Sally – Safeguarding 

Safeguarding Prayer & Reflection.
We have seen God work miraculously this month within the team and the church. No doubt, your prayers are heard and very much valued. Thank you very much. Let’s keep trusting God.

‘Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. ”Phil 4:6-7 New King James Version

Being thankful causes us to focus on how God can solve our problems. It gives us the ability to investigate God for help rather than concentrate on our problems which makes us anxious. Thanking God for all the good things He has done gives us the peace of mind. It keeps us at peace knowing that God is with us and nothing can be against us. So let’s thank God for the opportunity to be his hands, feet and voice and for the gifts and talents we are blessed with to be used for his kingdom

SAFEGUARDING deals with a very wide range of issues that impacts on the physical, emotional, mental, psychological and/or spiritual state that has a wide range of repercussions. The traumatising effect is felt most intensely by the person who has experienced the cause of trauma. However, the person’s impact will also ripple out to others including the families, friends, groups,
networks and wider communities of the person who experienced the abuse and the person who abused.

From the BU: ‘In our Baptist family we believe that our life together should express what is on God’s heart. As we show compassion to those in need and difficulty, and as we care for the broken hearted, we become living examples of God’s great love in action. We act to support justice and mercy, recognising this is part of demonstrating our hunger for God’s coming kingdom, both within and beyond our churches and local communities. Within the Baptist Union of Great Britain, we recognise that many individual Christians and local Baptist churches have been effectively supporting those who have experienced difficulties, and have offered love, care and Christian  fellowship to those who have survived challenging families and relationships.
Yet we must also acknowledge that some churches have got it wrong. Sometimes we have not been equipped to help, and on other occasions we have not understood or minimised the extent of the harm done. Encouraged by many good examples of support, and equally challenged by those who
have experienced difficulties but have not felt that the church provided the help and care they expected’.

Prayer topic:
? That the Lord who gives wisdom can and will help us to be
compassionate and supportive to those we care for.

• That the Lord will guide us to improve the way in which we can support and walk alongside people who have experienced abuse.
• That the Lord may help us to know our limit in the help we give as sometimes the help could exacerbate problems.
• That the Lord will help us to be faithful in prayer for those who still live in the emotional and mental scars of their trauma, praying that they may know the healing touch of God in their lives and be blessed with hope for the future.