A vision to teach peace at home
By: Mae Rhine
Many homes have family members with strong religious backgrounds and beliefs.
Many of these people, in times of trouble, turn to the pastor or other members of their congregation for emotional help. These are people in their own communities, not faceless agency personnel at the other end of a phone.
Realizing there is a wealth of help available within this community, the Women’s Crisis Services is seeking to partner with them in a campaign called Houses of Peace and Houses of Shalom.
We believe it is an excellent idea with religious leaders becoming "partners" with the county agency that helps domestic violence and sexual assault victims.
To be a partner, religious leaders must educate members of the congregation about domestic violence; encourage them to teach peace in family members; encourage them to volunteer for Women’s Crisis Services; make support literature available; and refer victims of domestic violence and sexual assault to its free programs.
The effort is being led by the Rev. Chris Wolf, pastor of Lebanon Reformed Church and head of the agency’s Community Relations Committee.
The idea came from the agency’s plan to develop and increase the number of formal community partnerships.
It wants people to know about its programs and services, and this type of partnership is an excellent way to spread the word.
The Rev. Wolf said the agency has "a beautiful vision that, because of this partnership, one day soon, in neighborhoods and communities across our county, women, children and families will have recognized ‘sanctuaries’ to turn to in times of crisis, and more and more families will be purposefully teaching peace in their homes."
The Rev. Wolf can be reached by e-mail at [email protected].