WHITLEY CO., Ky. (LEX 18) — Domestic violence is a silent epidemic that happens behind closed doors. It affects people from all walks of life, and it’s a difficult subject to talk about.
According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men experience sexual assault, domestic violence, and or stalking at some point in their lifetime.
Despite its common occurrence, Stephanie Parker noticed a lack of discussion around domestic violence in a place important to her: the church.
“There is sometimes a perception inside of our churches where we think that it's somewhere else, that it's out there, that it's not in our walls,” Parker said. “The numbers don't support that. We have to recognize that we have victims in our churches. We just need to be ready for them. We just need to be standing for them and we need to be speaking up so that they know that it's safe to come to us.”
Parker learned about Called to Peace Ministries, a nonprofit that works to equip churches to recognize and reach out to people who are victims of domestic abuse. She went through the advocacy program and became a liaison, bringing the program to churches in central Kentucky.
“We want to reflect the heart of Christ to victims of domestic abuse,” Parker said. “We want them to know that they are seeing that they are loved, that they are safe in the Lord's arms, and so we want to model that in tangible ways.”
Called to Peace trains church leaders how to identify and respond to domestic violence. It also provides members at the churches with resources and an advocacy program. The goal is to offer hope and healing to domestic violence victims.
“We are constantly empowering women,” Parker said. “We are giving them back their confidence. We are giving them a sense of dignity. They come back around and they want to give that to other women and so we kind of give women a space to be able to grow in their confidence to grow within themselves to feel secure.”
You can learn more about the programs and partnerships at Called to Peace Ministries by visiting here.
