A word from our minister Ian.

Today, rather appropriately, is the nationally designated ‘Safeguarding Sunday’ in the church. In light of events this week, it is yet another reason for us to recognise this, and to take it seriously. Church, almost above everywhere else, needs to be a safe place, for everyone, and to be felt, known and seen as such. When it isn’t we’ve failed, and God is dishonoured.

Today there will be a simple video shown in our service and we are also drawing people’s attention to a Saturday morning training session, on January 18th, which we would strongly urge anyone, who has any connection, ever, with children, young wools or vulnerable adults, to attend.

Please put it in your diary now.

One of the key messages of all of this is that this is an issue for which we all share responsibility. In that regard, I’d like to share a poem, which I saw referred to this week:

“The Responsibility Poem” by Charles Osgood

There was a most important job that needed to be done,

And no reason not to do it, there was absolutely none.

But in vital matters such as this, the thing you have to ask Is who

exactly will it be who’ll carry out the task?

Anybody could have told you that Everybody knew

That this was something Somebody would surely have to do.

Nobody was unwilling; Anybody had the ability.

But Nobody believed that it was their responsibility.

It seemed to be a job that Anybody could have done, If Anybody

thought he was supposed to be the one.

But since Everybody recognized that Anybody could, Everybody took

for granted that Somebody would.

But Nobody told Anybody that we are aware of, That he would be in

charge of seeing it was taken care of.

And Nobody took it on himself to follow through,

And do what Everybody thought that Somebody would do.

When what Everybody needed so did not get done at all,

Everybody was complaining that Somebody dropped the ball.

Anybody then could see it was an awful crying shame,

And Everybody looked around for Somebody to blame.

Somebody should have done the job And Everybody should have,

But in the end Nobody did What Anybody could have.