No images? Click here LOVE COMES TO LIFE when we treat each other with courtesy and respect, and when the way we behave towards each other reflects the way God loves us. Care and love for children this ChristmasThis is a busy time of year in many congregations. During Christmas preparations it may be tempting to think that it is too busy to be pulling out the Child Safety Plan and checking to see if anything needs to be worked on in the coming months. Christmas is traditionally a time when families will attend church. In fact, we often expect more families and new families to
attend. Many churches put additional special worship and activities on to help share the news of the birth of Christ especially with and for children and their families – so now is definitely not the time to slow down your efforts at improving your congregation’s safety.
These are all ways to improve the safety of children visiting your church and to share the love of Christ this Christmas. Safe Church training – please complete your online sessions!The Safe Church online training was recently updated, with amended versions of sessions launched on 1 November 2023. Please note that due to the updates any incomplete sessions, which were commenced before 1 November, will be removed on Monday 18 December and participants will need to register again. If you have already invested time in an online training session, but have not yet completed the session, please therefore do complete it by 17 December 2023 to avoid your invested time going to waste. Church disciplinary system and complaints handling:General Church Board approves provisional trial frameworkAt its meeting in November, the General Church Board provisionally approved a trial framework for a new LCANZ disciplinary system and complaints handling process. The new framework addresses the findings of the Review of the LCANZ’s Ecclesiastical Discipline, Adjudication and Appeals, and Provisions, Policies and Processes. This review was requested by the 2018 General Synod and its findings were received at the in-person sessions of the 2021–23 General Synod held in February 2023. In the new framework, roles and responsibilities are more clearly separated and defined than in the previous model, with the intention that disciplinary processes are as transparent, effective and fit for church purposes as possible. Happy Christmas from your
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