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The FBI’s Houston Field Office will host a “Houses of Worship Safety Day” on Thursday, aiming to help faith leaders and administrators improve security at their places of worship.

The event, scheduled for Jan. 30 at NRG Center from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., will provide training on handling potential threats, emergency preparedness, and developing safety plans.

“Churches are very welcoming places. They want people to come in. They want camaraderie. They want to have visitors and guests come. That sometimes makes for a soft target for a bad actor who wants to do bad things,” said Special Agent Steve Lupo, the FBI’s active shooter coordinator in Houston.

The seminar will also address funding opportunities for safety improvements and lessons learned from past incidents, including the Sutherland Springs church shooting in 2017, the Colleyville synagogue hostage crisis in 2022, and last year’s shooting at Lakewood Church in Houston, which left two people injured.