Safe contact
We want everyone who comes into contact it SBC to feel safe, valued and cared for. We believe that each person is made in the image of God, and as a result has an inherent dignity and worth. See below for more about this.
Safeguarding is important
As church we take safeguarding seriously. We want to do all we can to keep everyone safe.
Hearing and helping you with concerns
We need to hear from you if you have concerns about the way you, or anyone else, has been treated, or about anything we do as a church.
Who to contact
You can speak to or email one of our Safeguarding officers
Our Safeguarding Lead is Lou Maskell
Our Deputy Safeguarding Lead is David Wells
Our Elder (and trustee) for Safeguarding is David Wells
Understanding more about how our Christian faith relates to Safeguarding
Realistic assessment of ourselves
We have to recognise that we live in a sinful world, where we as human beings rebel against God and his ways for us, and we harm one another in all sorts of ways. We believe that the human heart is wicked and deceitful and that we are all capable of falling into sin.
Good news
We also believe in the good news of the gospel – that God offers us forgiveness and new life if we receive Jesus Christ as our Saviour and Lord. By submitting our lives to God and allowing him to work in us by his Holy Spirit we will grow in our faith and gradually become more like Jesus.
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. We should do so for the glory of God and for our individual and mutual good. We believe that God sees and knows everything – he knows even our secret and hidden sins. One day each of us will stand before God aa our judge.
- A place for a journey – where we grow together in this life of faith. As we do so we come to recognise that we are not perfect – at times we will all have to both offer and receive forgiveness from others. We also have to recognise that within a church there is the opportunity for individuals or groups to harm, abuse, or exploit others. As a church we wish to stand against any misuse of power, abuse or exploitation. 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.