Equip your church to protect the vulnerable and foster a safe, welcoming environment.
The Lay Servant Ministries team is offering a half-day Zoom course—open to clergy and laity alike—designed to train you to become a Safe Sanctuaries champion in your congregation.
As a special incentive, the NC Conference Safe Sanctuaries Team will provide a free copy of the new Safer Sanctuaries book to the first 15 churches with a registered participant.
Don’t wait—register today and claim your copy!
In this course, you will:
- Understand the importance of Safe Sanctuaries in every congregation.
- Learn what Safe Sanctuaries means for you, your church, and those you serve.
- Gain practical skills to develop or revise your church’s policy and train others to uphold it.
Every church needs a champion for Safe Sanctuaries. Let this course prepare you to lead.
Safe Sanctuaries
January 4, 2025, 10am-2pm ET
with Suzanne Cobb
Zoom, $15
Do I need the book?
Yes! All participants will need a copy of Safer Sanctuaries: Nurturing Trust within Faith Communities, the recently revised Safe Sanctuaries resource from Discipleship Ministries. If your church does not already own a copy, consider asking your church to purchase one that you can borrow for this course. To prepare for this session, you need not read the whole book, but please familiarize yourself with the contents of parts 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8.
Will I receive Lay Servant Ministries course credit?
While this course does not count as an “advanced Lay Servant Ministries course” for those seeking to renew or certify in Lay Servant Ministries, it is a required course for all those preparing to become certified lay ministers. Participants will receive a certificate of completion at the end of the course.
About the Facilitator:
The Rev. Dr. Suzanne Cobb, a Raleigh, NC, native, graduated from Atlantic Christian College (now Barton College) with a B.S. in Education of the Hearing Impaired and taught Special Education for five years. She earned an M.Div. from Duke Divinity School (1999) and a D.Min. from Hood Theological Seminary (2013), focusing her doctoral work on “Building Trust in the First Six Months of a New Appointment.”
A longtime member of Soapstone UMC, Suzanne held various leadership roles, including Children’s Choir Director, Sunday School Superintendent, Youth Counselor, VBS Coordinator, and Women’s Group Leader. She also chaired the United Methodist Women, sang in the Chancel Choir, and helped establish the church’s preschool program, where she worked from 1992-2004.
Suzanne began her pastoral ministry in 2004, serving Leah’s Chapel/Shiloh UMC (2004-2006), Saint Luke UMC-Sanford (2006-2011), The Milwaukee Charge (2011-2015), and Fletcher’s Chapel UMC-Durham (2015-2024). She retired in June 2024.
Throughout her ministry, Suzanne served on the Conference Disaster Relief and UM Volunteers in Mission committees, chaired the MERCI Board, coordinated Sanford Disaster Relief, and held leadership positions in Conference Youth Ministry, including Chair of the Conference Committee on Youth Ministries.
In retirement, she continues serving as Chair of the Raleigh Wesley Board and a member of the Conference Safe Sanctuaries Committee.
