Our vicar writes on safeguarding

I was regularly taken to church as a child, and I remember quite strongly the day I decided on my faith. I was seven.
I remember thinking – “If God was real and was a God of love, then people would be singing the hymns to Him with happy faces, not the dead-pan faces they seemed to have to my eyes. If God was real, then He was God 24 hours a day 7 days a week, and wouldn’t be fooled by people’s “Sunday Best” faces and clothes. And if God was real, all-powerful and heard prayers, then everyone would surely be asking Him about how to make every decision of every day, not just make their own decisions. And so, with all the childish wisdom of a 7 year old, I decided that God wasn’t real, He was made up by clever people to make foolish people and children behave. And I wasn’t to be fooled! My disbelief in God was sealed.
Oh dear! In my childhood “wisdom” I had judged whether God was real or not by His people.  It was a bit like choosing your spouse by the way their work colleagues acted. Or judging a book by the colour of its cover.

I’m forever grateful that many years later God revealed Himself to me for the wonderful, kind, gentle, loving, holy, forgiving, generous, all-powerful, healing, and life-giving God He is.

The church is in the news a lot at the moment, showing a very painful picture of what can happen when leaders (especially) appear to abuse their position and leave their flocks with feelings of pain and devastation instead of life and healing.

Can I encourage all who have been hurt by “the church” not to judge whether God is real or not by His followers, but instead go to His bible, speak to Him, and ask Him to reveal Himself to you, and show you who He really is. Please don’t judge God by His people as I had.

 If you have been hurt or have a concern about anyone in the church, leader or otherwise, recent or non-recent,  please can I encourage you to reach out for help. Here are some of the ways you can get support

Your church’s Safeguarding Officer – for our church it is Keith Miller on safeguarding@ccorpington.org
The Safeguarding Lead for your Diocese - for our Diocese of Rochester it is Greg Barry on 07585 952174
The National Safeguarding Team via safeguarding@churchofengland.org
Thirtyone:eight Safeguarding Helpline on 0303 003 1111 which is staffed by trained professionals who provide safeguarding advice and guidance and operate an out of hours service for urgent calls, or email on info@thirtyoneeight.org
Or Safe Spaces, a free and independent support service, providing a confidential, personal and safe space for anyone who has been abused through their relationship with either the Church of England, the Catholic Church of England and Wales or the Church in Wales available on 0300 303 1056 or info@safespaces.co.uk
In an emergency, especially if someone is in immediate danger of harm, you should always call 999 straight away and ask for the police. Holding in my prayers all those who have been hurt by the Church and commending them for their bravery in speaking out.

Sharon x

Safeguarding
As a church we take our safeguarding responsibilities seriously and the PCC is committed to ensuring that our church and hall spaces are safe places for all.  If you would like to speak to someone in the church about child abuse, abuse of vulnerable adults or domestic abuse, please contact the Parish Safeguarding Officer, Keith Miller at safeguarding@ccorpington.org. Alternatively visit the safeguarding pages on our Diocesan website www.rochester.anglican.org/resources/safeguarding/ for additional resources. 
However, if you or someone you are concerned about is in immediate danger, please call the police on 999