We’re continuing our “kind of a Baptismal Vows Series” this week, so you can go ahead and bookmark page 34 in the hymnal now if you like!
The first week we read the story of the Baptism of Jesus alongside our Baptismal Vows and noticed how there was real risk, for John the Baptist, in accepting the freedom and power God gives us to resist evil, injustice and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves. With freedom and power comes risk and responsibility. Maybe we’re uncomfortable with risk, but we trust God enough to accept the risk.
Last week, we visited the uncomfortable verses about evil doers from Psalm 36, revisited the English translation of the Apostle’s Creed, watched a little Star Wars, and pulled this all together to say that Resistance is about saying Yes to Love.
This week we’re doing our annual, Book of Discipline Mandated review of our Safe Sanctuary Policy.
As someone who formerly held the job of youth and children’s ministry, today’s Bible reading is every family ministry worker’s worst nightmare!
To put this story in Modern Methodist terms, it’s like the whole church went to Camp Junaluska together, and Jesus didn’t get on the buses to take us from the Camp to the airport. Then, Not even Jesus’ parents made sure that he had actually boarded the plane with us, until we reached our layover at Dallas Fort Worth Airport in Texas! (Camp Junaluska is in North Carolina, just fyi – I thought it was in Alaska when I first became a Methodist!)
So we’re in Texas when Mary and Joseph realize that their weird, long haired kid is missing, and we don’t know where we lost track of Jesus, but he’s not here, so Mary and Joseph run to the ticket counter, beg the gate agent to exchange their ticket and fly back to North Carolina where they find Jesus giving a lecture to the Council of Bishops. So of course, after they hug Jesus, they absolutely lose it on him! Like, how could you do this to us! And Jesus is not even a little bit sorry! He’s all, “of course I’m here!”
Any other parents ever had their child say, “but I knew where I was!”
Stories like this one are half of why we have Safe Sanctuary Policies in our churches and Camps!
Our Safe Sanctuary Policies ensure that all Camp staff, camp volunteers, Church staff and volunteers, and all Clergy, including our Bishops have been background checked and are following basic safety rules such as:
- Required training for all persons having direct contact with children, youth, and vulnerable adults. Training that includes an annual orientation that includes information about the local ministry setting abuse prevention policy. Paid staff who are required to attend these trainings should be
compensated for their time
- Our standard practice is that all children, youth, and vulnerable adults will be
supervised by at least 2 unrelated adults and that no adult will be alone with
children, youth, or vulnerable adult(s) out of sight of other adults
The minimum standard is an open space (open door, window, etc.) such that activities can be observed and an adult who is assigned to periodically observe the activities.
- No person shall supervise any age group of children or youth unless they are AT
LEAST 5 years older than the children or youth.
That’s our policy. We background check, and people with a record of crimes against persons are excluded from ministry with vulnerable persons, youth, and children.
We require training of all staff and volunteers who work with children or vulnerable adults. And we’ll be sending out links to the online training soon!
We do not allow 1-1 interactions between one child and one adult and the standard is 2 unrelated adults who are at least 5 years older than the children or youth. Unrelated adults is the rule because if you are spouses or otherwise related you may not be willing to testify in court against one another, or you may be more tolerant of wrong behavior.
What this means for our story is that even though Jesus got left behind at Camp Junaluska, all the Camp Staff, volunteers and the Bishops would be background checked, trained, and be making sure that there were never any 1-1 meetings between an adult and young Jesus and at least 2 of the adults with Jesus would be unrelated. So Jesus would have been safe.
And we have codified this priority for protecting children, youth and vulnerable adults into our United Methodist Documents.
General Conference Resolution 3084, “Reducing the Risk of Child Sexual Abuse in
the Church, pg. 240, 2012 Book of Resolutions states:
As Christians we must take our responsibilities to our children, youth, and vulnerable adults very seriously. While policies alone may not be able to completely prevent all harm, sexual abuse can be prevented. We as the people of the United Methodist Church are dedicated to preventing all forms of abuse within our ministry and within our community.
And we define abuse:
- Abuse: (is) intentional, negligent, or reckless behavior by a volunteer or staff
person that is harmful, injurious, or offensive. Abuse takes many forms and
includes, but is not limited to: physical abuse, neglect, self-neglect, abandonment, verbal and emotional abuse, financial exploitation, sexual abuse, involuntary seclusion, and wrongful restraint.
- Child Abuse:(is) an act committed by anyone which is not accidental and which harms or threatens a child’s physical or mental health or a child’s welfare.
- Physical Abuse: (is) when an adult injures a child other than by accident; including, but not limited to: assault, battery, shaking, slapping, burning, scalding, kicking and strangling.
Sexual Abuse: (is defined as)
- any sexual contact or sexually explicit behavior initiated by an adult, youth or child toward a child;
- any sexual contact or sexually explicit sexual behavior initiated by an adult toward a youth;
- any nonconsensual sexual contact or nonconsensual sexually explicit behavior initiated by a youth toward another youth including, but not limited to sexual harassment; [and] any sexual behavior by a youth toward another youth younger than 14 and where the initiating youth is three years older;
- any sexual contact by anyone (outside a recognized, committed, intimate partnership) toward a vulnerable adult, or sexually explicit behavior by anyone toward a vulnerable adult where the vulnerable adult is unable to provide meaningful consent.
- Emotional Abuse: (is) verbal assault or emotional cruelty.
Sexual Harassment and rape of non-vulnerable adults is also not OK, but the reporting rules are different, so that is not in this policy. However our sexual harrassment or rape by our clergy is absolutely not tolerated and that is included in separate documents about clergy behavior.
All clergy are mandated reporters in the state of Oregon, so I must report knowledge of childabuse and elder abuse. There is no such thing as a seal of confession for United Methodist Clergy, when it comes to abuse.
I don’t have to report other crimes that are not against persons.
I also want you to know how to report abuse, including spiritual abuse by a Pastor, Deacon, or Certified Lay Minister. When something happens, your Pastor should be a person whom you can trust to help you and to assist you with reporting abuse. But sometimes an abuser will slip past our background check process, and our psychological evaluation and will try to do some harm.
If your pastor crosses a line, even if you aren’t sure if it’s abuse, please report us.
Here’s how!
Go to UMOI.org or just search for Oregon Idaho UMC and that will take you to this webpage: umoi.org
Yes, I always have that many tabs open!
Then scroll down to the very bottom
Which looks like this. Do you see the word Staff across from the little bird and right above “Privacy & Terms of Use”? Click on the word Staff
You see the picture of the Bishop, yes? Scroll down a little bit more and you’ll see the contact info for the Bishop.
Scroll down further and you’ll see the District Superintendents.
All of Portland is in the Columbia District, so my Boss is Rev Karen Hernandez. If you ever have any concerns about my behavior she is who you share your concerns with.
If you have concerns about a District Superintendent’s behavior, you can share them with a different Superintendent, or the Bishop.
If you have Concerns about the Bishop you can share those with a Superintendent, or your local Pastor, or you can google UMC Council of Bishops and report it to them.
I want you to know that there are consequences for clergy who do harm.
Clergy who abuse anyone, spiritually, financially, physically, or sexually, will lose our ordination or licensing. The policy of the United Methodist Church is that we turn in our clergy to law enforcement if they break the law by harming people. We prioritize the protection of children, youth and vulnerable people over the reputation of our denomination.
Why? Because protecting the vulnerable is a part of our Baptismal Vows.
Pick up your hymnal and turn to page 34. Page 34, not hymn 34, there is no hymn 34.
Not only do we vow to ‘accept the freedom and power God gives us to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.”
Not only do the sponsors and family now to nurture the baptized, in Christ’s holy church,
But look at the top of p35.
The clergy person asks the whole congregation to take a vow to care for the Baptized.
I’ll read my part and then let’s all read your part together.
Will you nurture one another in the Christian faith and life and include these persons now before you in your care?
With God’s help we will proclaim the good news
and live according to the example of Christ.
We will surround these persons
with a community of love and forgiveness,
that they may grow in their trust of God,
and be found faithful in their service to others.
We will pray for them,
that they may be truth disciples
who walk in the way that leads to life.
Notice what you have vowed to do as a congregation:
Let’s bring up our online friends and get the handheld mic, so we can list this out together.
What do we as a congregation vow to do?
What do you see in these vows?
- To proclaim the good news
- Live according to the example of Christ – to be an example for the baptized
- Surround them with a community of love and forgiveness
- That grows their trust in God
- And teaches them to be faithful in service to others
- Pray for them
- Help them become disciples
Thank you! Yes! Let’s take down our online friends now, so we aren’t staring at them!
We are vowing to care for one another.
To surround one another with a community of love and forgiveness.
To create a place safe enough to grow trust.
Creating a safe place where love and trust can grow, requires us to center the needs of the vulnerable.
It’s more expensive to hire 2 nursery workers instead of 1. But we must prioritize safety and abuse prevention over money.
There is room for forgiveness for abusers. But they will not be allowed to volunteer or work with children, youth or other vulnerable people. And we require that abusers be accompanied by a person of the church’s choosing at all times to make sure they don’t try anything. Honestly, as a clergy person who has had convicted abusers ask me if they can attend church, they usually don’t attend after I let them know they will be supervised at all times.
If someone is taking advantage of a vulnerable adult, it’s our job, each one of us, as the church, to say something. Whether that means reporting abuse to the appropriate agency, or that means, telling your friend that the very nice person they met online who is asking them to send money is a scammer.
If a Pastor is doing harm, we must report it. And sometimes we need to hold our Bishops and District Superintendents accountable for making sure that clergy who do harm aren’t allowed to negotiate their way out of losing their ordination by retiring then using their ordination in retirement to get another ministry position where they can harm others.
And I think, that if young Jesus was left behind at Camp Junaluska with the Council of Bishops, Jesus would lecture them about caring for the vulnerable, and using their positions of power to do justice and act with mercy and humility.
To be servants of God, rather than Chaplains of Empire.
To not be afraid of doing and saying what is right.
