A letter to workers and churches of the South England Conference
 
15 November 2024
 
Dear Brethren,
 
Sincere Christian greetings. I trust that you and your family are well. The Bible bears record that it is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed. They are new every morning. God continues to be faithful to us. Our eyes are upon Him in these crucial times of earth’s history.
 
As a Conference we are still dealing with the public revelations of the non-recent despicable acts of abuse perpetrated by the deceased paedophile Donald Kelly. We are in communication with the survivors to agree a mutually convenient date for a face-to-face meeting to discuss our report findings and offer them an opportunity to share their thoughts in response to the report. As a new administration it is our intention to be open and transparent with survivors. We look forward to this meeting and pray that this will be the beginning of healing and restoration for everyone involved.
 
Our Church must keep safeguarding at the top of our agenda. Alongside Evangelism, safeguarding members and visitors to our Churches must be a priority. We must be the generation that fosters a zero-tolerance culture to abuse of all kinds. Our Congregations must feel and be safe places for everyone who chooses to worship with us. Wherever a culture of silence around abuse exists individuals will suffer lifelong pain, so please everyone speak up and speak out!

Every church congregation must have a designated safeguarding lead. This is simply not negotiable! Messages about safeguarding issues must be visible around all buildings used by our congregations. Those responsible for safeguarding must be easily identifiable by everyone. Reports of abuse must be taken seriously, and the policy followed. Parents must be vigilant in safeguarding their children. There needs to be heightened vigilance with our uniform programmes and youth activities.

The vulnerable must be always protected; – our Churches must be a hostile environment for abusers. This must be a watershed moment in our movement. Collectively we must do all in our power to minimise the risks of this ever happening again.
 
We need everyone to be onboard for this to be a reality. It is not uncommon when organisations face a crisis the response is yielding to the temptation to defend the organisation’s reputation at the expense of survivors who are forced to live and re-live the trauma they have experienced.
 
Moving forward our approach will focus on the welfare of survivors (this will lie at the heart of our efforts); where defending the most vulnerable among us is a key priority.

We will continue to update you as matters progress. In the meantime, if you have been affected by abuse support is available from the following organisations:
 
Cornerstone Counselling Services Listening Line - 9:30 am - 10:00 pm - 0330 133 2495.
Premier Lifeline - 9:00 am - 5:00 pm - 0300 111 0101
New Kapporet - 3:00 pm - 11:00 pm - 0808 801 0333
Samaritans – 24/7 - 116 123
The Survivors Trust - 0808 801 0818

Yours sincerely, 
Dr Kirk Thomas

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40 Days of Prayer starts on the 17th of November at 6 am. Prayer Meeting Zoom ID has been changed to 89546335143 passcode 777.