We are thankful to our Lord that He has established a culture of protecting the children in our church. We are thankful for all of the children’s ministry workers in Sunday School and in the nursery who Christ has used to shepherd and protect His Covenant children. We, as a church, are committed to providing a safe place where children may hear and accept the Gospel that will save them. God’s Word warns us that because of sin, we live in a fallen world (Psalm 14:2-3) where people abuse other people for their own selfish purposes. Such misconduct is contrary to our Savior’s Gospel that says all men, women and children are made in the image of God (Gen 1:26-27), that calls upon us to sacrificially love our fellow image bearers (Luke 10:25-37), and calls upon us to count them more significant than ourselves (Philippians 2:3). Our Lord is opposed to all conduct that abuses others, and he calls upon Christians to protect the vulnerable (Exodus 22:21-24), which includes our children. Upon the recommendation of our children’s ministry staff, the Session has approved this update to our child protection policy. The session asks that everyone in the church do the following:
- Read this policy carefully.
- Abide by it in your ministry work with children.
- Ask me any questions and please share any concerns or suggestions.
- Remember that no policy or procedure can substitute for each of us exercising wisdom, paying attention, and encouraging each other to follow the policy so that we may protect our infants, children, youth, families, and congregation.
We are committed to fostering a culture that protects our children, remembering that it is our Lord who is our shield (Genesis 15:1). He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power at work within us (Ephesians 3:20-21).
In Christ,
Pastor Porter Harlow