Shenkel United Church of Christ
Shenkel is an open house of God. We gather as a caring community, rooted in Christian spirituality, to grow deeper in connection with God and others, to go and share God's love in service and prayer with the world.
ADDRESS
1580 Shenkel Road
Pottstown PA 19465
OFFICE / 610.326.3535
PASTORAL CARE / 484.925.0133
Shenkel United Church of Christ…committed to
protecting our children and youth!
In an effort to better aid in the prevention of child abuse, the state of Pennsylvania has recently signed a bill requiring employers to conduct background checks for both paid employees as well as unpaid volunteers who “are persons aged 18 or older having direct contact with children”: the care, supervision, guidance or control of children, or routine interaction with children.
A committee has been formed by consistory including the following individuals: Julie Zachesky, Sandy Peterman and Gary McDermit. Our job is to provide you with the necessary documents and information to make this as simple a process as possible.
Background Checks now required by law include:
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PA State Police Criminal Background Check: Complete online https://epatch.state.pa.us Click on “submit a new record check”, accept terms, and then complete the online form. A credit card is required and in most cases the result is immediate. Print the form and submit to Julie, Sandy or Gary.
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PA Child Abuse History Clearance: Complete online at www.compass.state.pa.us/cwis/public/home. You will need to “Create a new account” and follow prompts that allow you to request the child-abuse clearances. You will need an email address to create the account. Results will come through an automated system and applicants can then view and print online. Print the one page report and submit to Julie, Sandy or Gary.
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FBI Clearance via Fingerprints ($28.75, only necessary for paid employees AND unpaid volunteers who have not been a resident continuously for the past 10 years). www.pa.cogentid.com/index See Julie, Sandy or Gary for more detail if this applies.
***By law, all of these checks must be completed every 36 months.
We must have all individuals involved in any way with the care or interaction of our youth at Shenkel to complete and submit results for the necessary checks. This includes Sunday School teachers, music staff working with kids, youth leaders and parent chaperones/drivers as well as the homeschool group that utilizes our church facility.
While this new law may seem both overwhelming and perhaps confusing to understand, Consistory, combined with this newly formed committee is committed to being in compliance with the new PA State Laws. These laws are in place to protect our children as well as any adults who interact with our children. We trust that you will continue to support our youth programs at Shenkel and work hard with us to protect our church from the unfortunate reality of the world we live in.
Many thanks for your support,
Julie Zachesky, Sandy Peterman, Gary McDermit