Illinois—On Sabbath evening, April 14, Jose Medina, pastor; Donna Sills, church treasurer; and members of the Du Quoin Seventh-day Adventist Church "adopted" the Du Quoin Police Department. All but three of the department's officers were present at the special candlelight ceremony where the church promised to pray for and support the police officers.

The ceremony included special gifts, recognition of the officers, and a promise by the church to remember their birthdays and special holidays as well as an open invitation to use church facilities. A local attorney, Mark Macklin, donated his time to draft the ceremonial adoption papers.

The police officers, including James Booker, chief, and Mike Ward, assistant chief, were surprised and impressed by the warmth and generosity of the Du Quoin Adventist Church members, and promised to visit the church and build a closer working relationship with the Adventist community. The pastor praised the work of the police and assured them the church would pray often for their safety and judgment when dealing with the public.

The police precinct adoption plan was adapted from the original model that was the brainchild of Three Angels Broadcasting Network production manager, C.A. Murray, when he served as communication director for the Northeastern Conference in New York City. Earlier Murray discussed his idea with then New York City mayor and current Republican presidential candidate, Rudolph Giuliani, who liked the concept and worked with him to implement it in the days before and after the infamous World Trade Center terrorist bombings in 2001. "The adoption plan helped establish the Seventh-day Adventist Church as a caring, community-focused organization in a city that can sometimes be very impersonal," says Murray. Some 30 of the 60-plus Adventist churches in the city followed suit, adopting police and even fire departments. One year later, on the first anniversary of the bombings, the Adventist church was the only religious institution to be asked to place an ad in the New York Daily News special anniversary edition.

The Du Quoin Evening Call covered the local adoption in a front-page story. As the ceremonies concluded, the Du Quoin police officers stood in a line in the hall, humbly shaking hands and thanking church members for their Christian love and thoughtfulness.

The Du Quoin Seventh-day Adventist Church communication department