Pastor Jackson Lahmeyer on faith leaders looking at security measures amid a rise in attacks on places of worship.

Religious leaders in the United States are reporting a rise in attacks on places of worship, particularly Christian churches. Pastor Jackson Laumeyer, a member of the White House Faith Council, highlighted that churches are being targeted regularly and that faith communities are taking additional security measures, such as employing law enforcement at services, to ensure the safety of congregants.

Despite these challenges, there are signs of renewed engagement in religious communities, with reports of increased church attendance and Bible sales, especially among young people. Faith leaders are working to balance the need for security with the desire to keep their places of worship open and welcoming to all.

Places of worship under attack

Joining me now live is a member of the White House Faith Council, author of Chasing After the Wind, a great book, our friend, Pastor Jackson Laumeyer. First of all, Pastor, welcome back. It is so good to see you, Ed. You look great. Well, you look great as always, and your message is always even better. And you know, I think back as a Catholic to what happened in Minnesota, those poor children who were targeted. That wasn't that long ago at the start of the school year. Now we see what happened in Michigan. You know, look, synagogues are targeted as well. We've seen all kinds of problems, but it seems like Christians in particular are under attack in America right now. What do we do about it? Yeah, it's a terrible thing. And you know what's probably even the most sad thing is the mainstream media is completely silent on this. Can you imagine if a mosque was being attacked every single month in America? It would be front page news. Islamophobia is rampant in the United States. But churches are being attacked on average every single day in this country. And so what we have to do, pastors and church leaders, we have to take necessary measures to realize we are in an environment where Christians and churches are under attack. And you know, in my church, we have law enforcement at every single service. We have a tremendous security team because people say, well, you're living in fear. No, the Bible says God's not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. We got to use our mind. People want to, we got to make sure our people are safe at churches. So we as Christians and pastors, we have to take responsibility. Yeah, absolutely. I noticed this in Connecticut. There's just been an announcement in that state, light of the recent attacks on houses of worship throughout the country. Faith leaders in Connecticut continue to assess their security measures while also attempting to maintain a welcoming environment. How do you strike that balance? Because you know, I've always thought walking into Catholic churches in my faith, the openness is really important. And then, yeah, there's been these awful tragedies. How have you found to increase security, but still have some openness, some welcoming? Some people may be turned away if they walk up and they see metal detectors. How do you strike that balance, sir? Yeah, it's important to do because everyone is welcome at the house of God, but people also are very grateful when they see law enforcement and they see security because it helps them be reassured that they are safe there. You know, we had people who will say, I've never seen this much security and law enforcement at a church before. Is that because something bad has happened here? And our response is, no, it's because we have this much security and law enforcement, nothing bad has ever happened here. So it actually brings about a reassurance of safety to the people. And obviously, we do everything we can to welcome everybody at our services as well. Yeah, absolutely. And there is optimism out there. We don't want to just focus on the negative. I saw this tweet and this person posted, my friend didn't believe me when I said Catholicism is surging. He lives in New York City. So I sent him to old St. Patrick's in Chinatown 15 years ago. This parish was on the verge of shuttering today. You can't get a seat as you see at mass. The vast majority of congregants are under 40. Now maybe it's a Charlie Kirk effect. But I remember even before Charlie's tragic assassination, you've been talking, you talk about in the book that there's an awakening, particularly among young people. What's going on on the positive side? Yeah, something has shifted in our country, spiritually speaking. Young men are outpacing young women to church for like the first time ever. That's not the way it typically goes. Bible sales among first time Bible buyers is at an all time high. These people have never owned a Bible. They're going and buying Bibles. And I can speak for my church. It is jam packed every Sunday, standing room only. And something has shifted. And it's not just my church or Catholicism. It is the church at general in the United States of America has seen a resurgence. We're coming back to our roots. And as America becomes godly again, we're going to be great again. All right. Great words, as always, very inspiring. Check out his book, Pastor Jackson Laumeyer.

Parts of the U.S. government remain closed after Senate votes failed to pass funding. A GOP-backed House bill fell short of the 60-vote threshold, leaving 750,000 federal workers facing furloughs and possible military pay delays.

Washington

Government shutdown continues after Senate votes down resolutions

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Hamas militants have about three or four days to respond to his Gaza peace plan proposal or face the consequences. But Gazans saw little hope in the plan, which was presented to Hamas after Israel had endorsed it as satisfying its war aims.

Jerusalem

Middle East Conflict

Hamas under pressure as Trump issues deadline on Gaza peace plan

At least 69 people were killed after a 6.9-magnitude earthquake shook the coastal city of Bogo and outlying rural towns in Cebu province in the Philippines, officials said. CBS News foreign correspondent Anna Coren has the latest details.

Cebu

Dozens killed after 6.9-magnitude earthquake shakes Philippines

U.S. President Donald Trump and lawmakers failed to reach a funding deal, causing the government to shut down Wednesday. Tens of thousands of federal workers will be told to stay home – furloughed without pay.

U.S. government shuts down after lawmakers fail to reach funding deal

U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said there would be no more ‘overbearing rules of engagement’ for the U.S. military while President Donald Trump threatened war on ‘the enemy from within’ at a gathering of top U.S. military commanders.

Hegseth calls for end to ‘politically correct’ U.S. military leadership

European leaders, from Ursula von der Leyen to Emmanuel Macron, have reacted positively to U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to end the war in Gaza.

EU leaders urge Hamas to accept Trump's Gaza plan 'without delay'

Military leaders have been summoned to Quantico Marine Corps base from all around the world by Defense Secretary Hegseth for a rare, in-person meeting. Democratic lawmakers have raised safety concerns about the military leaders leaving their posts for the well-publicized meeting.

Quantico

Hegseth gathers U.S. military leaders for rare, in-person meeting

Imelda is now a Category 1 hurricane, threatening dangerous weather conditions on the East Coast alongside Hurricane Humberto. CBS News' Rob Marciano has more details.

Folly Beach

Imelda becomes hurricane, threatens dangerous conditions on East Coast

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Monday he is ready to declare a state of emergency over the threat of U.S. "aggression," following a spate of deadly U.S. strikes on suspected Venezuelan drug boats.

Caracas

Maduro ready to declare state of emergency over U.S. 'aggression'

Some have expressed excitement after Bad Bunny was announced as the Super Bowl halftime performer, while others have criticized the pick. CBS News' Lilia Luciano reports.

Bad Bunny to headline Super Bowl 2026 halftime show

President Donald Trump said he would impose a 100% tariff on all films produced overseas that are then sent into the U.S., repeating a threat made in May that would upend Hollywood's global business model.

Hollywood

Global Tariffs

Trump says U.S. to impose 100% tariff on movies produced overseas

Moldova's pro-Europe governing party has won a majority in key parliamentary elections. The result brings Moldova closer to EU membership — but not everyone is celebrating.

Chișinău

Pro-EU party wins majority in Moldova election

U.S. President Donald Trump outlined a 20-point plan for peace in Gaza as he stood with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. Hamas has yet to comment on the plan.

Trump, Netanyahu announce plan to end Gaza conflict

Amid growing impatience over the Kremlin’s reluctance to participate in direct talks with Ukraine, Washington is now considering providing Kyiv with Tomahawk missiles, according to U.S. Vice President JD Vance.

Ukraine Invasion

Washington might send Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, Vance says

The FBI says it is investigating 'an act of targeted violence' after a man crashed his vehicle through the front doors of a Michigan church, opened fire with an assault rifle and set the church ablaze, killing at least four people and wounding at least eight others.

Grand Blanc

Investigators look for motive in deadly Michigan church shooting

Washington is preparing for the arrival of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, who is set to meet with President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday. President Trump is advancing a plan aimed at securing the release of hostages, ending the war in Gaza, and outlining a post-war strategy.

Netanyahu set to meet Trump at the White House

The military wing of Hamas said it had lost contact with two Israeli hostages held in Gaza City, and called on Israel to pull troops back and suspend air strikes for 24 hours so fighters could retrieve the captives.

Tel Aviv-Yafo

Hamas says it lost contact with two hostages in Gaza City siege

Iran's parliament on Sunday (September 28) condemned what it called "illegal" sanctions, after the United Nations reimposed restrictions over the country's nuclear program at the weekend.

Tehran

Iran parliament slams reimposed UN sanctions as 'illegal'

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy slammed Russia for the new wave of attacks, which killed at least four in Kyiv, including a child, and accused them of deliberately targeting civilian positions to incite fear and terror. At least 70 others were injured.

Kyiv

At least four killed as Russia launches major offensive on Kyiv

At least 36 people were killed and more than 50 injured on Saturday (September 27) in a stampede at a rally held by Tamil actor Vijay, who is campaigning for election, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu said.

Tamil Nadu

Dozens killed in political rally stampede in India

Hezbollah has commemorated one year since the death of its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed by Israel during their conflict. At a gathering in Beirut, the group's secretary-general Naim Qassem reaffirmed Hezbollah's refusal to disarm, despite ongoing Israeli attacks and a ceasefire agreement.

Beirut

Lebanon's Hezbollah refuses to disarm

Colombian President Gustavo Petro brushed off reports that his U.S. visa had been revoked, saying, “I don’t care.” The leader was filmed outside United Nations headquarters in New York, where he joined thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters during the General Assembly.

Manhattan

‘I don’t care’: Colombia’s Petro dismisses U.S. visa revocation

Surveillance video obtained by CBS News showed the moments a gunman shot at detainees and agents who were in a van at a Dallas ICE facility on Wednesday. One of the victim's pregnant wife also speaks out.

Dallas

Video shows gunman shooting at detainees, ICE agents

The Trump administration will ask the Supreme Court to decide the constitutionality of the president's executive order on the 14th Amendment, which seeks to curtail birthright citizenship, according to reports. Willie James Inman has the latest.

Supreme Court to decide on birthright citizenship

Powerful monsoon rains in the Southwest are blamed for several deaths in Arizona. The fast-rising water caused flash flooding and chaos. Meteorologist Andrew Kozak has the latest.

Globe

Deadly flooding in Arizona as intense weather sweeps across U.S

Dozens of people have been killed in Gaza on Saturday, as Israel's assault on Gaza City intensifies. In New York this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke about prominent U.S. allies formally recognizing a Palestinian state.

Dozens killed in Gaza as Israel's assault intensifies

At least 36 people were killed and more than 50 injured in a stampede at a rally held by Tamil actor Vijay, who is campaigning for election, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu said.

Karur

According to the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration, a store, ten retail outlets, two apartment buildings, and several non-residential premises were damaged.

Zaporizhzhia

Ukraine goes dark as Russian drone attacks damage facilities

A day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a fiery speech at the UN General Assembly, at least 44 people have been killed in attacks across Gaza. Ongoing Israeli military operations in Gaza City are forcing more Palestinians to flee.

Trump talks of Israel-Gaza deal as IDF strikes refugee camp

U.S President Donald Trump has signed an executive order outlining the terms of a deal to sell TikTok’s American operation to a group of stateside investors. CBC’s Ashley Fraser breaks down the deal and what it could mean for the social media platform's algorithm.

Breakdown