A little on Safeguarding

Written by Sonya Kayson on Nov 15th 2022

As part of my role as a children worker, I concern myself with ensuring our kids in Crown church are safe, protected, and thriving. This is not something I do alone but do as part of a Safeguarding team, with coordinators for different areas and ministries. But we are not the only one responsible for the caring and safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults. To every person who follows Jesus, God has given a special concern for widows, orphans, and strangers.

I was quite shocked to find out that, in the Bible, God exhorts us to help these types of people more than to tithe or to share communion. But it should not surprise us, because, when Jesus came, the entirety of His ministry was about love, compassion, and self-sacrifice towards others. Lately, in one of my devotionals, I was learning about the character of God. One particular day was dedicated to compassion. God calls us to share his character, to have compassion towards the vulnerable, the voiceless, and the outcast, to be full of mercy and grace, and to love others just as He has loved us. This is literally the core of the Gospel message!
On Sunday 20th November, during Safeguarding Sunday, we are reminded to share these principles with our churches. But I believe God wants to remind us every day that our main responsibility is not to make sure our churches are packed or that our music is always perfect. Before everything else, God calls us to protect children, look after widows, and welcome strangers. Even when this causes us discomfort, safeguarding these groups is our priority, and not just the job description of the church’s Safeguarding lead.
So, it does not matter if you are a leader of the church or if you just became a member, if you just met Jesus, or if you have had a life-long relationship with God: if you see something that it just does not feel right with you, talk to one of our Safeguarding Team Members.
Moreover, if you volunteer in groups working with children, young people, and vulnerable adults, make sure to read our Safeguarding Policy, and please do not hesitate to come and ask us any questions you may have!
Finally, I have a challenge for us all: let’s ask God to give us more compassion and give us opportunities to show grace and love to one another in the coming weeks. You can pray for our Crown Kids and Youth, you can share a meal with someone you do not know yet, you can give a call to that lady in church that lives on her own, and ask her how she’s doing. God only needs a ready heart and the smallest of gestures can go the distance!

Written by our Children Worker - Jade Owen

Entry Tags

• crown church
• safeguarding

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