Order of Elders Share Experiences and Encouragement
About 100 elders gathered at Barrington United Methodist Church on March 25 for their annual order meeting.
Posted: August 21 2024 at 12:40 AM
Author: Rev. Fabiola Grandon-Mayer, NIC Director of Connectional Ministries
August and September are “Back to School” months. As a mom of pre-teens, I diligently prepared everything they needed to be ready for their first day of school: I checked their clothes and shoes, bought school supplies, and checked their books. I went with them to the “meet and greet” the teacher because I wanted to see the space where they would be for the next school year. I experienced the dedication and preparation that teachers, administrators, and school staff invested in order to offer a safe and hospitable environment for the children.
This is also a season when many churches return to children’s and youth programs such as Sunday School, Youth Groups, Messy Church, Parent’s Night Out, Childcare, etc. I believe this is a good time to stop and think about the safe space we are offering to our children and youth in our churches.
As a church, we are responsible for caring for our little ones. We are called to take responsibility, set the tone, learn from the painful lessons of the past, and ensure a better experience for future generations.
The term Safe Sanctuaries became familiar to United Methodists in the early 2000s with the publication of a guidebook from Discipleship Ministries by Joy Thornburg Melton. Ten years earlier United Methodists were already working on the prevention of child abuse in the church through a variety of resources and educational events.
All clergy and volunteers who work with children and youth in the church, in the community, in a music or sports program, or in any setting should be trained in Safe Sanctuary, a certification that lasts three years. We have made good progress in training our clergy and volunteers at our conference, but we still need more people to be trained.
If you have not been trained or if your church does not have a Safe Sanctuaries Policy or if it is time to update the one you have, please take action immediately. Visit our website here and click on the link for Safe Gatherings to find resources and a self-guided online course you can take at any time to equip yourself to be an even better guardian of our future. If you want to have in-person training, please contact me. We can deploy trainers to your congregation, cluster, or district.
Children and Youth are a treasure for us, and we need to take care of them with dedication, passion, and love, so let’s continue to create a safe sanctuary for them and the generations to come.
Please take the time to assess the situation in your congregation regarding Safe Sanctuary. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact the Office of Connectional Ministries.