Creating Safe Environments News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Churches generally strive to be a place where its congregants can feel a sense of belonging in a safe environment. But some survivors of sexual abuse struggle to find healing in their places of worship. To create safe environments for adult survivors of sexual violence, congregations need to be much more proactive, says Linda Crockett, founder and director of Safe Communities, a local organization that works to support survivors. Sexual abuse, she says, is not a subject pastors often preach about from the pulpit. She also says people are reluctant to openly discuss it in church, and most congregations aren t aware of how certain language, interactions and worship practices may traumatize survivors.

United statesLancaster theological seminaryMark harrisLinda crockettSteven fisherPam reistBranch community in gordonvilleLegacy foundationDonors campaignElizabethtown churchSafe churchSamaritan counseling centerDiocese of harrisburgSalem united churchSafe communitiesCreating safe environments