Safe Sanctuary
Our Policy Creating a community of care
Buncombe Street Methodist Church is a spiritual community, which takes very seriously its responsibility to provide a safe and nurturing environment not only for children, youth, and vulnerable adults, but for everyone who participates in our ministries including volunteers, staff, and community partners.
We do this through the implementation of a Safe Sanctuary Policy. As someone who is a participant, member, or community partner, we invite you to familiarize yourself with our policy and help us to implement these practices to create a community of care.
Scroll down to start your certification process and learn more about how you can get involved.
Safe Sanctuary Volunteer
If you are interested in volunteering in a Buncombe Street ministry that works directly with children, youth, and/or vulnerable adults, you will need to take several steps to become Safe Sanctuary Certified. Below is a list of ministry areas and the Staff Ministry Leads that can assist you in any step of the certification process.
- Children (ages 0-5th grade) – Katie Kizer
- Youth (6th-12th grade) – Kristen Harris
- Congregational Care – Rev. Grover Putnam
- Music & Arts – Vance Jenkins
- Church Staff – Debbie Friddle
- Child Development Center – Wanda Arnold
- Mothers of Preschoolers (MomCo) – Katie Kizer
- Other – Chris Ashley
Steps to Certify or Renew Safe Sanctuary Certification
Initial Certification:
- Complete an Application to Serve in Ministry
- Authorize BSMC to complete a background screening. The screening is free of charge and results are kept confidential.
- Read our Safe Sanctuary Policy and acknowledge that you have received and read it.
- Attend Safe Sanctuary Training, held in-person and virtually throughout the year. If you are unable to attend a training session before your scheduled volunteer engagement, please contact your Staff Ministry Lead for the self-paced video module
To renew:
-
- Attend a Safe Sanctuary training session annually (OR)
- Watch this training video and take this assessment to complete the training portion of certification.
- Authorize a background screening every 3 years.
Safe Sanctuary Resources
Safe Sanctuary Policy
Application to Serve in Ministry
Incident Report Form