The Glen Waverley Uniting Church PSALTERLink to CouncilAgenda20190626 > CouncilMinutes20190626
Email from Synod regarding intruders
Received 12 June 2019
This message is being sent to: - Church Council secretaries; - Ministers/Pastors in congregation placements; - Presbytery: Chairpersons, Secretaries, and Ministers. Dear friends, Unfortunately, there have recently been a small number of instances where individuals have aggressively disrupted church services and other gatherings . Church gatherings are sometimes seen as ‘easy’ targets by people who are seeking to cause disruption at the expense of others with whom they have differing views. It is important to be aware of the potential of these intrusions occurring, and how congregations/groups within a church building could respond. This guide may also help in responding to other forms of disruption (eg such as someone who may be drug or alcohol affected). The Synod’s Risk team and Associate General Secretary, with the support of Victoria Police, have put together a very simple one-page guide on “How to respond to an intruder”, which can be used in the event of these or other disruptions. I encourage your Church Council to: · read the attached guide on “How to respond to an intruder”; · undertake any appropriate actions for your context; including, if applicable, distributing the guide to any groups who use a church building for meetings or gatherings; · display a copy of the guide if your Church Council considers this to be appropriate. We all hope that that this guide will never need to be used. However, it is best to be prepared in case there is an intrusion in your church buildings. Please feel free to contact Isabel Thomas Dobson (Associate General Secretary) or me if you have any questions or comments regarding this correspondence or the attached guide. Grace and peace, Rev Dr Mark Lawrence General Secretary Secretariat 130 Little Collins St Melbourne 3000 t (03) 9251 5215 | f (03) 9650 7019 e: [email protected] w: victas.uca.org.au
