The members of the Safer Congregations Committee wish to remind the congregation that we are a standing committee composed of Rev. Roberta Finkelstein (Minister), Catherine Williamson (Director of Religious Exploration), Donna Gonzalez (Board of Trustees), Becky Laster (at large) and Jason Hann-Deschaine (at large).
Some of the responsibilities of the Safer Congregations Committee are:
● Know about community resources for child abuse, treatment for sex offenders, and support groups for survivors.
● Know about state laws regarding reporting.
● Be a resource for people to share their concerns. (Please feel free to contact any member of the Committee to talk about your concerns.)
● Facilitate annual training on issues, policies, and procedures relevant to sexual/physical abuse. (Several are planned for later in the church year. E-news will provide updates as these sessions are scheduled.)
● Receive allegations of possible abuse and develop a process for expedient handling of such allegations.

The full Safer Congregations Charter and Policies can be found here