Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 22 May 2026

These updates are shared to help raise the situational awareness of Faith-Based organizations to best defend against and mitigate the impacts from all-hazards threats including physical security, cybersecurity, and natural disasters.

The DAP will not be posted in honor of Memorial Day on Monday, May 25th. The DAP will resume to normal scheduleing on Tuesday, May 26th.

Despite repeated vandalism, Vienna church keeps free food, hygiene pantries going

Emmaus United Church of Christ in Vienna, Virginia, has continued operating its free food and hygiene pantries despite years of repeated vandalism and theft. Since the pantries were installed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the church has dealt with broken and torn-off doors, scattered supplies, and even the theft of a doorbell camera. The most recent incident occurred in May when an unknown individual damaged two pantry cabinets overnight, prompting a police response and review of surveillance footage. Church leaders said they do not believe the vandalism is politically motivated but rather tied to individuals potentially experiencing frustration or crisis. Despite the repeated damage, volunteers have consistently repaired the pantries and restocked supplies, maintaining the church’s commitment to serving the local community. In one unusual case, a raccoon captured on security footage also caused damage after getting into an improperly latched pantry.

Analyst Comments: The church’s response highlights a practical resilience approach for community support sites that operate in vulnerable or publicly accessible environments. Rather than shutting the program down after repeated incidents, organizers implemented layered mitigation measures including surveillance cameras, rapid repairs, and routine monitoring while accepting that some level of recurring vandalism may continue. Their willingness to quickly reattach damaged doors and restore operations demonstrates an important continuity principle: if a high-value community resource is likely to remain a target, maintaining stockpiles of replacement materials and planning for recurring repairs can itself become a valid resilience strategy. For organizations providing essential aid in open-access settings, this approach prioritizes mission continuity over attempting to fully eliminate risk.

CAIR Hosts ‘Protecting Your Mosques’ Self-Defense Webinar in Wake of San Diego Mosque Terror Attack

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) recently hosted a “Protecting Your Mosques” self-defense and security webinar following the deadly terrorist attack on Monday, May 18^th, at the Islamic Center of San Diego. The webinar focused on mosque security best practices, emergency preparedness, and ways faith communities can strengthen safety measures in response to growing concerns about targeted violence against houses of worship. According to CAIR, the full webinar recording and related resources are available free of charge to faith leaders and nonprofit organizations upon request.

Analyst Comments: The webinar is a potentially valuable resource for organizations reviewing or updating their own security and resilience planning. Free training opportunities such as this can help smaller nonprofits and houses of worship improve preparedness, review emergency procedures, and strengthen community resilience without requiring significant financial investment.

FB-ISAO Education Series | Building an Intelligence Team for your House of Worship

NEXT SESSION >> May 6, 2026, 12:00 PM ET: Expanding your horizon to consider additional atypical threats, man-made and natural disasters, to prepare for all-hazards.

Register here.

About the series. “Intelligence” often conjures images of secret agents working in the shadows to protect national security.  Intelligence isn’t just for government agents, with a little guidance, anyone can do it! Intelligence involves a systematic process of collecting, analyzing, and using information to anticipate, detect, and prevent threats before they cause harm. This process helps decision makers weigh alternatives and make threat-informed, fact-based choices via enhanced situational awareness. By leveraging intelligence, houses of worship can enhance their overall safety and security, ensuring their spaces remain welcoming sanctuaries for worship yet prepared for potential incidents.