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  Non Profit Group Helps Protect Children from Possible Predators: Focus on Faith

WAAY
December 31, 2009

http://www.waaytv.com/Global/story.asp?S=11749882

Sexual abuse in churches has been a national problem for decades now one non-profit organization says this crime could be prevented.

Many sex offenders get out of jail and head to church, but they all may not be praising God. Now experts say there are steps church leaders need to take to keep their members safe.

Greg Sporer is the founder and director of Keeping Kids Safe Ministries. A non-profit group based out of Nashville that tries to protect children from sex offenders in churches through education and accountability.

"I'm a therapist and I worked in prisons as a sex offender treatment provider and a lot were church goers and they were sex offenders before they got caught so it just got to the point where I had to do something. I just couldn't let all these sex offenders in churches, so that's how Keeping Kids Safe Ministries started," said Greg Sporer.

The organization trains church leaders on how to track sex offenders and find out who is high risk, then minister to them outside of church.

The ministry does not discourage offenders from going to church, if they are truly trying to recover. The group just wants church leaders to know the signs of a possible child predator.

"Sex offenders are not that impulsive. What they will do is groom their victims over weeks or even months for a period. They get to know the victim and their parents. They're going to begin to build trust," explained Sporer.

Last year the organization certified more than 100 churches in 36 states.

Police officer David Williams agrees that church accountability and awareness is a good idea.

"It's the place where most people drop their guard. They drop their guard because they're at church. They think I don't have to be as aware or wary as I do out on the street. Unfortunately that's not the case. I would say you have to watch harder, because it's a target rich environment for a pedophile," said Officer Williams.

Officer Williams believes churches should have an open door policy within the child care areas and two non-related adults should be there. Bottom line, don't give an offender an opportunity to harm a child and definitely don't let it go unreported.

"Sometimes they go up to 30 to 100 molestations or acts before they're getting caught. Sometimes more and some are never even caught. The majority are never even caught, 90%," said Officer Williams.

For more information on keeping kids safe go to kidssafeministries.com or call 615-631-5075.

 
 

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