With big smiles on their faces and excitement in the air, the Jones family piled into the car and made their way to church. Today was the day of the Easter program. For little Billy Jones, it was going to be the best Sabbath yet.
As soon as the car pulled into the church parking lot, Billy immediately searched the church grounds for the animals.
As he scrambled out of the car, Billy asked, “Mom, can I pet the animals now? Please?” Mom smiled and nodded, shaking her head. Who could resist Billy’s pleading, puppy-dog-like eyes when he turned them on full power?
Mom watched as Billy ran to join his friends at the sheep corral. Then she walked towards the church entrance with Dad to visit with some church members.
Several minutes passed and the Easter program was going to start. Mom knew Billy wouldn’t want to miss a second of the play. The resurrection scene was his favorite part! She walked out towards the animal pens in the grassy area and called Billy’s name. But he didn’t come.
Maybe he didn’t hear me, Mom thought. She made her way through the different animal corrals looking for Billy. Groups of children were clustered around the sheep and the goats, but Billy was nowhere to be seen. Mom called him again. And again, no answer.
A sense of panic came over her. Billy was missing! Where could he be?
"When was the last time you were part of a fire drill? When was the last time your church conducted a missing child drill or any emergency drill?"
Safety Sabbath 2016
Regular emergency drills are essential to the management of risks in your local church and school. Drills can be crucial to the continuity of your church once the crisis has passed. Adventist Risk Management, Inc. (ARM) wants to raise awareness about emergency planning in local churches and schools.ARM has partnered with the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists and the Youth Ministries Department of the General Conference to sponsor Safety Sabbath, a month-long event culminating on March 26.
Safety Sabbath is a chance for all local churches to participate in a drill and create a plan to use in case of an emergency. With the help of specially curated resources from ARM, you and your church will have everything necessary to create a crisis response team and execute your chosen drill.
How Can I Get Involved?
Register your church to participate in Safety Sabbath 2016! Whether it has been three days or three years since your last emergency drill, Safety Sabbath is an excellent way to update your resources and make sure your emergency drill is ready to go. Registration is free, and you’ll receive new safety information as soon as it is released.
This year, the focus will be on three drills: Fire, Missing Child, and Active Shooter. During the registration process, you can select the drill your church will conduct. Find everything you need to prepare for and perform your chosen drill on the Safety Sabbath website. Crisis response team roles, drill-specific booklets, inspection sheets and more can be found on the website.
Every church faces unique risks. Although we can never prevent all risks, it is our responsibility as individual risk managers and church members to practice and prepare to protect our church. Go to SafetySabbath.com to register and begin collecting resources to lead your church towards a safer future.
