Letter From the Pastor
2 Samuel 22:2 The Lord is my solid rock, my fortress, my rescuer.
What is a “Safe Place”?
Summary: Let’s talk about what a “safe place for people seeking God” means to you.
St. Augustine’s mission statement is A Safe Place for People Seeking God. We say this mission statement every week. Have you ever stopped to think “what does that mean?” So, what is a safe place? The next month, I will explore what a safe place means to me, to you, and to our future. I will write about what a safe place means, what it means to our members, and what it means to our future. Today let’s start with how experts define “a safe place.”
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines a safe place as “a place intended to be free of bias, conflict, criticism, or potentially threatening actions, ideas, or conversations” Oxford Dictionary defines a safe place as “a place or environment in which a person or category of people can feel confident that they will not be exposed to discrimination, criticism, harassment or any other emotional or physical harm.”
Relationship Coach from the Moment Institute, Manisha Singh, defines a safe place as a place where, “a person feels completely seen and heard, without feeling the need to justify. Here you feel your deepest thoughts, feelings, and experiences will be honored. It is a way of “being”, such that one can express oneself fully.” She continues to say that to make a space feel safe one needs to listen with respect and be fully present to other people. It includes being self-aware, mindful, and observant in our relationships.
According to Wove Therapy safe places are spaces where people feel supported and respected for exactly who they are. They can provide a place for people to discuss, process, and heal from trauma and stress. Thus, safe places are good for people’s mental health. They provide a place of belonging and acceptance. Feeling like one is a part of a community is a powerful source of emotional support and validation.
To summarize the experts, it seems to me a safe place means a place of support without judgement. I wonder what you think a safe place means. The next two weeks I will write about what our members believe a safe place means. If you have a story, you would like me to share, please let me know your story of a “safe place for people seeking God.”
God is safe, so we can be safe.
Pastor Anny+
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