Peacekeeping training continues despite Hurricane Francine

After a year of planning, the North American Division’s Enditnow Safeguarding Peace Abuse Prevention and Response Training, planned for 2024 in New Orleans, Louisiana, almost didn’t happen. Hurricane Francine, a Category 2 storm expected to hit southern Louisiana on Wednesday, Sept. 11, the event’s opening night, threatened to bring everything to a standstill. However, after much prayer and reflection, organizer Erica Smith, associate director of NAD Women’s Ministries, and the enditnow team decided to proceed.

On the 11th, when Francine arrived, 54 of the 181 registered participants sought shelter from the strong winds and rain in a cozy hotel conference room. The group included conference administrators, finance and human resources professionals, women and children’s ministry leaders, pastors, teachers and local church leaders from Canada, the United States, Colombia and Puerto Rico. Twenty percent of the participants were men. Ten participants from the recent Adventist Risk Management conference, held at the same location, were also in attendance due to travel delays.

“Satan had some plans, but God’s plans were always bigger,” Smith said in her introduction.

From September 11th to 13th, participants were empowered to address abuse through devotionals, presentations and graphic accounts from victims and survivors – all members of the Adventist Church – followed by group discussions. Karen’s video testimony, in which she described the horrific emotional, physical and sexual abuse at the hands of her husband, highlighted the stark reality of the abuse but ended with a message of hope: “Whatever the reason (I was abused), God has me endured. And if it means telling my story, then I will.”

Daily highlights

Presenters included Smith, Rene Drumm, Senior Research Professor of Sociology at Andrews University and a key contributor to the Safeguarding Peace handbook, her husband Stanley Stephenson, a licensed therapist, Doug Tilstra, retired vice president for student life at Walla Walla University, and Nicole Parker, associate professor at Southern Adventist University, author and therapist. Tracy Ray, executive director of Safe Haven of Pender, was unable to attend because of the storm.

In the opening devotional, David Fournier, vice president and chief client care officer at Adventist Risk Management, emphasized believers’ call for accountability based on Matthew 25:36-41. On Judgment Day he declared, “Care for the needy and weak among Jesus’ disciples will be the defining evidence of kingdom life.”

Wednesday’s sessions offered myths and facts about intimate partner violence and definitions of abuse: emotional, physical, sexual, spiritual and stalking. Attendees learned that more than 10 million adults in the United States experience domestic violence each year. In addition, one in four women and one in nine men experience serious sexual or physical violence and/or stalking by a partner, leading to health effects.

A study based on a survey of 1,400 church members found that more than 60 percent of respondents had experienced some form of emotional or psychological abuse. 30 percent of women and 20 percent of men also reported physical violence. Moderator Drumm concluded that abuse is as widespread in the church as it is in society and “anyone can be an abuser.”

Tilstra shared that “one of the best ways to help people in a domestic violence situation is through the local church,” which is why the Enditnow training is critical.

On Thursday, speakers discussed the obstacles victims and survivors face in seeking safety, including religious and cultural factors, emotional dynamics and situational considerations. They covered signs of abuse, warning signs and holistic health implications. Notably, three women are killed by an intimate partner every day in the United States, and victims are more likely to suffer from depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and suicidal thoughts.

Another section covered assessment, response and prevention. At a handout on prevention, Tilstra said: “This is a roadmap that can take you far in a year.”

The participants took on the role of victims or advocates in role plays. They rehearsed the three keys to a disclosure response: believing the person, grieving that person’s pain, and alleviating the situation by offering resources and support. They also learned to rate safety on a scale of one to three and connect individuals with domestic violence teams or emergency services if necessary. Another useful activity was exploring local resources.

Thursday was also about child abuse. “A safe childhood is an adult’s responsibility,” Smith had participants repeat aloud.

Robert Burrow, NAD general counsel, emphasized that “anyone who works with children, even in the broadest sense, is a mandated reporter.”

enditnow advocates

Participants were constantly urged to be part of the solution rather than waiting for church policy to address abuse. Several participants were victims and survivors who felt compelled to help others through the challenges they had overcome.

One of those participants, Janice MacDonell, learned about the Enditnow training from Smith at the Ontario Conference Ministries Conference in March 2024. She suffered physical and emotional abuse from a former boyfriend and now plans to mentor other abuse victims through equine therapy. “Every step is part of the journey and taking this training takes me in that direction,” she explained.

Ruth Shaw, who has also experienced domestic violence, said: “This training will help me feel confident in helping someone else who may be experiencing (or at risk of) abuse.”

In the closing devotional, Parker shared that she was suicidal at age 15 after childhood abuse and asked, “If God is strong enough to protect me and loves me infinitely, why did he let this happen?” ?” The following year, she returned to her faith and now advocates for other victims as an educator, therapist and author of the series “Tales of the Exodus,” which tells the stories of biblical characters who, like her, “suffered abuse and… have come out while on the run.” other side with greater faith.”

Parker urged those in attendance to “seek justice. . . and fight in the army of God, whether you win or lose.” She expressed her excitement “that the NAD is taking these steps to help people.”

She was encouraged to see leaders like Haskell Williams, director of the Carolina Conference Ministerial Association, offering their support. As Thursday’s devotional speaker, Williams spoke about abuse throughout history. “Satan was the first perpetrator who infected our first parents with selfishness.”

Williams shared that he and his daughter Kirsten were forced to participate after experiencing a shortened version of training at the 2024 Carolina Camp Meeting. “I feel able to connect with others who help people suffering from intimate partner violence (IPV). We have already started making contacts in our community,” he said.

As the culmination of the training, for the first time 100 percent of the participants passed the tests required to be certified as Enditnow advocates. They willingly accepted the responsibility of serving as first responders and educators on abuse issues in their churches and communities.

According to the Safeguarding Peace manual, their responsibilities include:

• volunteer work as an anti-abuse advocate as the primary point of contact for disseminating abuse prevention information;
• Contacting local or state domestic violence providers for training;
• contacting the Enditnow organizers;
• and ensuring their local church holds an Enditnow Focus Day in August.

On Thursday, Smith concluded with a quote from Ellen G. White Patriarchs and Prophetswhich she titled “Justice is Coming,” summing up why she and the Enditnow team continue to host these trainings. “The tendency to cause pain, whether to our fellow human beings or to the raw creation, is satanic. . . . a report goes to heaven, and the day is coming when judgment will be pronounced on those who abuse God’s creatures” (p. 443).

More information

For more free resources on building safe churches, visit https://www.enditnownorthamerica.org/ and AdventSource’s Enditnow page.

Click here to order the free Safeguarding Peace Training Manual from AdventSource.

To view previous sessions and presentations, visit the Enditnow page of the Adventist Learning Community website or the Enditnow YouTube channel, which features “Church Too,” a three-part documentary about abuse in the church.

Child abuse resources can be accessed at childwelfare.gov, childhelphotline.org and Adventistyouthministries.org/safety-resources.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America also offers a silent whistle program that allows users to submit anonymous reports of abuse – https://www.enditnownorthamerica.org/silent-whistle.