Central Ohio Pastors Meet With Columbus Police Chief

Story by Benia Jennings

Three pastors from the Central Ohio region of the Allegheny West Conference (AWC) recently met with Columbus Police Chief Thomas Quinlan. The meeting, organized by C. Shaun Arthur, pastor of the Beacon of Hope church in Columbus, centered on discussing newly instituted police reforms, in light of the shootings of Andre Hill and Casey Goodson Jr. by local law enforcement. Keith Goodman, senior pastor of the Ephesus church in Columbus, and Ndubuisi Nwade, associate pastor at Ephesus, also joined the meeting.

“Having the opportunity to [pray and] discuss ways of helping to curb the violence we are seeing was very important for us,” says Arthur. “As pastors, we were able to share the thoughts and feelings of members of our community.”

Arthur continues, “The use of modern technology to aid in the reduction of paperwork, along with reporting incidents and crimes more efficiently, is worth considering and would prove beneficial [to getting the bad actors off the streets].”

Goodman adds, “It is good to know that our police chief is trying to do his part to hire well, to create a healthy culture and to hold those accountable, who, by their actions, don’t embrace it.”