Being a member in God’s church, a member of a local church family, and wishing to show God’s unfailing love to all is a beautiful gift and calling; but it is not always easy and sometimes things can be confusing and messy. There are times when we must face topics and issues that some may feel are inappropriate to be discussed in God’s house. However, as those who seek to live like Jesus, we are challenged NOT to take the easy way out, but instead to put ourselves out for the sake of the other, even when it is challenging. As followers of Jesus, we are called to have mercy and to do justice for those who are vulnerable in our midst. One of our most beloved rituals is the baptismal ritual. For families, the love and joy surrounding the birth and introduction of a sweet, innocent creation is a blessed event. For the congregation, we are also blessed to be part of these occasions. As a congregation we pledge to support the child and the family through covenants of prayer and care. The pastor addresses the congregation with the charge: “Members of the household of God, I commend this child to your love and care. Do all in your power to increase their faith, confirm their hope and perfect them in love.” As part of the St. Matthew’s tradition we have many times used ‘Congregational Pledge 2’ in which the people state: “With God’s help, we will so order our lives after the example of Christ, that this child, surrounded by steadfast love, may be established in the faith, and confirmed and strengthened in the way that leads to life eternal.” Jesus said “If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones…it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea.” (Matthew 18:6) God calls us to create communities where children and adults grow in faith, hope, and love within a safe and supportive environment. More than 14 years ago, the General Conference of the United Methodist Church adopted a resolution to reduce the risk of child abuse of any kind in the church. This resolution became Safe Sanctuary, a proactive, intentional process to assist local congregations as they train and oversee those who are nominated, invited, or volunteer to serve in ministries with children and youth. St. Matthew’s has a Safe Sanctuary policy and procedure in place. At the 2012 Charge Conference for St. Matthew’s UMC, The Baltimore-Washington Conference directed that we establish and implement a Safe Sanctuary Addendum. This is where we broach a subject that, for most of us, we would prefer not to have to address. The Safe Sanctuary Addendum requires us to establish an identification and monitoring process for those persons on a state Registered Sex Offenders (RSO) list who wish to attend worship at St. Matthew’s UMC. St. Matthew’s and the entire United Methodist Church are not alone in the need to address the possibility of how to deal with this issue; many churches and denominations are dealing with these issues around the country. The Staff/PastorParish Relations Committee is the administrative entity at St. Matthew’s that is responsible for assuring adherence with our Safe Sanctuary policy and procedures; it is the S/PPRC who was tasked with drafting a policy and implementing the requirements of the Addendum. The draft policy and procedure was presented to the Administrative Board and, at their meeting on October 16th, was duly adopted. S/PPRC team members will be tasked with conducting a search through the Maryland, D.C., West Virginia, and Virginia official state registries. Initially all member names will be checked so that there is

no appearance of singling out any individuals or groups of people. This will include persons who, while not being official members, are regular attendees. This will be a very time intensive job. Periodically, visitor names will be vetted against the registries. The overall search will happen twice a year. Also St. Matthew’s is required to provide a report to the District Superintendent on a semi-annual basis, unless circumstances require an immediate report. All information will be kept confidential. A process has been developed through which an identified Registered Sex Offender (RSO) will be able to participate in the life of St. Matthew’s in appropriate ways; the goal is to maintain a safe environment for all involved. The S/PPRC has developed a two stage plan. Once identified, the RSO will be scheduled to meet with the Pastor and a representative of the S/PPRC. The requirements for being able to attend a worship service at St. Matthew’s will be explained, and options to proceed will be covered. A covenant letter which outlines the details of the agreement will be signed by all parties involved. At the first level stage, the RSO is allowed to attend worship and other non-youth or child-specific activities sponsored by the congregation with a mutually agreed-upon escort in attendance with them at all times. Should any of the restrictions in the first level plan be breached, the RSO will then be placed in a more restrictive plan. The second level plan limits attendance to just worship services and imposes stricter escorting procedures. If at any point the RSO becomes a threat to anyone in the congregation, they will be asked to leave and their parole officer, if applicable, will be notified. The above summary does not provide the full details of the plans or the covenant letters. These are available for further examination upon request to any member of the S/PPRC. Additionally, United Methodist Church and District guidelines are available for review. Our goal has been to come up with a plan through which St. Matthew’s continues to be a welcoming and inclusive community for those who desire a place to worship and to receive the support of a church family, especially in times of serious personal troubles. We have sought to design a plan through which we honor our Baptismal covenant in every possible way, including maintenance of a safe environment for all persons—especially children, the most vulnerable among us. And we have tried to design a plan through which we my live out our highest calling which is to live and to forgive and to love like Jesus. In Christ’s service, Safe Sanctuary Addendum Task Force: Harold Patterson, S/PPRC Chair Jane Thessin, S/PPRC Vice-Chair Dawn Henry, Lay Leader Pete Saderholm, At-Large Ginger Gaines-Cirelli, Pastor