We live in a world where cases of child abuse, abduction, and molestation are all too frequently headlines in the news. The unfortunate truth is that churches have unique features that make them susceptible to incidents of child abuse. Those who would harm our children are attracted to an institution in which they have immediate access to potential victims in an atmosphere of trust.

While we realize that no set of policies and procedures can guarantee the protection of our children, we have attempted to find a middle ground between naïve denial and hyper-vigilance. For the parents of infants through preschoolers, we have implemented a secure drop-off process. Our Hall Patrol volunteers ensure that all children through elementary school age travel the halls safely while going to and from the restroom during the Sunday morning children's programs. Finally, our Child-Abuse Prevention policies provide guidelines for the recruitment, screening, and training of those whom you are entrusting your children.