Sunday services will be unusual at St. Peter Baptist Church in Henrico County.

The pastor, Dr. Kirkland R. Walton, is replacing the traditional 11 a.m. service on Nov. 22 with a two-hour forum titled “Faith and Public Safety,” it has been announced.

“We’ll have an opening prayer, and then move into the program,” said W.A. “Gus” Smith, co-chairman of the church’s Social Justice Ministry, which developed the program to be held in the sanctuary at 2040 Mountain Road.

“With so many issues for people in our community, and so many getting shot and killed in connection with police officers, we need people of faith to be involved in public safety,” said Mr. Smith, who will moderate the forum.

He said the informational forum will focus on the role faith can play for all involved in the criminal justice system. It also will seek to educate the congregation on how the criminal justice system works and how to handle themselves if stopped by police.

Forum speakers are to include Henrico Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon L. Taylor; Henrico Police Officer Dennis O’Keefe, who also will demonstrate the use of a body camera; and Jeremiah “Jerry” Fitz, chief probation and parole officer for Henrico, Mr. Smith said. He said a defense attorney, who has yet to be named, also is to participate.

He said the program would include a question-and-answer session.

“We want to create a dialogue,” he said.

When public safety works, it’s a blessing, he said, citing the recent arrest of five people who allegedly were plotting to bomb black churches and synagogues in the Richmond area.

But there also are plenty of concerns about public safety operations with all of the news about police officers doing harm to unarmed suspects, he said.

Mr. Smith has firsth-and knowledge of how things can go very wrong for someone who gets arrested. He is the father of Kemba Smith Pradia, now best known as an advocate for fairness in sentencing.

Twenty years ago as a college student, she was sentenced to 24 years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine. Released after President Clinton commuted her sentence in 2000, she has since traveled the country speaking about ending mandatory minimum sentences that generated her long sentence.

The program is open to the public.

Further information: Mr. Smith, (804) 730-3810.