April is Safe Sanctuaries Month

April is Safe Sanctuaries month in the Mountain Sky Conference. This means it’s a time to bring awareness to what Safe Sanctuaries is and why it’s vital to your church. Safe Sanctuaries is an overt expression in making congregations safe places where children, youth, and elders may experience the abiding love of God and fellowship within the community of faith. 

The best and easiest way that your church can be a safe place for children, youth, and vulnerable adults is to have a church policy that outlines the requirements for adults who will work with your vulnerable populations. It is important for all churches to have a policy even if you do not have a large population of children or youth. If you already have a policy, I encourage you to review it with your pastor and church leadership annually to ensure it’s up to date, and ensure it adequately addresses the needs of the ministries in your church setting. If you do not have a policy, I encourage you to utilize the resources shared below to establish one. 

You might decide to make it a part of your policy to use an entity called Safe Gatherings. Safe Gatherings is a place where you can easily background check volunteers. Safe Gatherings also offers an online training portal for volunteers and church staff. Safe Gatherings is currently utilized by the conference, and I encourage you to check it out, and see if it's something your church can benefit from. You are only required to pay for the cost of the background checks. 

How is your church creating a safe place where children, youth, and elders may experience the abiding love of God and fellowship within the community of faith? 

Safe Gatherings

Safe Sanctuaries 

If you have any questions, would like additional information, or don’t know where to start please contact Amanda Daniell, youngpeople@mtnskyumc.org.