Sunday 2nd March was designated Safeguarding Sunday in the Axe Valley Mission Community. The Safeguarding Representative for Axmouth Church gave this talk to the congregation.
Safeguarding Sunday – Sun 2 March 2025
You may be wondering why I’m here today! And what Safeguarding Sunday is all about!
As part of an ongoing effort to make our churches healthier and safer places of worship, the National Safeguarding team has asked the Safeguarding Reps from each parish to have talks with the congregation, every so often, to raise awareness. So that is the reason I am here today.
As many of you know, the Church of England has been going through some rather turbulent times. So, when it comes to Safeguarding, there is much to be done. There have been reviews and audits, Synods and reports – all aiming at making our churches safer places. Bishop Mike, from Exeter, says this from the outcome of the latest Synod:
“We will continue to work tirelessly to strengthen our safeguarding structures and ensure the highest standards of protection for children and vulnerable adults in our communities. We look forward to hearing more details about the implementation and delivery of the new independent body for safeguarding scrutiny.”
That is good news, having an independent scrutiny body outside the church, though to many of us, all this may seem like a very dry subject: a lot of maintenance, training, box ticking, and putting many regulations in place.
Actually, the heart of safeguarding is rooted in the Scriptures. Two of the sins God most hated and condemned in the Old Testament were oppression and social injustice. Jesus cared for all, most especially for those in society who are seen as the least, the last or the lost – the children and the most vulnerable.
Safeguarding is really about guarding each other safely and working towards caring and healthy relationships, so that everyone knows that they belong, are cared about and have someone to talk to if they are worried or concerned.
Our churches are communities driven by faith and love; love for God, for our Saviour Jesus Christ and for each other. Communities which by their very nature welcome all. It is this fact, that our doors are open to all, that makes it even more necessary to keep safeguarding uppermost in our parish ministry and worship.
Our lovely church, Axmouth is well-known for its warm welcome to visitors and newcomers. Everyone tries their best to help in the different activities. And we are always looking out for each other.
So, how can we make our church safer, still?
It is good for you to know that we follow the safeguarding policy that is approved by the Church of England House of Bishops, called “Promoting a Safer Church”; we are required to follow it…
Here set out is the statement of commitment to care and protect children and vulnerable adults and promote safer and healthier churches. It is based on five foundations: the Gospel, Human rights and the law, Good Safeguarding Practice, Learning from the past, and certain Core Principles. I will leave a copy on the font if anyone would like to have a browse.
There are posters in the church porch and on our website, letting everyone know that we follow this policy, and there are contact details of people and organisations who can help, should the need arise.
Those in any sort of leadership role in the church – Clergy, those on the PCC, those who may interact with children or vulnerable adults – all carry out training to be able to understand what can go wrong, what types of abuse or neglect may occur, how to help those who have suffered and what to do if you are concerned that abuse or neglect may be occurring.
The type of problem one may encounter nowadays has changed over the years and that is why, even if you have been a regular church attender or helper for years, it helps to do the training. Anyone who wishes to, can do so.
We need to recognise when things don’t look or sound quite right.
It’s not about checking up on each other – it’s about supporting and encouraging each other, being honest with each other.
It’s not about being suspicious of everyone, but YES! Being cautiously aware of certain behaviour.
It’s not about keeping quiet about a concern, or passing it around in the way of gossip, but YES about knowing how and who to report it to.
Synods, reviews, audits, posters and training are all necessary in the times we live in. However, to carry out the real spirit of safeguarding, as a church, we need to be anchored in Jesus.
Because things can happen in a church setting. We aren’t perfect and at times things do go wrong, which can cause relationships to break, and even cause great disunity in the congregation. And this is disheartening… and creates distrust, which in turn can make our churches unsafe.
So, we need to make sure we are all growing in wisdom and love for each other, creating a culture of humility, openness, honesty and trust.
It is only in Jesus that we can grow in God’s love, truth and wisdom, because Jesus is the one we are to listen to, follow and obey.
That is why the transfiguration was such an important event:
In Luke 9.28-36 we see Jesus transfigured into His glorified, heavenly body. There, both Moses and Elijah, also in glorified bodies were witnesses from the Old Covenant that Jesus was the one the law and the prophecies had pointed to, and that he had fulfilled both. There, from the New Covenant, Peter, John and James, were witnesses of his divine glory. And when the bright cloud enveloped them, they heard God the Father’s voice confirming that Jesus was his chosen Son, the one he had appointed with all authority for this unique mission – that of reconciling us and all of creation to Himself.
At that moment, already in His glorified body, as the only perfect sinless human, he could have chosen to go straight to heaven. But, in this pivotal moment, Jesus gave up that right and turned to the cross. He did this for all humanity, for you and for me, that we could receive forgiveness for our sins, that we could approach God’s throne with confidence, and receive all the blessings he has in store for us, including eternal life in glory.
It is because of this moment, that we, too have confirmation that Jesus is the one we are to fix our eyes on, and listen to, follow and obey. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 3.12—4.2, it is when we turn our face to Him, that the veil is removed, and, as we contemplate His glory, we are being transformed by His Spirit into His image:
He is one who is meek, humble and Loving. He loves righteousness and hates wickedness. He is full of Truth and light and does the Father’s will. He is Compassionate, Forgiving and Welcoming. He brings us peace.
If we were all growing in Jesus, and becoming more and more like Him, what could go wrong?
Most of our safeguarding practice in church is built upon how we relate to each other, expressing and demonstrating the love of God in every aspect of our relationships and valuing the image of God in each person.
We want to make sure we have everything possible in place so that anyone coming here and those of us who are already here, our families, grandchildren and friends, will know and feel they can be safe. That those who are in leadership roles, are trustworthy and reliable. Where anyone can come to a place of peace, where they might hear and experience God’s message of love and hope.
And, if something does go wrong, we too can step down, be humble and consider making things right with our brother or sister. We can find ways to communicate better, listen to each other with respect, so that there is openness, honesty and trust. We can reach that peaceful place of reconciliation and unity. A safe place to be.
So, what would a healthy and safe church look like?
There would be good, respectful, open and honest communication among us and with our Clergy and leaders. This would in turn create an atmosphere of trust, where we could express our thoughts, doubts, fears and concerns without being judged, criticised or alienated.
We would feel we could challenge certain behaviour if it was inappropriate, that we would be listened to, and measures would be taken.
There would be good teamwork, where everyone was considered and appreciated, being able to use their gifts for the glory of God.
No one would be left out of the Church Body’s life and activities. We would all be looking out for each other. We would be encouraging each other, especially those who have been hurt or going through difficult times.
Those are just a few points, I’m sure there are many more you can think of. But in the end, it is up to each one of us to work toward this goal, which we can do with confidence when we turn to the Lord. And as we are being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory, our churches will be, too.
Pancha Barratt