not sure what to make of this

[earendel]

On Tuesday, September 30, a 12-year old boy was found dead in a local park, stabbed to death. He and his mother were homeless and on that day they had gone to a local mall. The boy got separated from his mother and somehow got involved with a 21-year old man. The details aren't clear but apparently the two went to the park, there was an altercation and the man stabbed the boy. The police aren't saying how they learned the identity of the man, but he was arrested and is now in jail.

Why am I relating this story? Because two days earlier, on the 28th, the accused man attended my church. No one knew him, of course, but after his name and photo were printed in the newspaper, a member of our congregation went to our pastor and said that he had sat next to him. Our pastor tells the story in an op-ed piece in today's paper.

http://www.courier-journal.com/story/op ... /16908667/

Last night at church I spoke with the pastor. He said that he had gone to the jail to visit the man. The man said that he liked our church and was planning on coming back before all this happened.

[BackInTex]

On Tuesday, September 30, a 12-year old boy was found dead in a local park, stabbed to death. He and his mother were homeless and on that day they had gone to a local mall. The boy got separated from his mother and somehow got involved with a 21-year old man. The details aren't clear but apparently the two went to the park, there was an altercation and the man stabbed the boy. The police aren't saying how they learned the identity of the man, but he was arrested and is now in jail.

Why am I relating this story? Because two days earlier, on the 28th, the accused man attended my church. No one knew him, of course, but after his name and photo were printed in the newspaper, a member of our congregation went to our pastor and said that he had sat next to him. Our pastor tells the story in an op-ed piece in today's paper.

http://www.courier-journal.com/story/op ... /16908667/

Last night at church I spoke with the pastor. He said that he had gone to the jail to visit the man. The man said that he liked our church and was planning on coming back before all this happened.

With only the knowledge of the incident you gave, my suspicion is that the man attempted to rape the boy, the boy resisted and was going to cry out and the man silenced him.

The visit to the church confuses the story, but then again, Dennis Rader was an elder at his church and was elected president of the church council.

[TheConfessor]

Does your church require people to sign in if they attend regular Sunday services? Is that common? I've never heard of that.

[mrkelley23]

Does your church require people to sign in if they attend regular Sunday services? Is that common? I've never heard of that.

It's fairly common in United Methodist Churches, although I wouldn't characterize it as "required," any more than it is to put money in the collection plate, anyway. All the ones I've been to do it at the same time: you sign the register while waiting for the collection plates to get to you, or you sign it after the plate passes while you're waiting for everyone else to donate.

[earendel]

Does your church require people to sign in if they attend regular Sunday services? Is that common? I've never heard of that.

It's not required, but we do pass a "pew register" at the beginning of each service.

[mrkelley23]

By the way, the obligatory response to your subject head:

A hat, a brooch, a pterodactyl?