THE SAFEST ACCESS TO GOD

Church of the Nazarene looks to photo ID badges for increased security

Even religious organizations recognize that in today’s world, planning for any large gathering of members now requires more emphasis on security.  This is especially true for an event that draws participants from around the world to discuss church doctrine and policies and hosts numerous activities for hundreds of children.

A denomination of 1.5 million worldwide, the Church of the Nazarene gathers its members every four years to ratify resolutions, elect leaders and worship together.  In 2005, more than 30,000 met at the Indianapolis Convention Center and RCA Dome, in the U.S.A., and were joined by another 15,000 via the Internet.

For many years, it was enough for security personnel to patrol the convention floor with two-way radios.  Convention organizers locked up expensive items at the end of the day and were careful about giving out keys.  In 2005, however, a greater awareness of security vulnerabilities compelled them to introduce onsite photo ID badging as a security measure.

To facilitate registration for such a large crowd, the denomination headquarters’a IT department set up 20 computerized, self-registration stations. 

Most attendees preregistered on the Church of the NazareneWeb site, which speeded up their check in.  Others chose to register at the event.  In either case, attendees finished checking in by printing out their own plastic nametags on Fargo DTC300 Direct-to-Card Printers/Encoders located at each station.  The denomination selected Daymark Solutions to provide the Fargo printers and supplies.  More than 20,000 nametags were printed during the convention using a database compiled from both online and onsite registrations.

The General Assembly itself is actually four conventions in one: Nazarene Missions International, Nazarene Youth International, Sunday School Ministries and Children’s Ministries. Daymark’s involvement began with the design of ID cards and the integration of nametag production with the online registration process.  Additional pre-convention services included onsite photo ID badging at denomination headquarters for General Assembly workers and pre-printing delegate nametags at Daymark’s ID card service bureau.

Once the assembly and convention got underway, Daymark acted as an onsite service bureau to produce last-minute and replacement delegate nametags and photo ID cards for all convention staff members.  Four Daymark employees were onsite during the entire event.  This is the first time we’ve been involved on this scale,” said Linda Livengood, Daymark President.  ”Denomination officials recognized that security has become more important than in past years.  Photo ID credentialing definitely helped control access to restricted areas.  Also, with so many children’s activities planned for the assembly and conference, child safety was a major concern.  By issuing photo ID badges to all individuals who worked directly with children, organizers helped parents feel more confident that only authorized individuals were working with their children.”

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