Justice & Advocacy
“Domestic and family violence remains a difficult issue for many in the Church. It’s an uncomfortable concept that is incongruous for those who value peace, love and care. And because of this we can develop a blind spot to this issue within our own families, workplaces, social networks, and indeed in our church communities,” says new Domestic and Family Violence Working Group chair The Ven. Dr Lucy Morris
Justice & Advocacy
May is Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month in Queensland. Several ACSQ clergy and lay leaders recently completed a free self-paced online Ridley College course on domestic and family violence education and effective responding. Three participants share their course reflections, including Bishop Cam Venables, Carole Danby and Jenny Clark
“My involvement in the domestic and family violence space began when my sister, Allison Baden-Clay, was murdered by her husband in April 2012. Her story shocked and gripped the nation. It resonated with people in the community and was in the media almost daily for months. At the time my family wondered why there was so much interest in Allison’s story,” says Vanessa Fowler OAM from St Paul’s, Ipswich and the ACSQ Domestic and Family Violence Working Group
“It all happens inside the church on Hamilton Avenue in Surfers Paradise…People are fed in the church. Emergency relief interviews are held in the church. It’s God’s house, so the church is the best place for people to be cared for. I think Jesus would love the fact that His house is being used to help His people in need every day,” says General Manager of St John’s Crisis Centre, Dianne Kozik
“The Church is in a unique position of being able to offer practical, emotional and spiritual help to all who are impacted by DFV, from initial contact right through to the ongoing emotional and spiritual support often required long term by victims and reforming perpetrators, when the need for more specialised and emergency assistance has either passed or run its course,” says Chair of JCDVPP Felicity Bailey
“We are an ecumenical Order, enjoying the company of mainly Anglican, Roman Catholic, Uniting Church and Lutheran members. The Order came to Australia in 1969…There is a strong Anglican presence locally,” says Charles Clark from Holy Trinity, Fortitude Valley and The Order of Saint John
“It wasn’t until I began working in hospital chaplaincy that I realised that, although I was often not heard in my family of origin, I had learned to listen very well and that was a valuable skill for any chaplain or pastoral carer to have – a skill that, in fact, forms the basis of all caring interactions,” says The Rev’d Ann Shepperson, while inviting parishes to host ‘Creating Caring Communities’ courses
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