What is a safe haven for children?
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A Safe Haven is a place that loves and supports families and their children.
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A Safe Haven is a place committed to making its facility and programming accessible, safe and welcoming for all.
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A Safe Haven is a place willing to reach out into the community:
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to intentionally and creatively support families in bringing up their children ;
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to assist other agencies wherever possible as they address the needs of children and their families;
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to access and utilize research and identified best practices in our shared ministry;
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to love all as Christ commanded, as the children of God.
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A Safe Haven is Messiah Lutheran Church!
To learn more about the ELCA’s efforts to make the church a safe place where people can worship, learn, work, love, and receive care in a manner that is free from sexual misconduct, visit Called to be a Safe Place.
You may learn more about how to strengthen the home as a place for faith formation by visiting Roots & Wings, The Youth & Family Institute, or The National Study of Youth and Religion. Reviewing information found on the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics site or other such sites might help spark ideas about how to better meet the needs of children and their families.
Messiah Lutheran Evangelical Church (Mechanicsville, VA) was declared a Safe Haven for Children by a unanimous vote of the church council on August 5, 2008. All safety and privacy policies are available for review at our office upon request.
