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Safe Church Policy |
The Rev. Tanya Wallace, our Diocesan Safe Church Officer, will be leading Safe Church training on the following dates via Zoom. The Church will be billed for your registration. Registration closes one week prior to training date.
Thank you for helping to keep our churches safe.
Tuesday, May 20 -5: 00 pm - 8: 00 pm (Volunteers)
Saturday, May 31 -9: 00 am - 12: 00 pm (Volunteers)
Tuesday, June 10/
Wednesday, June 11- 5:30 pm - 8: 00 pm (Clergy, Staff, Lay leader)
Thursday, June 19-5: 00 pm - 8: 00 pm (Volunteers) Saturday, June 28-9: 00 am - 12: 00 pm (Volunteers)
Please check with Carol Fabrycki, our Safe Church officer, if you think you might need a training. Everyone is encouraged to take the training once every three years, but it’s a requirement for people working with children or potentially vulnerable adults. Thanks!!
Thank you for helping to keep our churches safe.
Tuesday, May 20 -5: 00 pm - 8: 00 pm (Volunteers)
Saturday, May 31 -9: 00 am - 12: 00 pm (Volunteers)
Tuesday, June 10/
Wednesday, June 11- 5:30 pm - 8: 00 pm (Clergy, Staff, Lay leader)
Thursday, June 19-5: 00 pm - 8: 00 pm (Volunteers) Saturday, June 28-9: 00 am - 12: 00 pm (Volunteers)
Please check with Carol Fabrycki, our Safe Church officer, if you think you might need a training. Everyone is encouraged to take the training once every three years, but it’s a requirement for people working with children or potentially vulnerable adults. Thanks!!
INTRODUCTION
The Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts urges all its churches to write and adopt a “Safe Church Policy.”
We pray that at St. David’s Church we nurture an environment where we can all interact and build trust in each other. In this vein of trust, St. David’s Church Safe Church Policy was written to ensure we have procedures in place to help provide everyone the opportunity to worship in our sanctuary.
POLICY
Section 1: Safe Church Coordinator
A Safe Church Coordinator will be chosen to help ensure we are consistent in communicating our Safe Church policy. The Coordinator and the Rector will be responsible for ensuring a screening process has occurred for all paid employees and volunteers who are working with children or adult ministries.
To ensure safety, a list of people who have the Church door code or a key to the Church will be kept in a notebook in the office and updated as needed.
Section 2: Awareness and Training
The Diocese offers a Safe Church training program throughout the year. The training may be completed in person or in an online module. Safe Church training is required for all Clergy, paid employees, volunteers who work with children and youth, and Eucharistic/pastoral care visitors. This training should be completed every three years. Lay leaders and Vestry members are also encouraged to attend Safe Church training. A list of all people who have completed Safe Church training and a copy of the certificate of attendance for each person will be kept on file in the Church office.
Section 3: CORI verification
CORI is defined as Criminal Offender Record Information. St. David’s Church will obtain all available criminal offender record information from the Massachusetts Department of Criminal Justice Information Systems (DCJIS) of all Clergy, any current or prospective employee of the church, volunteers working with children and youth, Eucharistic /pastoral care visitors, and/or any others who are listed in Appendix A. All information regarding CORI checks is confidential. Please refer to the CORI policy with any questions or contact the Rector.
Section 4: Youth Ministry
Only people who are members or have regularly attended St. David’s Church for 6 months or more may work as volunteers with children or youth of the Parish. Parents of children who are attending Sunday School may volunteer. Sunday School classes will have two adults present during class or when children or youth are participating in Church activities. All doors must have windows in them in rooms where children or youth meet. No convicted child sex offender is allowed to be involved with children or youth. No one accused of child abuse or neglect should be involved with children while the accusations are still pending.
Section 5: Discrimination and Harassment
St. David’s Church is a sanctuary providing an environment which is free from discrimination and harassment. Discrimination is defined as treating someone differently on account of personal characteristics such as age, citizenship, disability, marital status, political association, race or ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation. Harassment is conduct that interferes with an individual’s quality of life by creating an intimidating, hostile, humiliating or offensive environment. Sexual harassment consists of sexual advances, requests for sexual favors or verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. Other examples of harassment include those based on race and sexual orientation.
Section 6: Reporting
If abuse, neglect, discrimination or harassment is disclosed or suspected in good faith, volunteers and staff must make this known directly, in person, to the Clergy (Rector/Priest-in-Charge).
If Clergy misconduct is disclosed or suspected in good faith, volunteers and staff must make this known directly, in person, to a St. David’s Church Senior Warden. The Warden must then make this known directly to the Bishop.
In the event of an allegation of child abuse or neglect or of Clergy misconduct the situation will be taken seriously. No person who in good faith reports abuse or neglect is subject to any liability for doing so. How to recognize Clergy misconduct, elder abuse, child abuse and /or neglect and other misuses of power is taught in the Safe Church trainings.
Instances where there is reasonable cause to believe that a child under the age of eighteen (18) years is suffering physical, sexual or emotional injury from abuse will be reported to the Massachusetts Department of Social Services per Massachusetts state law M.G.L. Chapter 119: Section 51A.
Instances of suspected elder abuse should be reported to the Clergy (Rector/Priest-in-Charge) or to the Senior Warden.
Section 7: Adult Ministries
We recognize the importance of lay people who deliver Eucharistic/Pastoral Care Visits to people who are unable to get to church. These ministries will be done by two (2) lay people together. To assist in documenting this activity a Pastoral Care book will be kept in the Church office to record these visits.
Conclusion
A “Safe Church” is a Church where people trust each other. We want our members to feel they can gather in the name of Christ in a safe and mutually respectful environment, and we aspire to live by the teachings of Jesus that tells us everyone is welcome at His table. We pray this policy supports our ministry.
This policy will be reviewed each year, and it is subject to amendment by the Vestry at any time.
Updated 2025
The Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts urges all its churches to write and adopt a “Safe Church Policy.”
We pray that at St. David’s Church we nurture an environment where we can all interact and build trust in each other. In this vein of trust, St. David’s Church Safe Church Policy was written to ensure we have procedures in place to help provide everyone the opportunity to worship in our sanctuary.
POLICY
Section 1: Safe Church Coordinator
A Safe Church Coordinator will be chosen to help ensure we are consistent in communicating our Safe Church policy. The Coordinator and the Rector will be responsible for ensuring a screening process has occurred for all paid employees and volunteers who are working with children or adult ministries.
To ensure safety, a list of people who have the Church door code or a key to the Church will be kept in a notebook in the office and updated as needed.
Section 2: Awareness and Training
The Diocese offers a Safe Church training program throughout the year. The training may be completed in person or in an online module. Safe Church training is required for all Clergy, paid employees, volunteers who work with children and youth, and Eucharistic/pastoral care visitors. This training should be completed every three years. Lay leaders and Vestry members are also encouraged to attend Safe Church training. A list of all people who have completed Safe Church training and a copy of the certificate of attendance for each person will be kept on file in the Church office.
Section 3: CORI verification
CORI is defined as Criminal Offender Record Information. St. David’s Church will obtain all available criminal offender record information from the Massachusetts Department of Criminal Justice Information Systems (DCJIS) of all Clergy, any current or prospective employee of the church, volunteers working with children and youth, Eucharistic /pastoral care visitors, and/or any others who are listed in Appendix A. All information regarding CORI checks is confidential. Please refer to the CORI policy with any questions or contact the Rector.
Section 4: Youth Ministry
Only people who are members or have regularly attended St. David’s Church for 6 months or more may work as volunteers with children or youth of the Parish. Parents of children who are attending Sunday School may volunteer. Sunday School classes will have two adults present during class or when children or youth are participating in Church activities. All doors must have windows in them in rooms where children or youth meet. No convicted child sex offender is allowed to be involved with children or youth. No one accused of child abuse or neglect should be involved with children while the accusations are still pending.
Section 5: Discrimination and Harassment
St. David’s Church is a sanctuary providing an environment which is free from discrimination and harassment. Discrimination is defined as treating someone differently on account of personal characteristics such as age, citizenship, disability, marital status, political association, race or ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation. Harassment is conduct that interferes with an individual’s quality of life by creating an intimidating, hostile, humiliating or offensive environment. Sexual harassment consists of sexual advances, requests for sexual favors or verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. Other examples of harassment include those based on race and sexual orientation.
Section 6: Reporting
If abuse, neglect, discrimination or harassment is disclosed or suspected in good faith, volunteers and staff must make this known directly, in person, to the Clergy (Rector/Priest-in-Charge).
If Clergy misconduct is disclosed or suspected in good faith, volunteers and staff must make this known directly, in person, to a St. David’s Church Senior Warden. The Warden must then make this known directly to the Bishop.
In the event of an allegation of child abuse or neglect or of Clergy misconduct the situation will be taken seriously. No person who in good faith reports abuse or neglect is subject to any liability for doing so. How to recognize Clergy misconduct, elder abuse, child abuse and /or neglect and other misuses of power is taught in the Safe Church trainings.
Instances where there is reasonable cause to believe that a child under the age of eighteen (18) years is suffering physical, sexual or emotional injury from abuse will be reported to the Massachusetts Department of Social Services per Massachusetts state law M.G.L. Chapter 119: Section 51A.
Instances of suspected elder abuse should be reported to the Clergy (Rector/Priest-in-Charge) or to the Senior Warden.
Section 7: Adult Ministries
We recognize the importance of lay people who deliver Eucharistic/Pastoral Care Visits to people who are unable to get to church. These ministries will be done by two (2) lay people together. To assist in documenting this activity a Pastoral Care book will be kept in the Church office to record these visits.
Conclusion
A “Safe Church” is a Church where people trust each other. We want our members to feel they can gather in the name of Christ in a safe and mutually respectful environment, and we aspire to live by the teachings of Jesus that tells us everyone is welcome at His table. We pray this policy supports our ministry.
This policy will be reviewed each year, and it is subject to amendment by the Vestry at any time.
Updated 2025
