We want to walk with those who need support because of the activities of Jonathan Fletcher which have recently come to light.
Our deep concern is for any who might have been adversely affected (and we include in that spouses and children of those affected) – whether through involvement at Emmanuel Wimbledon, other churches, summer camps, or personal connections in the UK or abroad.
We want to make it as easy as possible for any who have, to any extent, been adversely affected to come forward for pastoral support and independent professional counselling support, as some have already. You can do this here, either to agencies independent of Emmanuel Church and the Church of England, or by ringing Gilly Briant, whose contact details are below.
In this situation, where a serious concern has arisen involving a senior church leader, we do not want to ignore those who have been hurt in an attempt to preserve reputations. We are humbly seeking to be open about failings, and to walk with those who are hurting. We acknowledge that some who have been affected may now be in a different place of Christian conviction or, indeed, have moved away from their Christian faith. We want to hear from everybody’s experience and to offer support that is appropriate to your needs, including free independent professional counselling.
On this site you will find suggestions on how to respond and resources available for all those directly or indirectly affected. We recognise you may well be better placed than us to suggest ways we could serve and help those who have suffered so please do get in touch.
We recognise the difficulties and fears it may pose to think of taking the step of coming forward, especially for anyone wondering if their concerns will be regarded as trivial or invalid, or for anyone who doubts they will be believed.
We realise that some would understandably prefer to speak to someone who is independent.
If you have been affected by matters related to Jonathan Fletcher and you would like to speak to someone independent about this you can contact the Thirtyone:eight helpline on 0303 003 1111. Please quote ‘2019’ to identify that your call relates to Jonathan Fletcher. Thirtyone:eight is an independent Christian charity that helps individuals, organisations, charities, faith and community groups protect vulnerable people from abuse. Information you share with the helpline will not be shared with others unless you consent to that or action needs to be taken to protect you or others.
The Church of England National Safeguarding Team’s webpages are here, which include details of other agencies available on a 24-hour basis which are independent from Emmanuel Church, the Diocese of Southwark and the Church of England should you wish to report anything to them.
The Diocese of Southwark Safeguarding Adviser is Moira Murray (moira.murray@southwark.anglican.org / 020 7939 9423 / 07982 279713), and the safeguarding page for the diocese is here.
The Safeguarding Officer at Emmanuel Church is Gilly Briant (tel:07982 006277 or email gillybriant@btinternet.com).
You can speak to Moira or Gilly anonymously if you prefer. Any details you do give will be kept in strict confidence, subject to safeguarding reporting requirements.
Some victims may decide to speak out very openly about their experiences, and others may wish to keep their experiences very private. We will support whichever approach you take, and this does not affect your access to any support mentioned here.
We want to reassure you that our desire is to apologise, to listen, and to offer appropriate support and help to anyone, including spouses and children, who feels adversely affected in any way. A listening service is also available through Thirtyone:eight. In addition a fund has been set up to pay for confidential, independent, professional support and counselling if appropriate. This is being independently facilitated by thirtyone:eight to help ensure anonymity for all those accessing such support. For further information about this therapeutic support fund or to make an application for funding, please contact us in confidence via: ecwsupportfund@thirtyoneeight.org.
If you have been affected by Jonathan Fletcher, or someone you know has, please do consider being in touch.
Shepherding the Flock of God
27 June 2019
If you would like to get in touch, to enable a proper response to what has been happening you can use the contact form below. You could ask a question, or recommend a resource, or comment as you choose. Please be in touch if you would like to offer criticisms or hold up a mirror to some of the uglier aspects of Christian culture that you have witnessed or experienced.
Your message will be forwarded to the team at Emmanuel Church Wimbledon, who host this website, and who are directly involved in responding to the events that have recently come to light.