March 17, 2025
Dear Parents:
I write to you as a representative of the Church Council, regarding safety and security on our church campus. The Council is currently reviewing and revising safety and security policies. One area of focus has been acknowledging the realities of being in an urban environment while remaining true to our church’s mission and values.
One of the tenets of Our Redeemer’s is that we are a welcoming and open community. We want all of our neighbors to feel invited into our church and to feel God’s presence and acceptance. This includes people who may be struggling with untreated mental illness as well as those in the active use stages of drug or alcohol addiction. Each of us on the Council believes it is essential to extend this type of welcome at Our Redeemer’s. At the same time, we recognize that untreated mental illness and substance use can sometimes lead to unpredictable, and occasionally concerning or unsafe, behaviors.
As Council works through our safety and security policies and procedures, an area of focus is the safety of children, youth, and vulnerable adults in all aspects of our church community–especially on Sundays during worship.
On Sundays, the exterior doors in the Narthex and Fellowship Hall are unlocked and anyone can enter the building at any time during worship and Sunday morning activities. The Council is particularly concerned about unattended children in these areas during services as there is no staff available to supervise them.
Jordan serves as our church nursery caregiver. During services when nursery care is not needed, he stays in the back of the Sanctuary to help with the children’s area.
To be clear, the Narthex and Fellowship Hall remain accessible to you, your children, and anyone else during services. The intention of this email is to ensure all parents, guardians, and responsible adults in our congregation have the information needed to make the best decisions for the children in their care on Sunday mornings.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at bemac7309@gmail.com or reach out toPastor Thomas.
Peace to you all,
Betsy McGregor
Council Secretary