Safeguarding at Immanuel
Safeguarding contact details
If you have questions or wish to discuss a safeguarding matter, please contact:
Immanuel's contact: our Safeguarding contact
Caroline Evans - safeguarding@immanuelbrentwood.org
A national safeguarding advice service:
Christian Safeguarding Services - helpline 01162 184420.
Safeguarding statement
Immanuel Church Brentwood is committed to creating a healthy church environment. We want everyone who comes into contact with us to feel safe, valued, and cared for. We believe that each person is made in the image of God, and as a result have an inherent dignity and worth.
We also recognise that we live in a sinful world, where human beings rebel against God and his ways for us, and harm one another in innumerable ways. We believe that the human heart is wicked and deceitful and that we are all capable of falling into sin.
We believe in the good news that God offers us forgiveness and new life if we will receive Jesus Christ as our saviour and Lord. We believe that when we submit to God and allow him to work in us by his Holy Spirit, we will grow in our faith and gradually become more like Jesus. Our greatest purpose and joy is to be in relationship with God, and to know his transforming work within us, giving us the power to change and become more Christlike; living lives that glorify God.
The church is a place where the love of God for each person is displayed and where we live, learn, and grow together in our faith. This involves supporting, encouraging, and even challenging and rebuking one another when we sin; all for the glory of God and for our individual and mutual good. We believe that God sees everything and that he knows even our secret and hidden sins and that one day each of us will stand before him as our judge.
As we journey and grow together in this life of faith, we recognise that we are not perfect and that at various times we will all have to both offer and seek forgiveness. We do, however recognise that within our church there is the opportunity for individuals or groups to harm, abuse, or exploit others. We as a church stand against any misuse of power, abuse, harassment, exploitation or other forms of harm. We all have a responsibility to care for and protect each member of our church community, but particularly those who are weaker or more vulnerable.
To support this, we have implemented policies, procedures, codes of conduct and systems that support the positive culture that we seek to create by ensuring that those responsible for leading safeguarding in the church are competent and that our safeguarding arrangements are effective.
We actively seek to encourage a culture where concerns about the way that individuals or groups have been treated, or about anything that we do as a church, can be raised openly. When concerns are raised, we commit to examining them carefully and impartially, establishing truth and upholding justice for all involved. We strive to reflect, learn, and grow as we consider such concerns; particularly where we fail to meet the standards that we have set for ourselves. Any concerns can be raised with one of the Elders, the Women’s Worker or with one of our Safeguarding team. Their details are listed in the safeguarding policy and are available at the back of church. Our safeguarding policy and procedures are also available on our website.
As a church we are committed to safeguarding everyone who participates in church life, regarding care for the vulnerable as a biblical imperative and not just as a legal requirement. We work with local and national partners, doing all we can to keep everyone safe. We will strive to fulfil all our legal duties to protect both children and Adults at Risk of Abuse, but we aim to go above and beyond and to discharge our safeguarding duties in a way that is biblically faithful and pleasing to our loving heavenly Father, who calls us to act with justice, love kindness and to walk humbly before him.
Revd Andrew Grey
(Senior minister and teaching elder)