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Facing the unthinkable – child protection tour of churches

The Churches Child Protection Advisory Service (CCPAS) is running weekly child protection-training seminars across the UK this year called Facing the Unthinkable.

The seminars provide guidance on child protection in the church drawing on Government documents such as Safe for Harm and Working Together to Safeguard Children, and will look at the different forms of abuse, how to recognise the signs and symptoms and, most importantly, give clear and practical guidance on how churches should respond to children who may have been abused.

The series started in Salisbury in April and will end in Harrietsham, Kent in December. In between CCPAS will visit many of the main UK conurbations, including Swansea, Newcastle, Birmingham, London (three times), Leeds and Southampton, with further seminars planned for Northern Ireland and Scotland.

The seminars are designed for all who work with children in a church setting and are presented by David Pearson, Executive Director of CCPAS, who has over 30 years' experience in the area of child protection, together with Pauline Pearson, a counsellor who works with both children and adults who have experienced abuse.

David said: “The purpose of the Facing the Unthinkable seminar is to help make the Church a safe place for children. Every church must have a child protection policy in place that does not then simply gather dust, but is put into practice and used consistently by all its workers and volunteers. This is to help make our churches safe for all who come through its doors.”

For more information or to book a place at the Facing the Unthinkable seminar please contact Karen Ledger at CCPAS head office on 0845 120 4550 or visit the CCPAS website at www.ccpas.co.uk. Individual bookings cost £16 per person (includes training and a free workbook). Group rates available.

Reality TV alternative launched for 8-12s by Christian Aid

Christian Aid is offering to cure young people suffering from the excluding nature of the Big Brother reality TV show by encouraging team building and co-operation. The charity is encouraging people to visit www.globalgang.org.uk/games – its special website for eight to 12 year olds – which will take them on an anti-Big Brother journey of discovery.

After a storm at sea, survival skills are needed to get the ‘Global Gang’ home safely. The only way back to land is by completing a series of tasks, including building a shelter, fishing for food, collecting water and navigating through dangerous waters.

The game is the antithesis to the Big Brother TV concept and its spin-offs that currently dominate the small screen. Here nobody gets voted out.

The release of the Citizen Ship game coincides with the new Big Brother series that started this week (27 May) and runs for 11 weeks.

Church – fresh expressions are blooming, reports CofE group

Is the Church of England really taking on board the findings of the Mission-shaped church report, and adapting to the needs of 21^st century Britain?

Yes, according to Steve Croft, Director of Fresh Expressions, a initiative of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York supported by the Methodist Council. Speaking at the Fresh Expressions conference at Lee Abbey this week, he reported: “I have spent eight months trying to puzzle out what is going on and everywhere I have looked, there is a bubbling of new life and creativity and a real desire in the Anglican and Methodist denominations to support these new ventures with policy, resources and permissions.

“I have not yet met a bishop or senior church leader who is not supportive of the vision spelt out in the Mission-shaped church report. The Church of England has an understanding of its own mission for the first time since the Reformation.”

However, he warned against unrealistic methods of measuring success. “We have applied industrial models of production and growth to the church. I think it is complete rubbish. I don't think a Christian congregation can grow continually. The book of Acts is a model of seasonal, not continual, growth. We must set sustainable rhythms. Many of us live at the edge of our energy and resources. If we do this, we won't have the capacity to create new things.”

Chris Neal, the Mission Movement Director for CMS, warned against looking for quick fixes – or trying to stay the same.

“In a time of change, some people think the church should be the one place which should not change. But the world we are trying to reach is disappearing over the hill top ... the pendulum isn't going to swing back. We ought to be being prophetic about the world situation, the environment, all the big issues, but we never actually touch on them because it is so comfortable to do church the way we do it.”

And Martin Cavender, formerly of Springboard and now Director of ReSource, called upon the church to become provocative: “Where the church expresses a counter-cultural life, it grows. The real difficulty is where it flows with the culture.”

For further information on Fresh Expressions, please contact Steve Croft on 01865 311838 or visit www.freshexpressions.org.uk

© Christian Family Network
is run by CPO, supported by
Care for the Family, Marriage Resource, Positive Parenting,
Care, Women Alive, Christian Herald and many others.


		NEWS Facing the unthinkable – child protection tour of churches The Churches Child Protection Advisory Service (CCPAS) is running weekly child protection-training seminars across the UK this year called Facing the Unthinkable. The seminars provide guidance on child protection in the church drawing on Government documents such as Safe for Harm and Working Together to Safeguard Children, and will look at the different forms of abuse, how to recognise the signs and symptoms and, most importantly, give clear and practical guidance on how churches should respond to children who may have been abused. The series started in Salisbury in April and will end in Harrietsham, Kent in December. In between CCPAS will visit many of the main UK conurbations, including Swansea, Newcastle, Birmingham, London (three times), Leeds and Southampton, with further seminars planned for Northern Ireland and Scotland. The seminars are designed for all who work with children in a church setting and are presented by David Pearson, Executive Director of CCPAS, who has over 30 years' experience in the area of child protection, together with Pauline Pearson, a counsellor who works with both children and adults who have experienced abuse. David said: “The purpose of the Facing the Unthinkable seminar is to help make the Church a safe place for children. Every church must have a child protection policy in place that does not then simply gather dust, but is put into practice and used consistently by all its workers and volunteers. This is to help make our churches safe for all who come through its doors.” For more information or to book a place at the Facing the Unthinkable seminar please contact Karen Ledger at CCPAS head office on 0845 120 4550 or visit the CCPAS website at www.ccpas.co.uk. Individual bookings cost £16 per person (includes training and a free workbook). Group rates available. Reality TV alternative launched for 8-12s by Christian Aid Christian Aid is offering to cure young people suffering from the excluding nature of the Big Brother reality TV show by encouraging team building and co-operation. The charity is encouraging people to visit www.globalgang.org.uk/games – its special website for eight to 12 year olds – which will take them on an anti-Big Brother journey of discovery. After a storm at sea, survival skills are needed to get the ‘Global Gang’ home safely. The only way back to land is by completing a series of tasks, including building a shelter, fishing for food, collecting water and navigating through dangerous waters. The game is the antithesis to the Big Brother TV concept and its spin-offs that currently dominate the small screen. Here nobody gets voted out. The release of the Citizen Ship game coincides with the new Big Brother series that started this week (27 May) and runs for 11 weeks. Church – fresh expressions are blooming, reports CofE group Is the Church of England really taking on board the findings of the Mission-shaped church report, and adapting to the needs of 21^st century Britain? Yes, according to Steve Croft, Director of Fresh Expressions, a initiative of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York supported by the Methodist Council. Speaking at the Fresh Expressions conference at Lee Abbey this week, he reported: “I have spent eight months trying to puzzle out what is going on and everywhere I have looked, there is a bubbling of new life and creativity and a real desire in the Anglican and Methodist denominations to support these new ventures with policy, resources and permissions. “I have not yet met a bishop or senior church leader who is not supportive of the vision spelt out in the Mission-shaped church report. The Church of England has an understanding of its own mission for the first time since the Reformation.” However, he warned against unrealistic methods of measuring success. “We have applied industrial models of production and growth to the church. I think it is complete rubbish. I don't think a Christian congregation can grow continually. The book of Acts is a model of seasonal, not continual, growth. We must set sustainable rhythms. Many of us live at the edge of our energy and resources. If we do this, we won't have the capacity to create new things.” Chris Neal, the Mission Movement Director for CMS, warned against looking for quick fixes – or trying to stay the same. “In a time of change, some people think the church should be the one place which should not change. But the world we are trying to reach is disappearing over the hill top ... the pendulum isn't going to swing back. We ought to be being prophetic about the world situation, the environment, all the big issues, but we never actually touch on them because it is so comfortable to do church the way we do it.” And Martin Cavender, formerly of Springboard and now Director of ReSource, called upon the church to become provocative: “Where the church expresses a counter-cultural life, it grows. The real difficulty is where it flows with the culture.” For further information on Fresh Expressions, please contact Steve Croft on 01865 311838 or visit www.freshexpressions.org.uk © Christian Family Network is run by CPO, supported by Care for the Family, Marriage Resource, Positive Parenting, Care, Women Alive, Christian Herald and many others.