Every United Methodist congregation is required to have a Safer Sanctuaries policy — but this is more than paperwork. Safer Sanctuaries is a way of being in ministry. It’s a movement to make our churches safe places for children, youth, vulnerable adults, and the people who minister with them. 

The North Carolina Conference invites you to a Zoom training with Suzanne Cobb, a session designed to equip your congregation with the theological grounding, practical tools, and hands-on experience to make Safer Sanctuaries a living part of church life.

Who Should Attend

• Leaders (clergy or laity) responsible for creating, revising, or training others in Safer Sanctuaries.
• Anyone new to Safer Sanctuaries or anyone who needs a refresher.
• Children or youth ministry leaders, or anyone tasked with training volunteers in their church’s policy.
• Congregational care leaders working with vulnerable adults.

What You’ll Gain

• A clear understanding of why every congregation needs a Safer Sanctuaries policy.
• The ability to recognize the essential policy components and adapt them to your ministries.
• Confidence to be a Safer Sanctuaries champion in your congregation.

Safer Sanctuaries Training
January 10, 2026, 8:30am-12pm ET
with Suzanne Cobb
Zoom, $10

We recommend that every local church team charged with creating or updating their church’s policy have a copy of Safer Sanctuaries: Nurturing Trust within Faith Communities. If your church does not have this resource, it is available in both print and electronic formats on Amazon and Upper Room. Purchasing this resource is not required to participate in the session.

The 20 free copies offered when this course was originally advertised have already been claimed.

About the Presenter:

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 most recently served as the Interim Lead Pastor at Soapstone UMC from January 1 to June 30, 2025, and she continues serving as Chair of the Raleigh Wesley Board and a member of the Conference Safer Sanctuaries Committee.