I am certain many of you were as shocked and horrified as I was to hear the news this past December of a man who entered a church building and opened-fire on gathered worshippers, tragically killing two teen-age girls, and wounding four others. Unfortunately, in our world today, stories like this have become alarmingly more frequent: Columbine High School, Virginia Tech University, and most recently Northern Illinois University—random, senseless acts of violence for which there is little or no explanation.
This story, and those like it, caused the staff here at Christ the King to ask, “Are we prepared should something like that happen here?” While I won’t go into details, our answers were nothing to write home about, and quite frankly they caused some concern around the table.
While we recognize and appreciate the relative safety of the community we serve, we cannot and should not ever assume that “that would never happen here.” When it comes to the safety of our members, and for me the safety of your children, I come down on the side that could best be described as: “Prepare for the worst, and pray for the best.” I have more than a slight inclination that most of you would agree.
To that end the Children’s Ministry Team and I will be taking major steps to ensure, to the best of our ability, the safety of your children while they are in the care of our incredibly talented and dedicated volunteer staff during the Education Hour. This means that there will be some major changes happening in and around this ministry over the summer, in preparation for the August launch of the 2008-2009 program year. These changes include:
· Background checks for all Children’s Ministry volunteer staff.
· A new check-in and check-out procedure for all students participating in Preschool Sunday School or KidZone.
· Updates to our Safe Environment Policy for Children and Youth, which will include a Two-Deep rule (no volunteer is to ever be alone with children).
· Emergency/Evacuation plans and procedures for the entire building—including fire and tornado drills.
· Other safety upgrades, including: lockdown-able classrooms, radio communication from the classrooms to staff leadership and the main office, and volunteer staff equipped with picture ID’s.
I understand that for some these changes will seem unnecessary. However, I’m reminded of the old adage, “It takes years to build credibility and minutes to ruin it.1” These changes in policies and procedures are about "creating a good offense, not a hasty defense.2" Rather than waiting until something drastic happens and lamenting it, let us take steps together to safeguard ourselves, this ministry and this church.
We know how important the message of the gospel is to all parents and we should validate their decision to bring their children to church, our church (!), as well. We want "all parents, especially visiting parents, to rest assured that their children will receive quality care and be touched by the gospel, creating a memory that will affect them for eternity. 3" Consider this story, “Someone’s Watching,” from the March/April 2008 edition of Group’s Children’s Ministry magazine:
‘One of our children’s ministry values is excellence. We’d worked hard to achieve this value for several months by enforcing our security policies and requiring parents to present their identification tags before we’d release their children.
One morning I got to experience just how far we’d come in our goal to ward excellence—and how much our pursuit spoke to a visiting family.
My granddaughter is a nursery regular, and since I was just outside the nursery as the service dismissed, I decided to pick her up. The volunteer immediately asked me—the children’s pastor—for her identification tag, which I didn’t have since her mom had checked her in. The volunteer decided to have some fun with me and said, “No tag, no kid, no exceptions.” She reinforced her position with a playful smile, saying, “Your rule, not mine.”
Had I insisted, I’m sure she’d have released my granddaughter. But she was right. If I wanted commitment to our security policies, then I had to follow them, too.
“You’re exactly right,” I replied. “I’m no different than any other parent, and I’ll be right back with her tag.”
Walking away, I noticed parents behind be smiling at the situation and I hoped it would send a firm but humorous reminder of our commitment to keep kids safe.
I discovered later that week that the church had received a letter from a guest. Her family had witnessed the exchange between the volunteer and me. She wrote: “I was amused as I watched the volunteer refuse to release the children’s pastor’s granddaughter without her identification tag on Sunday. We’ve visited churches and have been concerned about the lax approach toward children’s safety. While many churches have some type of check-in system, few actually implement it… I was shocked—and impressed. My husband and I decided right there that we’ll be making your church our new church home. It’s so comforting to know our children will not only be learning about God but will also be safe in your care.4”’
We’re building momentum and we’re beginning to head in a direction that has so much potential for our Children’s Ministry. These new changes are absolutely necessary to keep CtK a healthy, vital, growing place. I hope and pray that I can count on every one of you for support in this process. If you have any questions, or suggestions, please feel free to contact me at the church office.
Serving the Kingdom together,
Marissa Letscher, Coordinator of Children's Ministry
Footnotes:
1, 2, 3. Caldwell, Blake; Safe Kids, policies and procedures for protecting children in the church, 2004 Beacon Hill Press, Kansas City, page 14.
4. Oglesby, Colleen; "Someone's Watching," Children's Ministry Magazine, March/April 2008 Vol. 18, No. 1, Group Publishing, Inc., Loveland, CO; page 22.
