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. Ministry teams 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.
3. If you are using technology or instruments, you will be contacted by church staff for further details.
4. 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.