We want our facility open to the community. But, we also are called to protect vulnerable populations. So, all churches in the Great Plains Annual Conference are required to ensure that events for children, youth, or developmentally disabled adults have at least 1 person certified in Safe Gatherings present at all times. This involves a 30 minute online class, a background check, and a $35 fee paid to the conference online. Then, that certified person may supervise your other non-certified people who volunteer. Other background checks (Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, etc.) are great, but do not exempt a leader from certification through Safe Gatherings.
**All events at Topeka First United Methodist Church require Trustee approval before they can be added to the official church calendar.**
1. Your event is not approved until you are contacted by the church office. You should not publish the event until that time.
2. If you are using technology or instruments, you will be contacted by church staff for further details.
3. Some events will have added costs such as set-up fee, janitor fee, etc. You will be informed of the fees (if any) before the event. The church may assess a building use fee for many events. Fees will be waived by the Pastor or the Trustees in special circumstances where the event directly connects with our mission or where a local community organization is directly serving the same population here. If required, the fee is $XXX per hour for non-church events with a maximum daily fee of $XXX. In addition, an additional fee of $XXXX per hour is charged for tech team support if your event requires using church technology or instruments.
4. You are required to remove your own trash from the building to the dumpster, clean all surfaces and appliances prior to your departure, and sweep or vacuum the floor as appropriate.
5. Anything you do during your event must be in keeping with all federal, state, and local laws including any copyright laws. Your event is not covered by the church copyright licenses.
6. If you are using technology or instruments, you will receive a contact from the person involved to assist with planning. In the event any technology fails, the church is not responsible.
7. Beverages and food are limited to areas of the church with tiled floor. If your group is found to violate this, you agree to pay a one-time $200 carpet cleaning fee.
8. You agree to release and hold harmless Topeka First United Methodist Church for any injury or damages you or your group may sustain while attending your event on our property.
9. Due to the risk of fire, candles may not be lit by outside groups with the exception of birthday or other cakes.