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North Coast
District United Methodist Church
District News
Compassionate Communities Corner
"Am I Safe Here?"
Creating Safe Sanctuaries
Jesus said, "whoever welcomes a child... welcomes
me" Mt. 18:5
"Am I safe
here?" asks 16 year old Robyn who just moved in down the street from the
church. In her old high school, one of her best friends was sexually
molested by a trusted family friend. "I ought to be able to trust the
people in the church at least, shouldn't I?"
"Am I safe
here?" wonders 5 year old James who sometimes sees his buddy's parents
yelling at him when he misbehaves. "Will the adults here be nice to
me and not yell at me or tell me I am 'stupid'?"
"Are my children
safe here?" asks the concerned, new parents who are thinking of
leaving their child in the nursery while they worship. "No one else
could pick up my child instead of me, could they?" "Would there
be enough adults present if there were an emergency?" "Can I
peek through a window in the nursery door and see if my baby is doing
okay?"
To all of these
individuals, it is our responsibility to answer a resounding, "Yes!
Your children are safe here!"
Each church in the
North Coast District has been challenged to develop a Child Protection/Safe Sanctuary Policy.
"While the church cannot guarantee the safety of every person, every church
can be responsible for reducing and eliminating circumstances that could lead to
harm or injury." (Safe Sanctuaries by J. T. Melton.) Take note:
every 10-12 seconds the light in a child's eyes is extinguished through abuse.
We must do what we can to reduce the risk that this happen within the walls of
our church. May we truly be Safe Sanctuaries for all God's children.
We can:
I can:
-
Be a nurturing
parent. Use my actions and words to show children and other
adults that conflicts can be settled without hitting or yelling.
-
Learn about
the signs of child abuse and report abuse when I see it.
Contact the Bellflower Center 24-hour
Family Helpline (216-229-8800) with questions.
Prayer: "Remind us, O God, to always act and
speak in love. Amen."
Check out the following websites for
more information: The Compassionate Communities Project of Berea
Children's Home & Family Services and The North Coast District of The
United Methodist Church. The
Alliance for Children & Families andNational Family Week (www.nationalfamilyweek.org).
A Resource Pamphlet for Creating Child Protection Policies
and Procedures for Your Church
Creating Safe Sanctuaries
Table of Contents:
Called
to Care for All God's children
The
Essentials of an Effective Child Protection Policy
Training
& Time Line for becoming a Safe Sanctuaries District
This pamphlet is
created by the Compassionate Communities Project of Berea Children's Home &
Family Services and The North Coast District of The United Methodist Church.
It is designed to be used in
conjunction with the Resource Packet, Creating Safe Sanctuaries, developed
by The Child Protection Policy Task Group of The East Ohio Conference of The
United Methodist Church
Called to Care for all God's
Children
Know the Facts:
-
Every 10-12
seconds of every hour, every day (including Sabbath) a child is abused.
(National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse)
-
One in five girls
and one in ten boys will be sexually abused during their childhood - most
likely by someone they know and trust. (The Bellflower Center for Prevention
of Child Abuse, Summer 2002)
What is child
abuse?
-
Child abuse may
include physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, ritual abuse and/or
neglect.
Where does child
abuse occur?
-
Everywhere
(including the church).
The United
Methodist Response:
The General
Conference of The United Methodist Church in April of 1996 adopted the
following:
"Jesus said,
'Whoever welcomes a child... welcomes me.' (Mt. 18:5) Children are our present
and our future, our hope, our teachers, our inspiration. They are full
participants in the life of the church and in the realm of God.
Our Christian faith
calls us to offer both hospitality and protection to the little ones, the
children. The Social Principles of The UMC state that "...children
must be protected from economic, physical and sexual exploitation and
abuse."
Tragically, churches
have not always been safe places for children. Child sexual abuse,
exploitation and ritual abuse occur in churches, both large and small, urban and
rural. The problem cuts across all economic, cultural and racial lines.
It is real, and appears to be increasing.
God calls us to make
our churches safe places, protecting children and other vulnerable persons from
sexual and ritual abuse. God calls us to create communities of faith where
children and adults grow safe and strong. In response to this church-wide
challenge, [child protection policies] should be in place to reduce the
risk of child sexual abuse."
The North Coast
District Response:
The North Coast
District has issued a challenge for
all North Coast District United Methodist Churches to have a "Safe
Sanctuary" Child Protection Policy in place by the end of the year.
What is YOUR response going to be?
Return
to Contents
The Essentials of an Effective
Child Protection Policy
-
Definitions of
Abuse
-
Selection &
Screening of Church Staff & Volunteers
-
Supervision of
Children & Youth
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Classroom
Activities
-
Open Door
Policy
-
Sign-In/Sign-Out
Procedure
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Record
Retention
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Non-Classroom
Activities
-
Special Rules
for Specific Activities
-
Trips &
Retreat Supervision
-
Response to
injuries and accidents
-
Response to
allegations of abuse
-
Education of
Persons who work with children and youth
More details are
available in the excellent resource, "Creating Safe Sanctuaries,"
produced by the East Ohio Conference Child Protection Policy Task Group in
1999. The Ohio Council of Churches Legislative Brief referenced this
resource with regard to recent legislation (Senate Bill 187) saying that the
"Creating Safe Sanctuaries" booklet is a practical, user-friendly
guide for congregations to use in developing their own policy. What a
celebration for The East Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church to be on
the cutting edge of creating effective policies that will protect the children
of our communities! Call the North Coast District Office (216-441-4527) to
receive a copy if you do not have one.
Return
to Contents
Revised 10/4/02
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