A Tennessee church has honored its local police officers with $1,000 grants.
Pastor Perry Cleek said Lighthouse Missionary Baptist Church in Jonesborough is giving a total of $23,000 to employees of the Jonesborough police force, including officers, dispatchers and administrators.
The church said in a statement that Americans "who are God fearing and love our country have watched in amazement as the chorus of voices denigrating and disgracing law enforcement have steadily increased in both volume and intensity."
"We at Lighthouse believe enough is enough. It's past time for the silent majority of Americans who do not approve of lawlessness and anarchy in the streets; who do not support any movement that calls for the murder of police officers; who are willing to condemn those who loot and vandalize and destroy both public and private property, to stand tall and firm and let our voice be heard."
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The "gift of appreciation" is meant to "honor those who represent some of the finest our country has to offer."
Fox News reported the pastor said Police Chief Ron Street "would never tolerate an abusive, racist, unprofessional officer."
"Chief Street and all the personnel of the Jonesborough Police Department, you have our appreciation, our encouragement, our support. And our church wants to show that with more than words," he said.
"We are very appreciative of the citizen and church support," Street confirmed to Fox. "With everything that's going on in the country, defunding and everything, it's nice to have your citizens behind you and supporting the work we do in the community here. We've found the opposite of that, we've been supported."
The demand to "defund" police departments has grown after the police custody death of George Floyd on Memorial Day in Minneapolis.
The pastor cited the book of Romans as the correct response to recent events: "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good."