Churchgoers praise law enforcement

Halloween brought a real scare to some Libby residents this year, as an armed man caused a lockdown at the Libby Christian Church during their annual family party on Oct. 31.

Nik Rewerts, a Libby elementary teacher, explained that he was in the main area of the church building enjoying the activities when he noticed church staff and volunteers locking doors and blocking them with chairs. His first reaction was pure instinct: “Where are my kids?”  

Rewerts was at the event with his wife, two-year old daughter and three-year old son. He gathered them up and had them sit down for a moment while he went to the door to investigate the unusual activity. He says he was told that church officials had been asked to lock the doors as there was a man outside in the parking lot with a gun.

Police and sheriff’s deputies resolved the situation quickly, and Rewerts was “truly amazed at how quickly they handled the situation.” He expressed his gratitude to local law enforcement officers for their handling of the situation, and also to church leaders for how they responded.

One of those church leaders was Youth Pastor Matt Warner. As Warner tells it, he was inside the church and was pulled aside and told that he was needed to help lock the building’s exterior doors. Warner had just finished cleaning up after spending an hour and a half making cotton candy when the call came.

His initial reaction was to make sure his kids were safe. Warner, though, is more than a father. His kids include not just his four, who were also present, but all of the church’s youth who are a part of his ministry.

The one thing that stood out most in his mind was how well the community members present handled the situation. “There was no panic,” he said. “Everything continued according to plan, just like normal.”

Warner echoed the appreciation of other partygoers for the manner in which the police and sheriff’s departments responded. “The deputies made us all feel safe,” he said.  “I was very impressed and so thankful for what they did and how they handled the situation.”

Director of Children’s Ministry Sharon Brossman, who helped plan the event, recalled her initial fears. When told that they needed to lock the church down she wasn’t sure if they were locking the church in order to keep someone out or keep someone in. Looking back, she says, locking someone in didn’t make a lot of sense, but initial reactions can be confusing.

Brossman says she felt a high level of responsibility, as it was her and a small committee of three other women who planned and managed the event. She added that she “was just so thankful that it went the way it did.”

She estimated that during the evening there were 400 to 500 people who came through the church for the party. She recalls being comforted by looking out the window and seeing the police and deputies outside protecting the church and the families.

She added that most people at the party were unaware of what was taking place outside. Most people, she said, just continued to enjoy themselves and didn’t panic. She was especially impressed by the way the community members handled the situation. She noted that there were several people waiting by the door to get out, but couldn’t leave until the situation was resolved. Even then, however, there was very little tension and no panic.

The situation was resolved without conflict and without shots being fired, by all reports, within 15 minutes of the initial lockdown.