FERGUSON, Mo. — A Ferguson pastor said he prevented his own church from being robbed through prayer.
Pastor Marquaello Futrell said it happened during Sunday morning service on Feb. 12 at All Creation Family Church in Ferguson. Marquaello said his instincts and prayer kicked in.
“In the purple, tell me your name. I can’t hear you," Marquaello said in his livestreamed church service that Sunday morning.
He said the prayers were different on that Sunday morning service. He was talking to a group of masked men who entered his service.
“I asked the director to lock the doors and keep the children safe," he said.
It all started when one man came into his church carrying two bags, questioning his Children Services Director.
“I immediately just had the hairs on the back of my neck I’m like, 'OK, something’s about to happen,'" he said.
That’s when the four masked men walked into his service.
“Me being a former police officer, I immediately noticed their waistbands, I’m like, 'There’s something there,'" he said.
Futrell said another member of his church saw one of the men drop a gun. So Futrell proceeded with his service as usual, not wanting to scare his congregation, or let the men know police were on the way.
“I immediately directed my media team to zoom in on them because I knew we needed some face recognition," he said.
He acted quickly, calling the gunmen out on his livestream.
"(You) saw the church and decided to come? Talk to me," he said in the video.
But he described what happened next as an act of God.
"I've still got a cop anointing and I still know what's going on and what's about to happen. God's about to change the enemy," he said in the video. "Lift your voice and shout unto God!"
He and other members of the church placed their hands over the men, drawing them to prayer.
“I believe they felt the power of God lifted in their hands, then they left," he said.
As a former St. Louis police officer, he said his instincts crossed paths with his prayers.
“The Bible speaks of watch and pray, so while we’re being spiritual, I’m also watching around, trying to protect the congregants," he said.
Futrell said he hopes this serves as a wake-up call to every pastor and every church.
“How is it going to look if there’s an intruder, how are we going to protect our children, background checks, all of the above," he said.
Thanks to video, the Ferguson Police Department confirmed to 5 On Your Side four men left the church in a Black Dodge charger that day with tinted windows, and they're still searching for them.
Futrell added this incident has already made him and his congregation implement active shooter drills with its own children.