Christ United Methodist Church

open hearts. open minds. open doors.

SUNDAY WORSHIP AT 8:00, 9:30 & 11:00 AM

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Safe Sanctuary Policy

CHILD PROTECTION GUIDELINES FOR ADULT WORKERS WITH CHILDREN AND YOUTH

Qualifications

  • Lead a life in keeping with the highest ideals of the Christian life.
  • Be a member of the church (or have been actively involved) for six months before volunteering.
  • Submit a signed Children/Youth Volunteer Application, and be interviewed and approved by the appropriate ministry leader (and/or the pastor).
  • Submit a criminal record check (from PA State Police or the FBI, depending on length of residency in Pennsylvania), and a Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance Report, repeating every 60 months.
  • Attend the annual Child Protection Training provided by the church.

Responsibilities

  • Whenever possible, work together with at least one other person.
  • Whenever possible, work with children/youth in areas that are open and public.
  • Never leave children/youth unsupervised while at a ministry event.
  • Keep physical contact to an appropriate minimum (handshakes, brief hugs, touches on the shoulder, etc.), and only in the presence of other adults.
  • Discourage children/youth from sitting on a worker’s lap while the room is darkened or when other workers are not present.
  • Whenever possible do not individually take a lone child to the restroom.
  • Whenever possible, take children of the same gender to the rest room.
  • Give younger children as much privacy as possible in bathroom situations, entering a stall only when absolutely necessary and keeping the stall door open.
  • Change diapers only in designated areas like the nursery. 
  • Send older children and youth to the restroom without accompaniment, observing from the hallway.
  • Provide proof of a valid driver’s license and insurance when transporting children or youth.
  • Whenever possible transport children/youth only with prior parental permission.

Reporting

  • Report to the ministry/program coordinator, or the pastor, unknown persons in the building, or any other suspicious or dangerous activity or situations.
  • Report suspected cases of abuse in a timely fashion through ChildLine.  You can do this by phone (800-932-0313) or online (https://www.compass.state.pa.us/cwis/public/home), followed by a written report on form CY-47 within 48 hours, providing a copy to the pastor. 
  • Inform the ministry/program coordinator and the pastor of such a report in a timely fashion.

Additional Policy Notes

  • Anyone supervising children/youth must be at least 5 years older than the oldest participant.
  • No one under 18 can be a supervisor of children, although they can serve as a helper.
  • Report to the pastor within 72 hours any conviction that would disqualify you from working with children/youth.

SAFE SANCTUARY CLEARANCES

Our Safe Sanctuary policy requires everyone working with children and youth at Christ UMC to fill out two background clearances: a criminal background check and a child abuse history report.  Both can be done online.

Note: If you have been a resident of Pennsylvania for all of the last 10 years, you may apply for a criminal background check through the Pennsylvania State Police.  If you have not been a resident of Pennsylvania for all of the last 10 years, you must also apply for an FBI clearance.

The links for the three clearances are:

Criminal Record Check: Pennsylvania State Police

It is free for volunteers.  All you have to do is fill out the online application, and the report will be generated, and mailed to you (as well as being available to print out online). You can apply online at:

https://epatch.state.pa.us/Home.jsp

Criminal Record Check: FBI

The cost is $27.50. After you fill out the application, and pay for the clearance, you must go to one of the listed places to be fingerprinted.  The report will then be generated, and mailed to you.  This is now done by IdentoGo.  For volunteers, you will need to use the code 1KG6ZJ.

https://uenroll.identogo.com/

Child Abuse History Clearance

It is free for volunteers.  All you have to do is fill out the online application, and the report will be generated, and mailed to you (as well as being available to print out online).

https://www.compass.state.pa.us/cwis/public/home

The Pennsylvania State Police report will be ready to print out almost immediately.  We recommend you print out 2 copies, one to give to the church and one for your own records.  The Child Abuse History Clearance Report will be available online, but not immediately.  You may have to login again on the site to get it a few hours or a day later to print it out.  A copy also will be mailed.  We recommend that you print out 2 copies, one to give to the church and one for your own records.  The FBI clearance report will be mailed to you.

If you have printed copies specifically for the church, you can turn those in to the office.  If you only have one original copy, we will photocopy it for our records, and then return the original copy to you.

Records will be kept in a secure file in the pastor’s office.  No one else will have access to them.  In addition, before the copies are placed in the file, the social security number will be blacked out.

If you have any other questions, call the office, or talk to Pastor Lloyd.

Protected: This Week’s Announcements

Recent Sermons

Upcoming Events

May
15
Thu
1:00 pm Prayer Shawl/Blanket Ministry
Prayer Shawl/Blanket Ministry
May 15 @ 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Join Us & Crochet! Thursdays at 1:00 in Room 102-103 Mary Lou Reside
May
17
Sat
2:00 pm Blessing Boxes 3rd Saturday
Blessing Boxes 3rd Saturday
May 17 @ 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
3rd Saturday of the month, 2pm
May
18
Sun
8:00 am 8am Traditional Worship Service
8am Traditional Worship Service
May 18 @ 8:00 am – 9:00 am
Please join us weekly at 8:00 a.m. for Traditional Sunday Worship Services. Music is provided by organ and piano with special musical anthems provided by a choir or soloists. Christ United Methodist Church 215-943-2343 501… Read More »
9:00 am Christ Coffee Cafe
Christ Coffee Cafe
May 18 @ 9:00 am – 10:30 am
Fellowship, Coffee & Baked Goods. It’s free though donations are welcome & support each of our monthly ministries. We partner with numerous mission & ministry groups throughout the world, as well as in our own… Read More »
9:30 am 9:30am Contemporary Worship & Su...
9:30am Contemporary Worship & Su...
May 18 @ 9:30 am – 10:30 am
Please join us weekly at 9:30 a.m. for Contemporary Sunday Worship Services. Music is provided by a praise band with special music provided by individual musicians/singers Christ United Methodist Church 215-943-2343 501 Wistar Rd Fairless… Read More »

Open Hearts. Open Minds. Open Doors.

We are pleased to have you “visit” our church.  We would love to have you follow up by visiting us in person.  Our mission is to “introduce people to Jesus Christ, to help them become faithful followers of Him, and to equip them to share His love with others,” and we’d be glad to help you in any part of that journey into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.

Feel free to browse around, contact us through the contact page, or call the church office for more information.  And, of course, you would be most welcome to join us on Sunday mornings in worship.  We have three services: traditional services are at 8:00 & 11 am, and there is a contemporary service in between at 9:30 am. Sunday School for all ages also occurs at 9:30 am.  For the most up to date information about events and activities, use the Facebook link at the bottom of the page.

Where We Are

Christ United Methodist Church
501 Wistar Rd.
Fairless Hills, PA 19030

215-943-2343

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Join Us

We offer a variety of worship styles and times on Sunday mornings designed with you in mind.

8:00 AM: Traditional Service
9:30 AM: Contemporary Service
11:00 AM: Traditional Service

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