Safe Spaces - TWKUMC

The Safe Spaces Ministry Team supports communities of faith in ensuring safe spaces for children and adults to experience the abiding love of God. Led by Chair Reverend Terry Carty, the Team partners with congregations to ensure that policies and procedures are developed, reviewed, appropriately presented for members of the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Annual Conference. The Board of Ordained Ministry work collaboratively to guide this vital ministry.

Conference Response Team – members are trained advocates who provide care and pastoral support for both those experiencing situations requiring a trained advocate as well as those accused of perpetrating situations that would require a trained advocate. The role of the Conference Response Team is one of care-giving, not investigation. Conference Response Team Coordinator – Rev. Lanita Monroe, Fairfield Glade UMC, (931) 484-3473

Safe Spaces Downloadable Resources

Sexual Misconduct Quick Response Card

Safe Sanctuary Policy

Sexual Misconduct Policy

The Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference of the United Methodist Church has partnered with Safe Gatherings a national leader in background checks and abuse prevention training.

About

The Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference is committed to ensuring that we provide safe places of worship and fellowship to everyone we serve. As part of that commitment, we are providing information on Safe Gatherings as a resource for you in this important area.

Safe Gatherings is an online abuse prevention program that screens and educates staff and volunteers to help prevent abuse of children, youth, and vulnerable adults in group settings. When employees and volunteers are trained to identify potential abusers, recognize the signs of abuse, and know how to handle reporting, they are better equipped to prevent abuse.

Upon successful completion of the Safe Gatherings application, background and reference checks, and online training program, each applicant will receive documentation of approval valid for three years and will have continued access to the online training program for one year.

The current price per applicant for the individual church program available through the Safe Gatherings website is $37. This includes processing of two electronic references, a national and current county of residence 7-year background check, national and state of residence Sex Offender Registry check, and the 1.5-hour online abuse prevention and boundary awareness training. There is also an option to complete a driving record if the individual will be driving as part of their ministry. The cost for the driving record will vary depending upon the state the license was issued.

Details

Contact the Safe Gatherings team at contact@SafeGatherings.com or 888-241-8258 to provide the contact information for your church or group.

As soon as the church or group is set up within Safe Gatherings, your applicants will be able to follow the links below to begin their Safe Gatherings approval.

Click here to start the Safe Gatherings process – https://safegatherings.com/app/get-started
Click here to login to your Safe Gatherings application after you have completed your registration– https://safegatherings.com/app/login

When applicants follow the link to get started, they will need to select:

Language Preference (English or Spanish),
Type of Organization (Church or Faith-Based Organization),
Denomination (Methodist), and
State where their church is located.

In the next field, they will start typing any part of your organization name, ex: Good Shepherd”, and a list will appear in a dropdown menu where they will select the organization name where they are seeking approval to serve.

Individuals can login to their account at any time to check the status of their application.

Contact

Contact the Safe Gatherings team at contact@safegatherings.com or 888.241.8258 for additional information or with questions about the program.