Articles with PDF library

Self-Defense Includes First-Aid Defense: Turn to ProTrainings to Learn (A Review)

If you volunteer on a church security team, or if you want to acquire the skill for your own and your family’s well-being, you’ll want to learn as much as you can about first-aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

[ Read the SemperVerus article, A Directory of Medical Kit Resources ]

Co-founded by classroom CPR instructor Roy Shaw, ProTrainings was started in 2003 to teach CPR training to healthcare professionals, as well as everyday citizens, using the convenience of a computer with video-based courses rather than only in a classroom. Today its Blended CPR program (use discount code CPR-SemperVerus) includes live video conference evaluations and a patented single-use home-shipped mannequin having a chest compression feedback mechanism (the lungs inflate, chest resistance is felt, audio feedback is given during compressions, and necessary head-tilt motions can be performed to demonstrate all essential CPR skills) for simulated CPR training to offer students in-home skills evaluations, making ProTrainings the most compliant (and convenient) CPR course available online.

Nigeria Is Deadliest Country for Christians: GCR Red List

The organization Global Christian Relief (GCR) has published its new annual report, titled Red List, spotlighting the 25 worst countries for Christian persecution across five categories of concern, including killings, building attacks, arrests, displacements, and abductions & assaults.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, A Prayer for Church Security Team Members ]

Africa remains the deadliest region for Christians, with Nigeria consistently being the most dangerous country for followers of Jesus in murders, abductions, and assaults. From November 2022 to November 2024, nearly 10,000 Christians were killed, primarily by Islamic extremist groups such as Boko Haram, Armed Fulani Herdsmen, and the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP). Similar patterns emerge in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Mozambique, and Ethiopia, where numerous armed militant groups target Christians. Russia ranks 5th in killings, most of those occurring in a Muslim-majority area, and 4th in arrests, with the government targeting evangelical Christians.

Mental Health Toolkit: A Free Resource for Self-Defense and Church Security

Mental illnesses are common in the United States, affecting more than one in five US adults (57.8 million in 2021), according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Estimates suggest that only half of people with mental illnesses receive treatment.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Church Security: How to Identify 25 Common Mental Health Behaviors ]

With your involvement in church security/safety, you’ve likely witnessed the growing struggles with mental health evidenced in unusual behavior by some in your services and among people in your congregation, since church is where broken people are drawn to find meaning in their lives.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, A Prayer for Church Security Team Members ]

Recognizing the signs of common mental health challenges is crucial for responding appropriately when disruptions occur.

A Treasure Trove of Gun Information: The Defensive Use of Firearms Website

The website you ABSOLUTELY MUST bookmark if you are at all interested in learning as much as you can about self-defense and firearm insight is spwenger’s Defensive Use of Firearms.

It’s founded and maintained by Stephen P. Wenger, whose extensive credentials include hundreds of hours of law enforcement, self-defense, lethal force, armorer, public safety, and threat management training and teaching. He created the site in response to his frustration with seeing erroneous defensive tactics being taught by firearms instructors.

Along with the website, Mr. Wenger publishes the DUF Digest, a comprehensive examination of the practicalities and realities of the use of firearms for defensive purposes in a free, daily email digest of firearm-related news (subscribe at this list server site). He is also the author of the book, Defensive Use of Firearms (also see book information on Snub Gun Study Group), which he offers as a free PDF download.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Directory: Informative Free Email Newsletters From a Variety of Sources ]

The website’s valuable information is organized in the following categories:

Church Security: Church Crisis Response Checklist

Does your congregation know what to do in the first few hours and days after a tragedy?

[ Read the SemperVerus article, A Prayer for Church Security Team Members ]

Research studied by the ministry Spiritual First Aid shows that most churches, organizations, and communities are not well prepared for mass traumas.

That’s why it has now published the complimentary evidence-based crisis response tool, Trauma-Informed Church Crisis Response: A Field Guide for the First 72 Hours. It’s an outline of the critical stages following a crisis, providing a comprehensive list of practical actions your congregation can take to support those impacted by a major event, such as a mass killing or natural disaster.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, A Directory of Medical Kit Resources ]

Here are a few excerpts: