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As many people who experience suffering from mental illnesses know, this affliction often causes extreme psychological and emotional anguish. I’ve personally found my most meaningful Scripture text in Lamentations.
It's important to remember that social media is simply a communication tool and, like all tools, must be used in appropriate ways. As leaders it is up to us to create and maintain appropriate boundaries. Here are some guidelines.
Safe Church not the only organization working to end the devastation of abuse. Today we feature an article from the Ed and Nancy Hanenburg Children’s Advocacy Center of Ottawa County.
On January 21, Classis Hamilton had another gathering of Safe Church Leaders at Meadowlands Fellowship CRC where we heard a presentation from Hamilton Wentworth Children's Aid Society.
It is a joy and a privilege to work with organizations like Dove’s Nest for the building up of Christ’s body in a loving and faithful way. Sign up for their free newsletter to stay up-to-date with great resources!
Sharing our new Circle of Grace video and other resources from Safe Church!
Did you know that Safe Church Ministry started out as the Office of Abuse Prevention? Think of the heartache avoided by preventing abuse before it happens. Surely churches belong at the front lines.
A recent article in Christianity Today highlights a few of the reasons why it can be difficult for those who have survived abuse to be in church.
When we are confronted with an allegation of abuse, there are always two paths we can take, two stories we can choose from. And one story will always be easier to believe.
When we feel safe, we can be curious, learn, and grow—attributes that we especially want to foster in our children and youth. As faith communities, we need to invest time and resources into safety.
Check out this powerful introduction to Samaritan Safe Church's approach to keeping children safe, written by Linda Crockett, a speaker at the upcoming CRCNA Safe Church Conference.
This bulletin insert includes a general definition of child abuse and a brief list of the common signs of child abuse.
What stuck in my head were the words, “No one in the family knew...”. I immediately said aloud to the other people in the room who were watching this with me: “That’s a lie, someone did know.”
I once spent 18 months working at an emergency children’s shelter. These children came with many stories and traumas. Yet I saw firsthand the transformative power of love and care...
I can still remember the hurt and anger in her words as she explained why the abuse she endured from her father as a child has made returning to the church impossible for her.
SafeChurch raises up the dry bones and calls churches to turn from lifeless policies that require “compliance” to a fully awake process where people of faith become leaders in their churches AND communities.
The publicness of the Duggars' lives has created space for a wider conversation about abuse. What will it take to move the church to speak more openly and courageously about abuse?
Yet, there was a question burning in my heart, as my eyes searched Bella’s face hoping to glean more insight. It was a question I wanted to ask but never could: “How did you know to fight back?”
"The God I serve is a God of presence, not a God of protection."
I am not advocating for us to raise unruly, disrespectful children. Yet, there must be a bridge in which we can disciple our children to be Christ-like AND have a voice.
One in four girls and one in six boys are sexually abused before the age of 18. We cannot bury our heads in the sand and ignore this issue.
In our very broken world, training up a child is not an easy task. How could our church communities be more helpful to parents?
In the last year or so, I have observed a disturbing trend: the introduction and acceptance of a mindset into our culture.
If you think that sex trafficking doesn’t happen where you live, think again.
In a recent blog with Rhymes with Religion, Boz Tchividjian asserts the need for seminaries to provide formal training for church leaders in preventing and responding to child abuse.