Child Protection Policy
Oakton United Methodist Church has established reasonable procedures to reduce the risk of physical, emotional and sexual abuse of children as they participate in church ministries, and to protect staff and volunteers from false allegations of misconduct. In an effort to create the safest possible environment within Oakton United Methodist Church, several abuse prevention measures including the screening of paid and volunteer workers for past child abuse convictions, regular training on child abuse issues, and the two adult rule are utilized. Click on the link below to read more about our Child Protection Policy and Procedures. Administration and implementation of the policy is overseen by the Child Protection Committee. Click here to see a list of committee members.
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Guidelines for Scheduling OUMC Sponsored Events
Events Requiring No Financial Support and No Other Ministry Involvement
· If a Ministry Team or subgroup wants to hold a meeting/gathering, on or off the church property, no further approval is required to schedule the event.
· If you would like the meeting/gathering included on the church calendar, contact the church office and provide the date, time and location.
· If you wish to meet at the church, the church office will reserve a room in your name.
Events Requiring Financial Support or Other Ministry Involvement
If your meeting/gathering requires financial support OR draws on or affects other Ministry areas, you need to obtain approval to conduct the event using the following process:
- Inform your Ministry Team Leader of your plan, and obtain their agreement to move forward in requesting approval.
- Submit a fully completed Event Request Form (ERF) to the church office at least two days prior to the next scheduled meeting of the Events Management Team (EMT). These dates are posted on the church calendar (November, May and July). Click here to print a blank form.
- Your request will be considered during the next scheduled meeting of the Events Management Team and you will be advised of their decision by the church office within three days.
- If you wish to appeal a decision, you may do so by contacting the Chair of the Church Council.
- Ministry Teams who do not submit their request in time for a regularly scheduled EMT meeting may still submit an ERF request to the church office. However, it may be less likely that the date and/or resources requested will be approved than if the ERF was considered with other requests during a regular EMT meeting.
- Ministry Teams may consult with the Pastor to assist in planning prior to submitting an ERF to the Event Management Team. However, the event will not be placed on the church calendar until it is approved by the Events Management Team.
- After your event has been approved, you are required to initiate communication with any other Ministry areas from who you are seeking assistance. Please do not assume that because you completed this form or sent an email to the church office, your event needs are being addressed.
Events Management Team (EMT)
- Responsible for reviewing, approving, and assigning dates to all church activities requiring financial support and/or affecting more than one Ministry area.
- Acting on the behalf of the Church Council, this sever person team is comprised of the the Chairman of each of the four Ministry areas, the Lay Leaders(s), and Vice Chairman of the Church Council. The Pastor and a member of the Communications Committee are ex-officio members of the committee.
- Meets three times a year; in November, May, and July to review future event requests. Check the church calendar for the specific dates. Please submit requests at least two weeks prior to the meeting date.
- Proposed events for the months of January – April should be submitted to the EMT in time for the November meeting, the preceding year. Events proposed for May – August and September – December should be submitted in time for the May and July meetings respectively.
- To help the EMT manage OUMC’s resources effectively, as well as to help reduce scheduling conflicts, Ministry Team Leaders are encouraged to submit their ERFs as early as possible.
- The EMT may choose an alternate date for an event and/or adjust the request to match available resources (e.g., space, financial resources, etc.). Events that do not line up with OUMC’s mission, vision and values statements may be denied.
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Inclement Weather Policy
Office Hours, Planned Meetings/Events and the Use of the Church by Outside Groups
The church follows Fairfax County Public School's lead regarding weather-related closings. When the schools are closed, OUMC is closed. When the schools have a delayed opening, OUMC has a delayed opening. When the schools cancel evening activities, OUMC cancels evening activities. As soon as we learn of this status, a special announcement will be placed on the church's answering machine (703-938-1234) and web site. In those instances when FCPS do not close, but a committee chairperson thinks a planned meeting should be cancelled, the chairperson may override the FCPS guidance and cancel the meeting. However, they are responsible for getting this information out to all that might be planning on attending the meeting. Inclement weather guidelines for Oakton Christian Preschool are slightly different. Follow this link to review their policy.
Worship Services, Sunday School, and Other Special Events
Considering what has been decided by Fairfax County Public Schools, and confirming with the Lay Leaders, the Pastor will determine whether or not worship services, Sunday school, and/or other special events will be conducted as scheduled. Decisions regarding worship services and Sunday School will be made no later than 7:00am Sunday (for the first service) and 8:30am (for Sunday school and the second service). Changes will be posted to the church’s web site and telephone answering machine (703-938-1234).
Weddings and Funerals
Cancellation of weddings and/or funerals due to inclement weather will be decided on a case by case basis by the Pastor and the family involved. In those cases when the Pastor is not involved in the service, the family still needs to coordinate this decision. If desired by the family, a cancellation message will be placed on the church's telephone answering machine (703-938-1234) and web site.
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Privacy Policy
Oakton Church does not collect any personal information about visitors to our website beyond that which is provided by the visitor voluntarily. Should a visitor identify themselves—for example, by sending an e-mail for a prayer or visit request—all personal information shared with us will be used only to the extent necessary to respond to the request. The church does not use any personal information beyond its stated purpose, nor does it sell or share personal information with other organizations outside of the church.
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Purchasing Policy
Effective January 2009, PRIOR approval is required before purchasing or requesting reimbursement for all “non-contractual” expenditures (e.g., salaries, utilities, maintenance contracts, etc.) in excess of $250. In general, this would include most “program or activities expenses” incurred by the Ministry Teams and some of the Administrative Committees. If you are unsure which purchases require prior approval, check with your Ministry Team Leader or Administrative Committee Chairperson.
The steps for requesting approval to commit expenditures in excess of $250 are:
1. Complete a Purchase Pre-Approval Form. Forms are available in the lower right hand OUMC mail box or by clicking below.
2. Each Purchase Pre-Approval Form must be signed by the appropriate Ministry Team Leader or Administrative Committee Chairperson. In those instances where the expense will be shared by two or more areas, the affected Team Leaders/Chairpersons must approve the expenditure.
3. Submit the fully completed form to Chair of Finance (Giles Sinkewiz) for approval. The Chair of Finance may consult with Church Council prior to approving or not approving the expenditure. If the purchase is not approved, you will be notified by the Chair of Finance.
For all expenditures, whether or not they are subject to the above Pre-Approval process, a Payment Notification/Check Request Form (see form below) must be completed and submitted to the Treasurer (Bill Doughten). In addition to initiating payment (either to you or someone else), this process will inform the Treasurer which budget line item to book the expenditure against.
Finally, in order to control cash flow, expenditures have been prioritized by the Finance Committee and a minimum balance of funds available will be maintained at $40,000. This also will help determine approval or disapproval of expenditures.
Questions about this policy and its implementation should be directed to the Chair of Finance, Giles Sinkewiz.
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