Church Should Be a Safe Place for Kids, The Clarion-Ledger, September 17, 2011

Church Should Be a Safe Place for Kids

The Clarion-Ledger
September 17, 2011

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Church should be a safe place for kids

Rachel Misener's church ran a background check on her when she became a vacation Bible school leader.

Offended? Nope.

She appreciated that St. Andrew's Episcopal Cathedral had policies in place to safeguard children against potential predators - an approach she believes all places of worship should take.

"At St. Andrews, they have so many different things in place that help protect the children," said Misener, the mother of Jude, 4, and Hazel, 1. "We feel very safe to allow our children to go to events at church where we might not be the parents supervising.

"There's even background checks done on people who help volunteer with the youth. I feel like our church covers all the bases."

Like other denominations, the Episcopal Church has taken steps to protect children and youth in light of church scandals of recent years.

And the recent arrest of former music minister and high school choir director John Langworthy, 49, of Clinton, may have parents wondering how or if their place of worship screens adults involved in children's ministries and activities.

Langworthy has been charged with seven counts of gratification of lust for alleged sexual abuse of several boys while he worked with youth choirs at two Jackson churches.

Langworthy resigned in May as music minister at Morrison Heights Baptist Church in Clinton. He told congregants during Aug. 7 services that he moved to Mississippi because of "sexual indiscretions" with young boys in Texas more than two decades ago when he was a music minister at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas.

Darby Ray, a professor of religious studies at Millsaps College, said she has noticed an "increase in attention to issues of power and abuse" and an increase in creating environments where children are protected.

"For instance, people who work in nursery and Sunday school rooms, moms and dads who are volunteering - those kinds of leadership groups are going through training about sexual abuse, maintaining proper boundaries and whom to call if one suspects some kind of inappropriate behavior. Everything aims at protecting our youth. If there's anywhere they should be protected, it's in our religious community."

Annie Elliott, Episcopal diocesan youth coordinator, said the diocese follows a national program called Safeguarding God's Children.

"It's a program to ensure that children are kept safe in church, and it's to know what to do if you suspect children are being harmed in the church, at home or anywhere. It helps them know how to get in touch with child protection services."

Elliott said everyone who works with the church undergoes a background check - even parent youth group volunteers and drivers.

"We also have a couple of pretty easy policies to make sure adults are never with children alone in a car and a building, and that really helps us," she said. "I personally believe that training is very important, and making sure people know they aren't supposed to be alone with children, because people may not realize that being by yourself can create situations with certain things."

Elliott said what's most important to her is the cultural shift in the church.

"When we first started talking about this, it was surprising to people to think that we had to talk about it," she said. "Now, it's become a part of our lives. Talking about it is what makes us keep kids safe. It's when it's not being talked about is when things can fall through the cracks and happen."

Vickie Carollo, the Safe Environment coordinator of the Office of Child Protection for the Catholic Diocese of Jackson, said since 1986, the Diocese of Jackson has been committed to ensuring that children served by the church are not at risk of sexual abuse by church personnel.

"Over the years the policies have undergone revision and updating to reflect the church's care and concern to provide safe environments for our children," she said.

Carollo said the program applies to all institutions and groups that operate under the diocese.

"We provide a criminal background screening process on all employees and volunteers working with children and youth, in addition to providing initial safe environment training and a retraining every two years," Carollo said.

She said the diocese also holds age-appropriate discussions with children based on gospel values and self-protection.

She said an annual meeting is offered so parents can review the material.

"Additionally, we provide a system to respond to victims and their families, as well as the accused," she said.

To comment on this story, call LaReeca Rucker at (601) 961-7034.