Countryside UMC abides by the Safe Gatherings policy adopted by the Great Plains Conference of the United Methodist Church. Safe Gatherings is a biblically-based boundary awareness and abuse prevention program developed to certify volunteer workers, staff and clergy who work with children, youth and vulnerable adults.

Safe Gatherings is an online program that involves a background check, references, and a program focused on boundary awareness and abuse prevention. It takes between 1-2 hours to complete the training session.

Any individuals who wish to work with children, youth, or vulnerable adults needs to complete this program. It may be completed at home (this can be done in multiple sittings) by visiting the Safe Gatherings website:

https://safegatherings.com/app/registration

If you do not have access to a computer or would like to have someone present in case you have questions or technology challenges, you can arrange to complete your certification at the church when a staff member is available to assist you. Please contact Becky Ericson to arrange a time.