Summer is drawing to a close. Schools are back in session or soon will be.
Fall programming is gearing up in our churches and we are looking forward to
sharing the love of God and Jesus in many creative and exciting ways.

The NIC is proud to partner with you in your ministry to provide ways of
creating safe spaces for our children, youth, and vulnerable adults.

Safe Gatherings is an online training program that screens and
educates staff and volunteers to help prevent abuse of children, youth, and
vulnerable adults in group settings. When employees and volunteers are
trained to identify potential abusers, recognize the signs of abuse, and
know how to handle reporting, they are better equipped to prevent abuse.

The Safe Gatherings program may be accessed through the Safe Sanctuaries
page here on the NIC website.

Through our partnership with Trusted Employees, churches also have access to
their own secure online account to order background checks for employees and
volunteers. The Northern Illinois Conference remains the parent
organization, which ensures low cost for the local church. Instructions for
setting up your account may be found on the Safe Sanctuaries page here on the NIC
website.

We hope you will take advantage of these tools provided for you as you plan
for safe and exciting programming in the coming months.