We are a Safe Sanctuary Church.

Are our children safe? Are our volunteers safe?

 Seem like strange questions to be asking in a church! Of course they are. This is God’s house. But ...Many churches across the country have learned the hard way that bad things can happen in a church which can scar children and adults for life. There are churches where the unscrupulous go with the intention of harming a child or falsely accusing a volunteer of child abuse in order to bring suit against the church and its workers.

In 1996, the General Conference of the United Methodist Church mandated that all United Methodist Churches have a plan to reduce the risk of child abuse. It is now required in the 2008 Book of Discipline.

On January 26, 2004 the Church Council adopted our Safe Sanctuary Policy and Procedures for Reducing the Risk of Child Abuse. In 2009, protection of vulnerable adults was added to our policy. Through screening, training, implementing policy and procedures and a reporting strategy, we seek to:

• Protect our children and youth from pedophiles and vulnerable adults from physical abuse and financial exploitation
• Support workers in case of frivolous lawsuit of alleged abuse

We screen and we train allpaid and volunteer workers

We screen workers through reference and background checks. Each worker is required to complete an application and attend a training on policy and procedures, or take training offered online.

Safe Sanctuary Training Dates

Training sessions are the first and second Wednesdays of each month at 5:00, and second Sundays at 11:45 during the school year. All training sessions are in the Wesley Room. Make reservations for the class and/or childcare. Online training is also available. Contact Diane Morgan at ext. 133 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it