J. Campbell, several parishioners, and an alert, shotgun-armed neighbor. Rev. Campbell clung to one intruder until the man broke loose and fled by car. The second was found in a nearby backyard by the neighbor and held at gun point until police arrived. It was the church's fourth burglary attempt in a year.
 
 Review, E. Liverpool, OH
A Catholic priest wounded 2 robbers, one disguised as a priest, when the pair broke into the rectory of St. Patrick's Church, Lisbon, Ohio. In an exchange of gunfire in the rectory kitchen, the priest, Fr. Thomas Beldue, was slightly wounded. In passing sentence on the robbers, the judge said, "I glory in Fr. Beldue's defense of his person and the money of his church, and it would be much better if more householders were armed and resisted burglars the way he did. I am proud of him." * Editor's Note: We are indebted to Columbiana County Proscutor J. Warren Bettis and Special Investigator James R. Gause, both of Lisbon, Ohio, for this item.--A.H.
 
 The News-American, Baltimore, MD
Returning to Baltimore's Cornerstone Baptist Church late at night, Rev. Logan Kearse encountered 3 men trying to break down his office door. When they ignored his order to halt, he drew a .38, fired once, then called help on the mobile phone in his car. Kearse's chauffeur grabbed one man as he bolted from the church. Police found a second hiding in a basement closet. A third escaped.
 
 Fort Dodge Messenger, TX
Parishioners of the New Liberty Missionary Baptist Church, Dallas, captured a gunman and his woman accomplice when they tried to rob the church during services. Wearing ski masks, the pair interrupted the sermon, held the minister and a member of the congregation at gunpoint and demanded "all the take." Told the money was in the church office, they retreated, marching their hostages ahead of them. Near the rear of the church, a parishioner sprang up, wrestled with the gunman and jammed his hand between the hammer and firing pin of the man's revolver. A single shot was fired. Then the man was overwhelmed and disarmed, still frantically trying to fire the jammed pistol.
 
 Sun Times, Chicago, IL
Caretaker Reed Pitchford, of Chicago, Ill., Grant Memorial AME Church, had been sleeping in the church office when awakened by the sound of someone breaking in. When the intruder kept coming at him, Pitchford drew his pistol and fired twice. The intruder fell dead at his feet.
 
 Daily News, Chicago, IL
Rev. Father O'Donnell, rector of St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church, in Chicago, Ill., was awakened by the screams of his housekeeper and cook. Obtaining a .45 automatic, O'Donnell and another priest rushed downstairs to find an intruder, armed with two knives, ransacking the living room. O'Donnell fired once hitting the burglar in the leg. He held the man until police arrived. It was then that the priest learned that his housekeeper had been fatally stabbed and that his cook was seriously wounded.

 Ledger, Columbus, GA
An intruder will remember the night he invaded the basement of St. Mary's Catholic School in Covington, Ky. He found himself looking down the barrel of a .38 revolver held by pistol-packing Rev. Edwin B. Heile, who surprised him and took him into custody until police arrived.